Protein & Calcium

Several nutrients are important, for those of us in the “senior” category, and protein is high on that list for long-term health.

Protein is critical to maintain muscle mass. We all start to lose muscle unless we continually combat this process. Harvard Medical School says that we naturally lose from 3% to 5% of muscle mass each year¹. Most men lose 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetimes.

This slow process can really cause problems in later years. The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research found that people with sarcopenia (natural muscle loss) had 2.3 times more risk of having a low-trauma fracture from a fall, such as a broken hip, collarbone, leg, arm, or wrist².

Strength training to build muscle can slow down this process but it also requires protein. Protein provides amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. Health Magazine says, “Your body depends on a consistent intake of amino acids, through protein-rich foods, to maintain its muscle mass and prevent muscle breakdown ³. This can only occur when there is a net positive protein balance.”

Fortunately, as a Longmont Dairy customer, it's not that hard to accomplish! Milk is one of the richest and easiest ways to achieve good protein intake. Eggs and yogurt round out the mix followed by a small portion of meat.

Here is a chart showing how easy it can be to easily achieve the proper amount of protein.

We need about 1.2 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of weight. 

You can see the rough grams of protein you need for your general weight. For lower weight people up to 125 lbs., protein balance can be achieved with just the basic Longmont Dairy items you already use:

If you weigh more (135-145) just add 3 oz. of chicken or salmon for another 21 grams of protein.

And if you are over 150 lbs., you only need a few more ounces of meat, or you can add a snack of Greek Yogurt and get a whopping 20 grams more. There it is! You are done!

Now you can get all the muscle your workout will produce.

For those of you who are more ambitious and really want to build more muscle faster, substitute Longmont Dairy Milk with Pro-to-Go to for another 18 grams. Or better yet, drink a quart (or what you can) of Chocolate Milk, after your workout, to re-hydrate and add another 9 grams of protein per cup.

But that’s not all! Calcium is critical for bones. If your bones won’t hold the new muscle, what is the use of the workout? Fortunately, the diet above already provides you with what you need! According to Mayo Clinic, men should have 1000 mg of calcium a day. The three glasses of milk provide the total minimum requirement ⁴! Senior women need 1200 mg a day. The glass of Pro-to-Go provides that additional calcium you need!

Bone and Muscle Health? We’ve Got You Covered.

Links to our sources are below. While we care about and study nutrition, we are not health experts, so we rely on them for our blogs. Our Pro-to-Go enhanced protein milk was developed for exactly the reasons that are mentioned in this article. We want to make it easier to get the nutrition you need.

It is important for you to know that, while we know some of our customers choose to buy our plant-based “milk” products, those products do not count as milk in the charts above. These products have a small percentage (1 – 2 grams) of the protein that real cow’s milk has. Only milk can supply the protein you need to make the diet plan work above.

 

<sup>1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass Harvard Medical School Publishing, “Preserve Your Muscle Mass, Feb. 19, 2016↩
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass Harvard Medical School Publishing, “Preserve Your Muscle Mass, Feb. 19, 2016↩
3. Ibid↩
4. https://www.health.com/how-much-protein-to-build-muscle-8557677↩</sup>