For more than 50 years, it’s been easy to convince men to eat more protein. It’s an essential building block for building muscle, something the general population of men is mostly looking for to maintain healthy muscle mass and keeping strong. It’s harder to sell the same idea to women, as the majority of women are afraid to look too “bulky”. Mainstream magazines for women have often focused on manipulating carbohydrates, fats, and calories. In recent years, however, protein has started taking over in the female fitness community as a focal area in attaining the physique most women are looking for.
What we need to understand, however, is that the female shape, just like any other, is shaped over the surface of muscle and fat which outlines the skeletal structure. Women who want to build muscle need enough protein to support this shape. Likewise for the women who want more stamina for sports or to be able to handle difficult boot camp workouts.
Another significant factor to consider is that women who are using lower calorie diets designed to lose their body fat may need to increase their protein intake. This is because their body will use the protein as an energy source. Recent studies suggest that up to 2g of protein per kilogram of body weight may be necessary for preventing lean muscle losses during periods of energy restriction and to promote fat loss. This means a 126-pound woman will need to increase their protein intake to an increased 115g per day.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get this increased protein intake from food sources alone. If you don’t have a lot of time to cook, it can be more useful and convenient to get the extra requirements from protein powders. Keep your protein in a shaker bottle, add water and mix whenever you are ready. It’s an efficient solution for the everyday person. Protein supplements are extremely helpful with increasing your protein intake without increasing the number of carbs or fats you consume. This keeps calories low while keeping healthy.
