- The best protein for runners is a complete protein, such as chicken, beef, pork, tofu or edamame.
- Spreading out protein consumption throughout the day, both before and after running, is more beneficial than consuming it all at once.
- Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that consuming a high-protein diet helped people run faster than those who ate less.
Go to any prerace party or postrun potluck and you’ll see legions of runners twirling forks in huge plates of spaghetti. And why not? Carbs are king, right? Except you may be missing out on another essential running nutrient: protein. Research has shown that people who engage in regular exercise, like runners, don't just need more calories than desk jockeys, they need more protein.
“With every footstrike, a runner carries two to seven times his or her body weight,” says Douglas Kalman, Ph.D., R.D., who has done extensive research on the effects of protein in athletes. “Protein is what keeps your body healthy under all that strain.”
Adequate protein intake accelerates muscle growth and speeds recovery by helping rebuild muscle fibers stressed during a run. Since protein helps muscles heal faster, runners who consume the right amount are less likely to get injured. The reverse is also true: Athletes who get insufficient amounts of protein are at a higher risk of injury.
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But knowing why, how much, and when is the optimal time for intake throughout the day for peak performance is a little bit trickier. Let’s break it down.
What is Protein?
Protein is an essential nutrient that provides four calories per gram. It’s a part of every cell and makes up about 16 percent of the body, explains Leslie Bonci, R.D., founder of Active Eating Advice, nutrition consultant for the Kansas City Chiefs and Carnegie Mellon University athletics. And it has a lot of responsibilities when it comes to maintaining the body.
“Protein is a component of hormones, antibodies, and enzymes,” Bonci explains. “Protein acts as a buffer to maintain the body’s acid-base balance, it’s important for muscle protein synthesis, bone remodeling; it can control chemical reactions, carry messages from one part of the body to another, regulate fluid balance by allowing minerals and fluids to move into and out of cells, and transports oxygen to the body.” It’s no wonder that protein is an essential part of our daily diet.
A complete protein contains all of the nine essential amino acids our bodies need but don’t create naturally, so they must be consumed through our diet. Complete proteins are often animal-based foods such as poultry, beef, pork, veal, lamb, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, but also soy milk, tofu, edamame, and veggie burgers made from soy.
Incomplete proteins, which don’t contain all nine amino acids, can be combined with another food to create a complete protein, explains Bonci. “Food [combos] such as rice and beans, beans and nuts, seeds and hummus, grains and nuts like peanut butter on bread, are all examples of incomplete protein combinations that can create a complete protein,” she says. “Combined, they contain all nine essential amino acids.” Other incomplete proteins include foods such as vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
According to the Institute of Medicine, the dietary reference intakes for protein are 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. And for endurance athletes, that number increases. A 2019 sports nutrition consensus statement released by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) recommends endurance athletes consume between 1.3 to 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (0.6 to 1.1 grams per pound).
“With the breakdown that endurance athletes can experience, and perhaps the over-reliance on carbs and inadequate protein intake, the need for protein increases,” Bonci explains. That would be anywhere from 88 to 165 grams total for a 150-pound person.
What’s more, high-protein intake has been shown to help maintain a strong immune system, which is especially important in the era of COVID-19. “After an intense bout of exercise, your immune system is weakened for about four to five hours,” says Richard Kreider, Ph.D., one of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) paper authors on protein and head of the Exercise and Nutrition Laboratory at Baylor University. “Protein stimulates white blood cells, which helps shield against upper-respiratory problems.”
Military research studies also show that Marines who ingested high amounts of protein had fewer medical visits than those with lower protein intake. Don’t worry about “overdosing” on protein. While some reports claim that high-protein intake is linked with kidney problems and calcium loss, the ISSN says it’s not a concern for healthy athletes.
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Does Protein Powder Benefit Runners?
Because it’s not always easy to meet these requirements with food, supplementation in the form of protein powder is okay. When it comes to protein supplements, the options are animal protein powder versus plant protein powder.
Animal protein powders are whey, casein, or egg protein. Plant-based protein powders are generally made up of pea, hemp, rice, and/or soy. Just as with complete proteins versus incomplete proteins in food, the same holds true for powders. The animal protein powders are complete proteins. Plant protein powders generally have more than one type of protein in it—whether that be rice and pea, rice and hemp, pea and hemp, or another combination—which makes it a complete protein.
So why pick one over the other? Some people find that animal protein powder can be more difficult to stomach, while plant-based protein is digested more slowly. Bonci recommends whey protein post-exercise. “Whey protein isolate is the highest in leucine, the amino acid most involved in muscle protein synthesis and repair, which is what you’re looking for post-workout” she says. For vegans and vegetarians: “Soy protein isolate is fine, too, but has less leucine and the rice and pea blends are also lower in leucine as well,” she says.
How to Eat Enough Protein for the Best Results
It’s important to note that the fat in food interferes with the rate of protein absorption, so limit your intake of high-fat foods, such as rib eye or prime rib. Vegetable-based sources, such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy, aren’t as protein-dense—a half cup of black beans, for example, has about 8 grams—and they fall short on all nine essential amino acids, the chemical building blocks of protein (the exception is soy).
Runners who avoid animal products can make up for this deficit by eating a variety of the most protein-rich vegetables and grains, such as soybeans, oats, and quinoa. “Not all the protein in a food is easily absorbed by your body,” says Kalman. “But you’ll probably get enough as long as you eat a lot of different kinds of food.”
When planning your daily meals and snacks, Bonci recommends trying to evenly distribute protein intake throughout the day. So for example, the 130-pound runner who needs 75 to 100 grams of protein per day should try to get about 20 to 25 grams at each eating occasion. To help you plan ahead, Bonci created the following sample meal plans to help provide plenty of lean protein to fuel your mileage.
4 Great Protein Powders for Runners
Klean Isolate (Natural Chocolate Flavor)
This protein contains all the essential amino acids and comes in chocolate, vanilla, and unflavored varieties.
With zero grams of carbs and 0.5 grams of fat per serving, this soy protein provides a lean supplement options for those who aren’t getting enough protein through food.
$55.00 Momentous RedShift Grass Fed Whey Endurance Recovery
This vanilla or chocolate flavored mix provides 20 grams of protein per serving and tastes good enough to mix with just water.
Packed with ingredients such as pea, organic pumpkin seed, organic sunflower seed, and alfalfa, this tub contains 30 grams of protein per serving, plus BCAAs and glutamic acid.
135-pound runner
Breakfast: 20 grams of protein
- 1/2 cup oatmeal mixed with 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 medium banana
Post-run recovery snack: 20 grams protein
- 16 oz. protein shake made using:
- 8 oz. skim milk
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 cup ice
- 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate
Lunch: 25 grams of protein
- 1 cup vegetable soup
- Caesar salad topped with:
- 3 oz. chicken breast
- 1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese - 1 whole grain dinner roll
Dinner: 25 grams protein
- 3 oz. grilled salmon
- 1 cup steamed broccoli
- 1 small baked potato topped with:
- 1 Tbsp. low-fat sour cream
Total protein intake: 90 grams of protein
165-pound Runner
Breakfast: 25 grams of protein
- 3/4 cup oatmeal
- 2 scrambled eggs
- 6 oz. orange juice
- 1 cup of coffee with skim milk
Postrun Snack: 20 grams of protein
- 1 medium banana
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 bottle of protein sports drink
Lunch: 40 grams of protein
- 2 slices whole-wheat bread
- 4 oz. sliced turkey
- 1 oz. sliced reduced-fat cheese
- lettuce, tomato, mustard
- 6 oz. low-fat yogurt
Dinner: 33 grams of protein
- Mixed-greens salad with peppers, cucumber, and tomato
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 4 oz. grilled salmon
- 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower
- 1 medium baked sweet potato
Total protein intake =118 grams
195-pound runner
Breakfast: 31 grams of protein
- 1 whole grain bagel topped with:
- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp. jam - 1 medium apple
- 6 oz. Greek yogurt
Post-run recovery snack: 35 grams of protein
- 16 oz. protein shake made from:
- 8 oz. skim milk
- 1 cup ice
- 2 Tbsp. almond butter
- 1 medium banana
- 2 scoops whey protein powder
Lunch: 31 grams of protein
- Club sandwich made with:
- 2 slices whole grain bread
- 3 oz. deli turkey
- 1 slice Canadian bacon
- Lettuce and tomato - Garden salad topped with:
- 2 Tbsp. low-fat shredded cheese
Dinner: 31 grams of protein
- 3 oz. grilled pork tenderloin
- 1 cup whole wheat pasta topped with marinara sauce
- 1 cup steamed mixed vegetables
Total protein intake: 128 grams of protein
Nutrient content derived from USDA Nutrient Analysis Library.
Amy Schlinger is a health and fitness writer and editor based in New York City whose work has appeared in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, The New York Post, Self, Shape, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more; The National Academy for Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) is extremely passionate about healthy living and can often be found strength training at the gym when she isn’t interviewing trainers, doctors, medical professionals, nutritionists, or pro athletes for stories.
