{"id":17222,"date":"2026-04-28T14:48:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=17222"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:53:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:53:56","slug":"stronger-for-the-long-run-why-protein-matters-more-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/spring-summer-2026\/stronger-for-the-long-run-why-protein-matters-more-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Stronger for the Long Run: Why Protein Matters More Than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"
The following article is excerpted from The High-Protein Plate: 100 Satisfying Everyday Recipes<\/em><\/a><\/h5>\n

By Rachael DeVaux<\/p><\/p>\n

S<\/span>ummer has a way of reminding us what we want our bodies to be able to do.<\/p>\n

Long walks on vacation. Carrying a paddleboard down to the water. Gardening for hours without your back yelling at you the next day. Keeping up with friends, grandkids, or your golf game without feeling completely depleted afterward.<\/p>\n

Most people assume stamina and strength naturally fade with age. But while aging is inevitable, rapid decline isn\u2019t. And one of the most overlooked tools for staying strong, steady, and energized after 45 is surprisingly simple: protein.<\/p>\n

Not in a trendy, \u201chigh-protein everything\u201d kind of way. In a foundational, physiology-based way.<\/p>\n

Why Protein Matters More As We Age<\/h3>\n

Starting in our 30s \u2014 and accelerating in our 40s and beyond \u2014 we gradually lose muscle mass. This process, known as sarcopenia, can quietly chip away at 3\u20138% of muscle per decade if we don\u2019t actively work to preserve it.<\/p>\n

Muscle isn\u2019t just about how we look. It\u2019s what keeps us balanced, mobile, and independent. It stabilizes joints, protects bones, supports blood sugar regulation, and allows us to move confidently through daily life.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what many people don\u2019t realize: as we age, our bodies become less sensitive to protein. In other words, it takes more protein to stimulate the same muscle-building response we had in our 20s.<\/p>\n

Yet many adults over 45 are unintentionally under-eating it, especially earlier in the day. A light breakfast, a salad for lunch, and most of the protein coming at dinner simply isn\u2019t ideal for maintaining lean mass.<\/p>\n

If staying active, capable, and independent matters to you, protein becomes non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

The Metabolism Conversation<\/h3>\n

\u201cI feel like my metabolism just isn\u2019t what it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hear this constantly \u2014 and it\u2019s so valid.<\/p>\n

Metabolism is closely tied to muscle mass. The more lean tissue you carry, the more metabolically active your body is, even at rest. When muscle declines, metabolic rate often follows.\nPreserving muscle helps preserve metabolic health.<\/p>\n

Protein plays a central role here. It supports lean mass, especially when paired with resistance training (which becomes increasingly important after 40). It also has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates or fats, meaning your body uses slightly more energy to digest it.<\/p>\n

But perhaps most noticeably, protein changes how you feel.<\/p>\n

Meals anchored with adequate protein tend to keep blood sugar steadier, which translates to fewer energy crashes, less brain fog, and reduced afternoon grazing. For professionals, caregivers, and active adults juggling full schedules, that stability can be a game changer.<\/p>\n

Energy That Lasts Through the Day<\/h3>\n

Many midlife energy slumps aren\u2019t random, they\u2019re blood sugar related.<\/p>\n

A breakfast of coffee and toast might feel fine initially, but without enough protein, blood sugar rises quickly and then drops just as fast. That drop often shows up as fatigue, irritability, or the urge to snack again by mid-morning.<\/p>\n

Protein slows digestion and helps moderate that response. Pairing carbohydrates with protein \u2014 instead of eating them alone \u2014 creates more sustained energy.<\/p>\n

That might look like:<\/p>\n

Eggs alongside your toast, Greek yogurt with fruit instead of fruit alone, grilled salmon over rice instead of a grain-heavy bowl with minimal protein.\nThese aren\u2019t dramatic dietary overhauls. They\u2019re subtle shifts that add up quickly.<\/p>\n

Protein and Bone Health<\/h3>\n

Bone health tends to get framed around calcium and vitamin D, but protein is equally important. It forms the structural framework of bone tissue and supports muscle strength, which reduces fall risk.<\/p>\n

Strong bones and strong muscles are deeply connected. Supporting one without the other doesn\u2019t make sense, especially if your goal is to stay active for decades to come.\nHow Much Protein Do You Actually Need?<\/p>\n

The current Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, that number represents the minimum required to prevent deficiency, not the optimal intake for muscle preservation and long-term vitality.<\/p>\n

For active adults over 45, research increasingly supports a range closer to 1.2\u20131.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. For many people, that works out to roughly 25\u201340 grams of protein per meal, a number I often recommend to most healthy individuals.<\/p>\n

Distribution matters as much as total intake. Spreading protein across breakfast, lunch, and dinner stimulates muscle repair more effectively than saving most of it for the evening.\nIf breakfast has traditionally been light, that\u2019s often the easiest place to start.<\/p>\n

Choosing High-Quality Sources<\/h3>\n

Complete protein sources \u2014 those containing all nine essential amino acids \u2014 are especially effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis. These include eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whey protein.<\/p>\n

Plant proteins can absolutely contribute as well, though they sometimes require combining sources to reach the same amino acid profile.\nThe goal isn\u2019t rigidity. It\u2019s awareness.<\/p>\n

When protein becomes a consistent anchor at meals, everything else tends to feel more stable, like hunger, energy, strength, and even confidence in how your body performs.<\/p>\n

Aging Strong Is Intentional<\/h3>\n

Long-term vitality isn\u2019t about chasing youth. It\u2019s about protecting function.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s being able to book the hiking trip, lift your suitcase into the overhead bin, spend a full afternoon gardening, and keep up on the tennis court without worrying about injury.\nThose abilities are built and preserved through daily choices.<\/p>\n

Protein may not be flashy, but it\u2019s foundational. When paired with resistance training, adequate sleep, and regular movement, it becomes one of the most practical tools we have to support longevity and vitality.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to overhaul your entire diet overnight. Start by asking a simple question at each meal: Where\u2019s the protein?<\/p>\n

That small shift can quietly support the strength, stability, and stamina you\u2019ll rely on for the next several decades, and help ensure that the summers ahead feel just as active as this one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h5>\n
Excerpted from The High-Protein Plate: 100 Satisfying Everyday Recipes<\/em>.<\/a> Copyright \u00a9 2026, Rachael DeVaux. Photography Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Eva Kolenko. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why it is one of the most practical tools we have to support longevity and vitality<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,217],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2026","category-spring-summer-2026-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17222"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17511,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17222\/revisions\/17511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}