JJ Virgin4x NYTimes Best Selling Author, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Hall of Famer

These Are the BEST High Protein Foods!

7 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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In this segment, JJ Virgin explains that successful fat loss requires a caloric deficit while preserving lean tissue, emphasizing protein as the key nutrient for maintaining muscle. She cites a study of adults aged 50‑85 showing that consuming at least 30 g of protein in 1‑2 meals per day is associated with greater leg strength and lean body mass. Based on this evidence, she recommends a minimum of 30 g of protein per meal (ideally 40 g) and at least 100 g of protein per day, noting that higher protein intake during caloric restriction helps retain lean mass.

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If you wanna lose fat, gotta be in a caloric deficit so that your body will burn off body fat. And you wanna make sure that it's fat you're burning, not lean tissue. So protein is key here for a couple of reasons. Number one, it's gonna help you hold onto lean mass. There was a study that looked at whether older adults who eat meals containing at least 30 grams of protein more often have stronger leg muscles and lean body mass. So they used data from adults aged 50 to 85 and found that those who had 1 or 2 meals with 30 grams or more of protein each day had better leg strength and lean body mass than those who didn't. So this study suggests that having 1 to 2 protein-rich meals daily can help maintain muscle strength and lean body mass as you age. I'm going to say 3. So our minimum is 30 grams of protein at a meal, ideally 40, at least 100 grams overall. And it's pretty clear when you start to look at all of the research that people who eat higher protein when they are in caloric restriction are able to hold on to more lean mass. And they do that