Where’s the Beef for the Runners?

Protein is in every part of your body, from muscles to hair. Protein from your diet helps to build and repair muscles and regulate hormones. If you don’t get enough protein, you’ll recover from injuries and infections more slowly. One gram of protein contains four calories.
About 15 percent of your calories should come from protein. That’s less than most people eat. The recommended amount of protein means two to three servings each day, with a serving size being as small as two ounces of chicken or two teaspoons of peanut butter. Chow down on a half-pounder at your favorite burger place and right there you’ve exceeded your protein needs for the day. A good guideline to follow is that your servings of protein should be no bigger than a deck of cards. So for most people, getting 15 percent of their calories from protein is going to mean eating less protein than they’re used to. The exceptions are people who restrict their protein intake because they think that it’s good nutrition to exist on nothing but bagels, salads, and rice cakes. That’s taking things too far the other way. What’s wrong with eating too much protein? It means that you’re probably falling short in your carb intake. This shortfall could hurt your running because protein supplies a very small percentage of the energy for your running. Also, unless you choose carefully, the protein that you eat might come in a high-fat package, such as a marbled T-bone steak. Eating extra protein doesn’t build bigger muscles any more than eating pig’s feet helps you to grow extra toes. Extra protein that you eat mainly gives you very expensive urine.