The Scottish Mail on Sunday

How much protein do we need? As we get older, we need more

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A KEY claim of the Protein Leverage Hypothesis is that to satisfy our protein hunger, most of us need to get about 15 to 20 per cent of our calories in the form of protein.

Go below that and your protein hunger will make you want to eat more.

Current health guidelines say that women should be aiming to eat about 45g of protein a day, and 55g for men.

But many experts think these numbers are far too low.

As you get older, it becomes even more important to raise your protein intake to avoid agerelated muscle loss.

Some studies recommend that when we reach mid-life, we should be aiming to eat 1 to 1.5g of protein per kg of body weight per day. This means that someone who weighs 80kg (12st 8lb), as I do, should be eating 80 to 120g of protein a day, which is far higher than the current official recommende­d levels.

The classic Mediterran­ean diet, on which my Fast 800 Keto plan is based, contains about 20 per cent protein, and I have tweaked the plan (and the recipes devised by my wife, Dr Clare Bailey, working with food writer Kathryn Bruton and nutritiona­l therapist Caroline Barton have been adjusted accordingl­y) to increase the protein content. The first rapid weight loss stage of the Fast 800 Keto plan is calibrated so that about 20 to 25 per cent of your diet is high-quality protein.

When you move to Stage Two, you’ll be eating more calories on non-fasting days and you can boost your protein intake. By the time you are happily at your target weight and on the maintenanc­e Stage Three of the diet plan, you can – and should – ensure that your protein intake is around 70 to 80g per day for women and 90 to 100g for men.

This is higher than official recommenda­tions, but I believe in the power of this emerging science. Having said that, if you have kidney problems, there is a risk that a higher-protein diet could make it worse, so do talk to your doctor before starting on the plan.

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