Spread protein intake throughout the day

Spread protein intake throughout the day

In addition to eating more protein, athletes can benefit from spreading their intake throughout the day (20Trusted Source).

In fact, 20–30 grams of protein per meal seems sufficient to stimulate muscles to produce protein for the following 2–3 hours.

This is why many scientists believe that it’s ideal to consume a protein-rich meal or snack every 3 hours (3Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

Interestingly, studies in athletes show that spreading 80 grams of protein over 4 meals stimulates muscle protein production more than splitting it over 2 larger meals or 8 smaller ones (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

A 2-week weight loss study in boxers also found that those who spread their daily calorie allowance over 6 meals instead of 2 lost 46% less muscle mass (24Trusted Source).

Eating a snack with 40 grams of protein immediately before bedtime can also improve recovery from training and increase muscle protein synthesis during the night (25Trusted Source).

However, more research in athletes is needed to draw strong conclusions.