Protein Diets For Athletes

The key to an effective athletic diet is eating a well-rounded variety of healthy foods. Though athletes do require more protein than the average sedentary adult, most fuel should come from carbohydrates. A balanced diet for an athlete should include 1.2 to 1.4 g protein per kg of body weight per day. Resistance and strength-trained athletes may need 1.6 to 1.7 g protein per kg of body weight, according to the Colorado State University Extension website.

How Much Protein

To determine how many grams of protein you need in your athletic diet, multiply your weight in kilograms by 1.3, or multiply your weight in pounds by 0.6. According to MarathonGuide.com, protein should make up 12 to 15 percent of your total daily caloric intake.

Avoid Excessive Protein Intake

Your protein intake should be "adequate but not excessive," according to HealthCastle.com. When you're working out, your body uses rapidly-oxidized energy from carbohydrates and then uses energy from protein; unused protein is stored as fat. Excess protein intake means extra caloric intake, which can lead to weight gain. Too much protein can also cause health problems such as dehydration, kidney impairment and low blood sugar.

Protein Sources

Protein sources are categorized as complete, which means they contain all nine essential amino acids used by the human body, or incomplete. Most protein that comes from animal sources, such as lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and milk, are complete. Vegetable-based protein sources may not contain all amino acids, but can still be healthy sources of protein. Tofu, beans, nuts, whole grains and soymilk are incomplete protein sources.

Create a Complete Protein Source

Combine incomplete protein sources to create complete proteins. Rice and beans, chickpea hummus on a whole-grain bagel, peanut butter on a whole-grain cracker or a tofu stir-fry with whole-grain pasta can all provide complete proteins. BodyforLife2.com recommends adding a small amount of animal protein to vegetable-based sources to create a complete and healthy protein meal. Add a hardboiled egg and some chopped nuts to a salad, make a burrito with beans, cheese and a whole-wheat tortilla, or sprinkle some crunchy granola on your yogurt.

Serving Sizes

As a rule of thumb, a 3 oz. serving of poultry, fish or meat -- about the size of a deck of playing cards -- contains 21 g of protein. An 8 oz. cup of milk or yogurt contains 8 g of protein. You can receive 7 g of protein from one egg, two egg whites, 4 oz. of tofu or two tablespoons of peanut butter. A slice of whole-wheat bread or a cup of whole-grain cereal can provide 3 g of protein.