My #1 goal for the new year is to eat enough protein daily.
On Instagram, I saw an infographic posted by Coconuts and Kettlebells that showed eight signs that women between 25-50 are not getting enough protein. It was posted to her account mid or late November.
The signs listed are:
- Waking up regularly between 2am-4am
- Hangry between meals
- Thinning hair and brittle nails
- Feeling cold, tired, and sluggish
- Excessive soreness
- Low thyroid function
- Always getting sick
- Low libido
The sign that had been impacting me when I saw the post was waking up regularly between 2am-4am. I was waking up in the middle of the night for a few weeks. At that time I wasn’t eating enough during the day– I was eating cream cheese on almond flour crackers for lunch with some olives. Pathetic!! On top of it all, I had gotten back into a phase of intermittent fasting so I wasn’t eating breakfast either. My husband had even expressed concern that I wasn’t getting adequate nutrition from my meager lunches. Maybe this could have worked out if I had increased my food intake at dinner, but I wasn’t doing that.
The general guideline for protein intake is to eat a minimum of 0.8g of protein per bodyweight. A person should increase their intake if active and building muscle, or working to lose weight. Per this guideline, a person who weighs 150 lbs should eat a minimum of 120g of protein. There are some sources that are now saying a person should consume a gram of protein per bodyweight, or per their ideal weight. That’s A LOT.
I personally find it taxing to eat the minimum requirement, but it sure is easier to accomplish when I eat 3 meals a day. I have been aiming for 30g at breakfast and lunch, and then 40g at dinner. Bone broth, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese are high-protein snacks that help boost my protein intake.
During the last week of December, I was keeping track of my protein consumption along with my sleep quality. One day that week I ate 99g of protein (1 slice of bacon, 2 eggs, 1.5 chicken thighs, 3/4c Greek yogurt, 1oz cheese, 1 c. milk). I fell short of my goal and did not sleep through the night, waking up at 4am. The next day I consumed 110g of protein, just 5g short of my daily goal, and I woke up at 6:24. Although 115 g is what I want to aim for, at least I know that 110g is close enough and allows me to get uninterrupted sleep.
You can do all the other things to increase your quality of sleep (limiting blue light, stop eating by 7 or 8, exercising, using a sleep machine, etc), but if you aren’t properly fueling your body during the day, chances are you’re still going to have sleep disruptions. If interrupted sleep is something you’ve been dealing with, up your protein and see if it makes a difference for you!