How Protein Helped Heal My Family

Written by Poonam Shah

If you have aches and pains every time you go for a run or workout or play a sport, you can relate to our story.

We are a typical busy family with two very active kids who love playing sports. Our weekends are filled with tournaments with both kids playing different competitive sports – tennis tournaments, soccer matches, track meets, etc. We are also working parents that try to get a run or a quick workout in when we can. We eat well…or so I believed. I try to cook at home most of the time and read all the ingredients on the package when I shop for groceries. Despite this, both my son and husband complained of sore muscles and cramps in their legs, and it got to a point my 11 year old son had trouble sleeping. I was at a loss.

We visited doctors and ran tests, and finally, my son had to take a break from sports for a month. This was not a great month. My son needs to be physically active. The activity helps him burn energy and focus on his school work. My husband, who is a runner and a soccer player, started reading up more online and bought some books. We knew protein was important for anyone who worked out and did a lot of strength training, but we didn’t realize that it was also very important for runners and growing kids. One of the books we read – “Complete book of running” by Amby Burfoot – mentioned that the leg muscles get sore and cramp up as they need protein to heal and rebuild. We decided to start paying attention to how much protein we were all eating per day. It quickly became apparent our protein intake was insufficient, especially that of my son, as he prefers to be vegetarian. Sadly, we had not noticed that he wasn’t eating as much protein as he needs. We first tried to increase the meat in his diet, but unfortunately, that didn’t work. We then started giving him protein shakes. We tried several protein shakes and powders, and the one that worked best for our family is Orgain organic protein powder, vanilla bean flavor. We also added vegan Beyond burger and Beyond sausages to my son’s daily diet. Within a week, we saw a huge difference. His muscles started relaxing, he was sleeping better and was able to get back to track and tennis.

“I love the green protein shake with almond milk”
– DILAN SHAH

Although I have always preferred to avoid processed food, these protein shakes are amazing! We have all consciously increased our daily intake of protein. We try to follow the protein intake guidelines outlined in this article: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-proteindo-you-need-every-day-201506188096

Though it varies depending on age, workout routine, etc., in general, to determine your daily protein intake, you can multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36. So a 40 year old woman who weighs 120 pounds and does not work out much would need to eat 43.2 grams of protein per day to maintain her muscles. There are several protein products and supplements on the market. Look for our post on Sunday for details!