Are You Eating Enough Protein? Why It’s More Important Than Ever As You Age

When you think about protein, you might picture gym-goers chugging protein shakes or bodybuilders piling chicken on their plates. But protein isn’t just for athletes—it’s a critical nutrient for everyone, especially as we age.

If you’re not prioritising protein, you could be missing out on key benefits for your health, metabolism, and even your vision. So, let’s break down why getting enough protein matters more than ever as you get older, and how to make sure you’re getting what your body needs.

Why Protein Needs Increase With Age

Many people assume they need less protein as they get older, but actually, the opposite is true! As we age, our bodies:

✅ Lose muscle mass more easily (this starts in our 30s and accelerates in later years)

✅ Process protein less efficiently, meaning we need more to get the same benefit

✅ Recover more slowly from illness or injury, making protein even more essential for repair

Without enough protein, we lose muscle, strength, and even metabolic health, increasing the risk of falls, frailty, slower recovery from illness and chronic disease.

Muscle Mass: More Than Just Strength

We often think of muscle as just something for athletes, but maintaining muscle is vital for everyday life, especially as we age.

💪 Stronger muscles help with balance, mobility, and independence.

🔥 Muscle plays a major role in metabolic health—it acts as a storage site for glucose, helping to regulate blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. This means that losing muscle mass can make it harder to control blood sugar, increasing the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and inflammation—all of which are linked to AMD progression.

🛡️ Muscle also supports immune function. It stores and releases amino acids like glutamine, which fuel immune cells and help with healing. As we age, lower muscle mass can weaken immune response, making us more vulnerable to illness, slower to recover and increasing chronic inflammation (contributing to macular degeneration).

Because we naturally lose 3-5% of muscle per decade after age 30, it’s crucial to consume enough protein and stay active to slow this process down. The more muscle you maintain, the better your body can regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support long-term health—including the health of your eyes.

Protein & Blood Sugar Balance

Protein isn’t just about muscle—it also helps keep blood sugar steady. When you eat a high-carbohydrate meal with little protein, your blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to energy dips, cravings, and even inflammation. But when you include protein at every meal, it slows down digestion, helps you feel fuller for longer, and keeps your energy levels steady.

This is especially important for eye health, as blood sugar fluctuations contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are linked to AMD progression.

Why Spreading Protein Throughout the Day Matters

It’s not just about how much protein you eat—it’s about how well your body absorbs it.

Many people eat most of their protein at dinner and not much at breakfast or lunch. But research suggests that spreading protein intake throughout the day leads to:

📈 Better muscle maintenance

⚖️ More stable blood sugar levels

💪 More effective protein absorption (your body can only use so much at once!)

As we age, protein digestion becomes less efficient, partly due to a decline in stomach acid, which is needed to break down protein and absorb key nutrients. A simple but powerful way to support digestion? Chew your food thoroughly! Proper chewing prepares protein for digestion and helps your body extract the nutrients more efficiently.

So, instead of just loading up on protein at night, aim for a good source of protein at every meal—and don’t rush through eating!

Essential Amino Acids: Why Quality Matters

Not all proteins are created equal. Your body needs 20 amino acids to function properly, and 9 of them are essential, meaning you must get them from food.

Some examples include:

• Leucine – Plays a crucial role in muscle maintenance and repair.

• Lysine – Important for tissue repair and the production of hormones and enzymes.

• Methionine – Assists in metabolism and detoxification, also necessary for tissue growth.

  
  

If you’re not getting enough high-quality protein, you may struggle with slower recovery, weaker muscles, and poorer health overall.

What About Vegetarian & Vegan Diets?

If you eat animal-based proteins, getting all essential amino acids is easy. Foods like eggs, meat, fish, and dairy provide complete proteins, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids in the right amounts to support muscle maintenance, recovery, and overall health.

Plant-based proteins also contain all essential amino acids, but not always in sufficient amounts. Many plant proteins have at least one “limiting amino acid”, meaning it’s present in very low quantities, which can make it harder for the body to use effectively.

For example:

• Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) are lower in methionine

• Grains (rice, wheat, oats) are lower in lysine

• Nuts & Seeds tend to be lower in lysine and tryptophan

  
  

Because of this, plant-based eaters need to combine different protein sources (e.g., beans + rice, lentils + nuts) to ensure they’re getting all essential amino acids in the right balance.

This doesn’t mean you can’t get enough protein on a plant-based diet, but it requires more planning to ensure you’re meeting your body’s needs for muscle health, metabolic balance, and overall well-being.

So… Are You Eating Enough Protein?

If you want to age well, maintain muscle, support metabolic health, and keep your vision strong, protein needs to be a priority in your diet.

✅ Aim for protein at every meal

✅ Spread intake throughout the day

✅ Focus on complete proteins or combine plant sources if vegetarian/vegan

✅ Chew your food thoroughly to support digestion

👀 Do you actively think about getting enough protein? Let me know in the comments!

And if you want to stop the guesswork, get in touch to find out about nutritional testing. This gives you information on how much protein you are really getting and whether you're getting all those essential amino acids - along with a whole lot more!