Stroll down the aisles of any grocery store these days and you’re likely to see a bevy of protein-enhanced snacks, powders and drinks, cleverly packaged to catch your attention. While protein may be the nutritional buzzword of the moment, many people struggle to get the right amount of quality protein in their diets, especially those over the age of 40.
What is protein?
Protein is an essential macronutrient that’s made up of long chains of amino acids. The type and arrangement of the amino acids in the chain determines the function of the protein; therefore, amino acids play a pivotal role in a range of bodily functions from breaking down food, growing and repairing tissue, building muscle and maintaining the digestive system. Our bodies require over 20 different amino acids to function properly, and because we can’t store amino acids, they must be either made from scratch or by altering other amino acids. There are nine amino acids – known as essential amino acids that our body can’t make on its own and instead must come from our diet.
How much do we need?
“Ideally, you’d base protein consumption on an individual’s body composition and their lean body mass, which will dictate how many grams of protein they should be consuming per pound of lean body weight,” said Chad Marschik, a certified exercise physiologist and owner of Body Symmetry in Springfield. “For most active people, we recommend between 0.8 to one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don’t know your lean body mass then you’ll want to shoot for 0.8 grams of protein per pound of scale weight.”
Marschik explained that older people have greater protein needs because they don’t assimilate amino acids as efficiently as they did when they were younger.
“What you find is that for most folks over the age of 60 to 65 their eating goes down in general, but their protein demands are actually greater in terms of what they need to ingest because they aren’t going to assimilate the same ratio of amino acids,” he said.
What to eat?
“Protein is a lot like grades of gas with different octane ratings,” said Marschik. “Think of a 93-octane gasoline for a high-performance sports car because it burns hotter and more efficiently.”
Similarly, different proteins have different biological values (BV), or the measure of how efficiently the body absorbs and uses dietary protein.
“The highest biological value protein known is whey protein isolate, which has a BV of over 100, meaning it is assimilated very well and almost all of those amino acids are utilized completely. Compared to soy protein, which has a biological value of 75, there’s 25% less uptake of soy protein,” he said.
These high value proteins contain a complete profile of essential amino acids in the correct proportions that allow them to be completely utilized by the body. Animal proteins in general have the highest biological value, Marschik pointed out, and are sources of complete protein. Whole eggs, lean ground beef, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are all excellent protein-rich options with a high BV. Plant-based proteins tend to lack one or more essential amino acids and therefore have a lower biological value. Different proteins can be combined, however, to raise their overall BV and create a complete protein. Examples include whole grain rice and beans or hummus made from chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed paste).
Although American diets tend to be heavy on protein in evening meals and carb heavy in the morning, Marschik recommends spreading protein consumption throughout the day, with high value proteins being consumed with every meal. Unsweetened Greek yogurt with berries and nuts is an excellent protein-rich breakfast option, as well as these easy cottage cheese eggs bites, perfect for a quick breakfast or snack.
Cottage cheese egg bites
8 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheese such as cheddar or gruyere
½ teaspoon salt
Up to 1 cup of mix-ins such as cooked ham or bacon, minced herbs or cooked vegetables like mushrooms, spinach and bell pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Liberally coat a 12-cup non-stick muffin pan with butter or olive oil.
Combine the eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, salt and pepper in the bowl of a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, about 20-30 seconds. Pour this mixture through a fine-meshed sieve (this removes excess air bubbles) into a small pitcher with a pour spout. Divide the mix-ins amongst the 12 muffin cups and pour in the egg mixture over the top, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way full.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the eggs have set in the middle. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before using a table knife to run along the side of the cup and help release the egg bite. Refrigerate for up to four days or freeze for several weeks.
Ashley Meyer is a freelance writer and chef who lives in Springfield.
This article appears in January 22 – 26, 2026.
