Want to Ski at Age 90? Eat Enough Protein

Listen to the Podcast here or anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

How much protein should 100 Year Athletes eat daily, and why does it matter? 

If you don’t consume enough protein, your body consumes muscle tissue to keep your internal organs working. If you want to spend your 70s, 80s, and 90s in the mountains, though, you need to build and maintain as much muscle as possible. And to do that, your body needs a lot of protein.   

Most people don’t want to weigh their proteins on a scale or track every gram in a smartphone app (though it can help). How do 100 Year Athletes get enough protein with a minimum amount of effort?  

• Aim for 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal. That amount will put you in an “anabolic state” in which your body actively builds muscular tissue. 

• Find your optimal range for protein intake. Your body weight in kilograms x 1.6 is the minimum grams of protein you need daily. Your body weight in kilograms x 2.2 is the maximum grams of protein you need daily. So, if you weigh 170 pounds, divide that by 2.2 and you get 77 kg. 77 x 1.6 = 123 grams of protein minimum, and 77 x 2.2 = 169 grams of protein maximum.

• Find a protein supplement that is tasty and convenient and agrees with your stomach. Eating 150 to 200 grams of protein from whole foods can be daunting. It’s ok to supplement with whey protein (i.e., from milk) or plant-based proteins derived from peas, rice, soy, etc. 

Keep in mind: the goal is to absorb your target in grams of protein, not just eat that amount. 

Animal proteins like meat, fish, and dairy are 99-100% available, meaning if you consume 100 grams of animal protein, you’ll absorb 100 grams. Plant-based proteins like peas, beans, and soy are about 85% available, meaning that if you eat 100 grams of plant proteins, you’ll absorb 85%. 

That does NOT mean animal proteins are “better” than plant proteins. It just means that plant-based athletes need to consume more protein than omnivores to absorb the same amount.

When you’re trying to up your protein intake – but don’t want to get obsessive about measuring – how do you eyeball how much you’re getting? 

• With lean meat, a cut the size of a deck of cards = 33 grams of protein. Lean meats include chicken breast, turkey, sirloin, flank steak, pork loin, bison, and white fish like cod and tilapia.

• One egg = 6 grams of protein

• For everything else, read the nutrition label.

For supplementation, the best-tasting whey proteins I’ve ever had are from Rule 1 Proteins. Others at OTM have had good results with Ascent Whey Protein and Live Momentus.  

If you plan to ski, bike, hike, etc. into your 90s or 100s, get your protein intake up now. No amount of training will get you there without the nutrition to support it.