We like to think of protein as an irreplaceable body building block. It’s the “glue” that holds our cells together in everything from our hair to our nails to our muscles, and it also aids in the formation of many important antibodies and hormones. Not to mention, protein helps us feel full and satisfied after we fuel up with it.
How much each person needs is very individual (learn how to calculate exactly how much protein you should aim for each day here), and while it is crucial for our existence, it is certainly possible to overdo it.Science saysthat we can only absorb up to 25 grams at one sitting—which is equal to 3 ounces of chicken breast, 1 cup of cottage cheese or 4 eggs—and anything over 140 grams of protein per day or so is probably unnecessary. (Wildly high-protein diets can throw your body out of whack in these 8 ways, plus it might crowd out other important macronutrients likeheart-healthy fatsandfiber-rich carbs.)
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So now that we know a rough idea about how much protein to eat, what about when? This is what researchers from Waseda University in Japan set out to discover in their new study, published July 6 in the journalCell Reports.After studying mice and humans, they found thatfront-loading the day with enough protein at breakfast leads to a larger increase in muscle size and function than consuming more protein at dinner.
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To begin, they fed laboratory mice 2 meals per day containing either:
The mice that ate the higher protein meal early in the day at “breakfast” displayed more muscle growth than their peers who were fed the higher protein meal later in the day for “dinner.”
According to professor Shibata, a “protein-rich diet at an early phase of the daily active period, that is at breakfast, is important to maintain skeletal muscle health and enhance muscle volume and grip strength.”
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“For humans, in general, the protein intake at breakfast averages about 15 grams, which is less than what we consume at dinner, which is roughly 28 grams. Our findings strongly support changing this norm and consuming more protein at breakfast or morning snacking time,” Professor Shibata says in abrief about the study.
Craving some inspiration? Try our7-day meal plan of satisfying high-protein breakfaststo kick things off, then sample your way through any or all of these16 make-ahead high-protein breakfasts.
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