Alarming number of Aussies unaware of daily protein needs, new survey reveals

Protein is one of the “most important” nutrients involved in keeping the body functioning every day, but a new survey reveals four in five Aussies are unaware of their daily protein needs.

When endurance athletes and brothers Lachlan and Stefan Lamble embarked on a 100-day run across Australia to raise money for cancer research in April, they quickly realised their limited protein intake was wreaking havoc on their bodies.

“We noticed we were way too depleted, and in the subsequent days we were finding that our bodies were way too sore and they weren’t recovering,” Lachlan said.

“You could just tell that straight away, you wake up, joints would be sore, feet would be sore. You’re thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, is there’s another stress fracture coming on’?”

As the duo adopt a rigorous training regimen in the lead-up to a 200km run across the Australian desert in September, they are careful to ensure they’re consuming about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight into their daily diet.

“We are testing our limits every day, we need protein,” Lachlan said.

Kellanova ANZ senior nutrition manager Gina Levy said it was not just about eating the right amount of protein but also ensuring protein was being prioritised in the first meal of the day.

As the “building block of your cells, tissues, bones (and) hormones”, Dr Levy explained protein played a vital role in boosting the body’s metabolic rate, maintaining steady blood sugar levels and reducing cravings.

To ensure you’re maximising the benefits of protein, Dr Levy warned against saving all your protein intake until dinner time.

“You don’t actually get the full higher-order benefits of protein if you don’t distribute it throughout the day,” she said.

“One of the things I would say is remember to make breakfast an opportunity to get more protein into your diet and prioritise protein at breakfast so you can get the benefits of it.”

Kellanova has launched the new Nutri-Grain High Protein Crunch cereal, which contains 12.7g of protein in a single bowl.

As the cereal provides Aussies with 25 per cent of the recommended daily protein intake in one bowl, the Lamble brothers said knowing they’d already met their proteins needs before they left the house was a “game changer”.

“Just having that at our fingertips so we can just wake up in the morning, pour it in a bowl, quickly have it and be out with the door within 10-15, minutes of waking … it just makes the world of difference for us,” Stefan said.

“It’s so great for your muscle recovery and fuelling your performance, but it also tastes amazing, too.”