Cat thinkies — protein intake (updated)

Ursula protests at the mingy portion of meat on her plate.

Update from Ursula’s human:

Older people need more protein, or so we are told

In old age we apparently need more protein than we did when younger, best spread evenly throughout the day. This helps us to retain muscle (and even, potentially, brain health). We are inundated with research results and they are often confusing, but personally, as a non-scientist with no medical expertise, I take that information on board. 

However, there’s a limit to the solid protein that some of us can swallow, because our appetite may be waning. So sometimes I make a protein shake at snack time. Feels like a drink, works like a meal. But only sometimes. Because real food is always best.

I prefer recipes with very few ingredients:

• it’s usually easy to taste them: 20 ingredients can blur and clash
• preparing something with 4 ingredients is usually quick and easy
• it’s usually cheaper to use 4 ingredients than 20.

A simple home-made protein smoothie for seniors

Whizz the following ingredients together into a milk shake. Never mind if it is not perfectly mushed: real food has pips. (You can always strain it.) I use a hand mixer in a straight jug.

• 1 glass of liquid (milk, kefir, almond milk—whatever)
• 1 scoop of pure unflavoured protein powder (I use whey, but there are vegan versions)
• a banana for sweetness and thickness, sliced
• a handful of frozen blackcurrants or raspberries, for oomph

Where to buy this thing called protein powder

Buy protein powder from scary shops that specialise in supplements for athletes, often located near a gym. Choose a brand that has nothing but protein powder; otherwise you’re stuck with the same synthetic flavour and smell time after time.

Different types and brands of protein powder have different percentages of protein. Mine gives me 24g of protein in a 30g scoop. That’s as much protein as you’d get in a couple of eggs, 100g salmon or a handful of almonds.

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cc by 2.0 rachel mcalpine