Are You Doing It Right?

Here's how to get the right amount of protein and fiber at the same time.

Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

“You need more protein!”

“You’re not including enough fiber!”

“You’re eating too many calories!”

Midlife women are bombarded with nutrition advice, and, admittedly, I’m part of that noise. I’m constantly encouraging women to include the nutrients they need to feel their best and help head off conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and sarcopenia (muscle loss).

Getting enough protein and fiber in your eating plan can be particularly problematic.

How Much Protein You Need Every Day

There’s a lot of buzz about protein on the internet with some influencers suggesting you need 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. Unless you’re a world class athlete, it’s unlikely that you require that much protein. It’s possible to build and preserve muscle mass on much less as part of a balanced diet.

Don’t believe the hype about needing more protein in perimenopause. Though perimenopause is associated with muscle tissue loss, consider that most women start menopause around age 45, a time of life when protein needs begin to increase for women, and men.

The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) advises women over 50 to include 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram (kg) every day to support muscle and bone health, but this level is appropriate for younger women, too. The PROT_AGE study group concluded that women and men over age 65 need 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kg daily, and possibly more if they’re physically active. (One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.)

Women who are trying lose weight need more protein. When you cut calories, it’s possible to lose muscle and bone tissue along with body fat, and adequate protein intake helps protect against that. A Nutrition & Metabolism study found that eating fewer calories and more protein helped people retain more of their lean mass, most of which is muscle tissue. In the study, middle-aged men and women consumed 500 fewer calories daily, with one group including 1.6 grams protein per kg daily, while the other group ate half as much protein. The higher-protein group lost more body fat and retained more lean tissue over a 12-month period.

To give you an idea of how much protein a person needs, a 170-pound woman who weighs 77 kg would need between 93 and 123 grams of protein daily if she were eating between 1.2 and 1.6 grams of protein per kg daily. I wrote a post about protein and how to figure out your daily needs that you can read here.

How Much Fiber You Need Every Day

Suggested daily fiber intakes are based on calories consumed and they don’t change with perimenopause or after menopause occurs. The recommended amount is a minimum of 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat, which amounts to at least 25 grams of fiber on an 1,800-calorie eating plan and 28 grams or more of fiber daily on a 2,000-calorie eating plan.

Read all about the benefits of fiber in this post.

Sample 1,800-calorie Eating Plan

As I said earlier, it can be difficult to include all the protein and fiber you need every day. This sample day of eating takes the guess work out of planning a balanced diet. It has about 1,800 calories, 130 grams of protein (and no protein powder!) and 31 grams of fiber. It includes the suggested number of fruit, vegetable, dairy, and whole grain servings and it’s low in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar, too.

If you’re mystified about how to include all the foods you need, use this sample as a template to help plan your day. There are dozens of food combinations that can produce the same or similar protein and fiber results. For example, if you don’t like to drink milk (I don’t so I combine it with my coffee) have yogurt instead. Don’t like yogurt? Have low-fat cottage cheese instead.

Breakfast

1 (1‑ounce) slice whole-­wheat toast with 2 teaspoons peanut butter

2 large eggs, cooked without fat

1 small banana, apple, or orange, or 1 cup chopped fruit

1 cup 1% low-­ fat milk or unsweetened soy milk

Snack

1 cup plain fat-­free Greek yogurt and 1 cup fresh or wild blueberries

Lunch

2 cups dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

½ cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup canned, drained garbanzo beans

3 ounces flaked tuna fish or salmon (canned or pouched)

2 teaspoons olive oil mixed with balsamic or other vinegar

1 (1‑ounce) whole-­grain roll

Snack

3 cups low-­fat microwave popcorn

Dinner

1 (3‑ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled or roasted

1.5 cups cooked broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus roasted with 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta with ¼ cup jarred marinara sauce

3 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

A Word About Meal Plans

This meal plan is adapted from The Menopause Diet Plan, A Natural Guide to Managing Hormones, Health and Happiness, a book that I wrote with Hillary Wright, MEd, RDN. We understand if meal plans feel too restrictive or are triggering. In addition to 5-day meal plans for three calorie levels to help you learn how to eat a more balanced diet, we offer dozens of ways to include nutritious foods during the transition to menopause that aren’t as rigid and don’t involve counting calories or grams of protein or fiber.

This list can help you to choose foods rich in protein and fiber.

Let me know what you think. Are you able to get the protein and fiber you need every day? If so, how do you manage it?