Five tips to get enough protein from real food
Older people need more protein, but eating enough of this essential macronutrient can get harder as you age.
Three years ago, freelance writer and editor Heidi Yeo started prioritising protein to help her maintain muscle mass. Now 58, she cut down on bread, rice and noodles.
She eats sunflower seeds, hard-boiled eggs and sliced tofu as snacks.
The results have been encouraging. Her diabetes is under better control, with her blood sugar levels measured by the HbA1c test falling from around 9 to 6.8 after the dietary change.
National health portal HealthHub suggests that people with diabetes target levels of 7 or lower in the HbA1c test.
Increasing protein has also increased Yeo’s grocery bill. She now spends about $70 a week on protein-heavy groceries for herself, compared with $60 every 10 days when she did not think about protein as much.
Also, says the self-confessed lover of carbs: “When I go past a bakery, it hurts.”
Older adults need more protein to combat age-related muscle loss, but cost, dietary preference and issues with appetite and chewing can make it difficult to reach their goals. Experts suggest five hacks to help with protein intake.
1. Figure out how much protein you need
The recommended intake of protein for adults aged 18 to 49 in Singapore is calculated as 0.8g for each kg of body weight. A person in that age group who weighs 75kg would need 60g of protein a day.
However, an adult aged 50 or older who weighs 75kg would need 90g of protein a day. Adults aged 50 and older need 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weigt, according to national healthcare portal HealthHub.
Dietitian Tan Yan Lin from SingHealth Polyclinics says that higher protein intake may be required during recovery from illness or surgery, or when a person has malnutrition or is trying to lose weight and preserve muscle.
People’s protein needs vary based on age, health, activity levels and health targets.
In the US, recently released dietary guidelines recommend a protein intake of 1.2g/kg to 1.6g/kg of body weight a day.
Dietitian Ellie Cheale, head of nutrition at health and fitness chain Ufit, works with clients who work out regularly and may be looking to build mass and lose fat. She recommends a protein intake of 1.4g/kg to 2g/kg of body weight a day to support recovery and muscle-building, and to improve satiety.
Tan says it is important to know how much protein you need, since consuming extra will not provide more muscle benefits. In fact, focusing excessively on protein might lead to excluding vegetables, fruit and whole grains, all of which contribute to overall health.
Yeo changed her diet after consulting her general practitioner and a kidney specialist, both of whom manage her diabetes care.
She used a reliable online nutrition calculator that factored in her age and weight and came up with a daily target of 90g of protein.
Tan recommends working with a professional before making drastic changes to the amount of protein you consume.
She gives the example of a patient who has chronic kidney disease.
His family was so worried that protein would further damage his kidneys that they “drastically reduced” his intake of meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, soya products and other protein-rich foods. As a result, the patient lost 5kg and had reduced appetite.
Tan worked with him and his family to reintroduce suitable protein-rich foods to maintain his muscle mass and ensure he was receiving balanced nutrition. “Patients should not eliminate all protein-rich foods or begin a high-protein diet without appropriate advice,” she says.
2. Upgrade each meal with protein
Start by having a clear source of protein at every meal. Small changes to regular meals make it easier to be consistent in the long term.
Tan says: “I focus on small changes to familiar meals, such as adding an egg or peanut butter at breakfast, preparing oats with milk or soya milk, or adding tofu, egg or fish to noodles.”
Nutrition consultant and coach James Yeo, founder of Performance Nutrition, has clients who have only coffee in the morning and eat meals later in the day. To them, he might suggest adding skimmed milk, with or without a scoop of protein powder.
Protein powder can help increase protein intake without adding many calories, he says. It is also a convenient option for time-poor clients who may not want to think too much about cooking or choosing a meal.
However, he says that it is better to get as many nutrients as possible from whole foods for optimal health.
3. Spread out protein intake
Tan says that muscles make better use of protein when it is consumed regularly throughout the day rather than concentrated in one meal.
Apart from adding protein to main meals, older people can consider having protein-rich snacks. “Options such as yogurt, edamame, nuts, milk, soya milk, boiled egg, siew mai or a meat-filled bao can contribute to overall intake,” she says.
Heidi Yeo often has a frittata made of eggs and vegetables for breakfast. If she eats lunch at an economy rice stall, she will have two vegetables and two proteins, such as tofu and chicken or fish.
For snacks, she has seeds or trail mix; slices of smoked salmon or ham or turkey breast; and hard-boiled eggs. “I eat three times as many eggs as before,” she says.
She logs her meals regularly on an app to track her protein and calorie intake. She also wants to track her salt intake, given the increased amount of processed food in her diet, and says she will be tracking her cholesterol with her doctor.
4. Affordable, high-protein options
Tan says that people can get the protein they need without relying on expensive meat or supplements. She lists options such as eggs; dhal or lentils; tofu; tau kwa; tempeh; beans; canned or frozen fish; milk and soya drinks.
James Yeo says that animal proteins are more bioavailable, or easier for the body to absorb and use. With plant proteins, people may have to eat more to hit their protein goals.
Animal proteins have all 20 amino acids that the body needs to function. Most plant protein sources do not contain all 20 amino acids, except for soya.
“If you are vegetarian, mixing different types of plant proteins would be a great option,” he says. “For example, if you are eating lentils and legumes, eat them with grains.”
5. Sensible swops and snacks
Tan says that older adults often have a poorer appetite or feel full more quickly than before. She suggests enriching meals without greatly increasing their volume. Egg, silken tofu, minced meat or fish can be added to porridge, for example.
Older people with issues chewing and swallowing might find these options easier to eat too, she adds.
Cheale says that since protein-rich foods are filling, younger people, too, can find it difficult to increase their protein intake by eating more. “Simply increasing the size of their chicken, fish or tofu portion can leave them feeling uncomfortably full.”
She looks for easy swops her clients can make to get more protein without eating much more. Some ideas are eating Greek yogurt instead of a larger bowl of standard yogurt; adding eggs or milk to breakfast; choosing leaner protein sources like chicken breast instead of thigh; or having protein-rich snacks like edamame or tofu.
If you eat biscuits as a snack, try cottage cheese and crackers instead, she says.
Reading nutrition labels is important, since some high-protein options like Greek yogurt may have added sugars. Cheale says that if 100g of yogurt offers 8g of protein for 60 calories, it is a good option.
When Heidi Yeo goes out with friends, she plans her eating strategy. She checks the menu beforehand for options that fit within her diet. Sometimes, she eats before going out.
At a ramen shop, she will have the soup, fried chicken karaage and pickles, but not the noodles.
At a restaurant, she opts for salmon and substitutes the side of fries for salad or vegetables. “I will sneak in one or two fries,” she says.
Sample meal plan for 100g protein in a day
One of Cheale’s clients was a woman in her early 50s who did strength training three times a week. She wanted to reduce body fat and maintain muscle. Her target was to consume 100g of protein a day.
A day’s meal plan for her might look like this:
Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled with spinach on wholemeal sourdough, plus 150g Greek yogurt, a handful of berries and a tablespoon of chia seeds (about 25g protein).
Lunch: Chicken rice bowl with about 120g cooked chicken breast, mixed vegetables, edamame and brown rice (about 35g protein).
Snack: High-protein soya milk and a small handful of mixed nuts (about 12g protein).
Dinner: 120g salmon with roasted sweet potato and broccoli (about 25g protein).
Cheale says that this provides approximately 97g of protein across the day, not accounting for smaller amounts of protein from foods such as bread, rice and vegetables.
She adds that while protein targets help to guide eating habits, there is no need to worry about hitting protein targets at every meal.
“Our bodies are very good at coping with fluctuations in protein intake, so missing your target at one meal or even on one day isn't a problem,” she says, adding that it is more important to get enough protein consistently over time.