New here?  Like Athlean-XX for Women on Facebook to stay up to date with new posts, great fitness and nutrition articles, motivations and inspirations, fitness challenges, Q&As, giveaways and more!

There are differing opinions all over the internet about just how much protein a woman needs in her diet to be healthy.  For example, the USDA recommends that adult women should get 46 grams of protein per day, but that doesn’t take into account activity level or fitness goals.  If you’re currently following an exercise plan like Athlean-XX for Women, and are looking to build a lean, strong physique, you may benefit from exceeding that USDA recommendation.

Protein is extremely important in a woman’s diet, particularly if she’s working to build lean muscle.  Protein is used in your body to help build and repair muscle tissue.  For this reason, at Athlean-XX we recommend eating protein within 20 minutes of a workout to help boost muscle tissue growth right when you need it most.

Jeff Cavaliere, the creator of Athlean-XX for Women recommends a protein powder supplement for women because he feels that most women don’t get nearly enough protein in their diets.  It’s true that women don’t tend to eat as much meat as their male counterparts.  Lots of women tend toward dairy for their protein needs, but nutritionally it doesn’t come close to animal meats in terms of protein content.  For vegetarian women it’s all the more difficult, because it takes a lot of plant and/or dairy proteins to get enough protein in your diet.

Just how much protein should a woman eat per day?  While we don’t generally talk numbers, calories or macronutrients at Athlean-XX, we’ll give you a protein intake guideline here to illustrate just how difficult it can be to get enough protein in your diet.  Our recommendation for an active woman wishing to build lean muscle is .75 to 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight.  So, for a 135 pound woman, that would be 100 – 135 grams of protein per day.  Now, let’s take a look at the numbers:

• 3 oz. of Turkey Breast, Chicken Breast or Lean Red Meat = 25g of Protein
• 3 oz of Halibut, Mackerel or Salmon – 16 – 18g of Protein
• 1/2 cup of Beans or Lentils = 6g – 8g of Protein
• 1/2 cup of Edamame or Tofu = 10 – 11g of Protein
• 1 egg = 6g of Protein
• 1 cup of Milk = 8g of Protein
• 1 cup of Yogurt = 12 – 13g of Protein
• 1/2 cup of Oatmeal, Brown Rice or Quinoa = 2 – 4g of Protein

Now do the math to figure out how much you’d need to eat to get to the minimum protein intake of 100!  Even a total omnivore could have difficulty reaching those levels.  She’d have to eat 3 oz of meat 3 times per day, plus beans, dairy, eggs or tofu an additional 3 times per day.  For many of us that sounds like a ton of food!  A vegetarian or vegan will likely have an even more difficult time getting to 100 grams.

For this reason, protein powder supplements can be instrumental in helping you get the protein you need on a daily basis.  But, what KIND of protein should you take?  Where can you get high quality protein powder without lots of unnecessary chemicals and additives?

At Athlean-XX for Women, we recommend whey protein powder for women.  While there are many types of protein powders available including soy, whey and casein among others, whey protein is a good option because it has the highest bioavailability of the protein powders.  This means that it is quickly and easily absorbed by the body.  Whey protein is a bi-product of dairy, so it’s not suitable for those who are lactose intolerant or following a vegan diet.  If either of those is an issue for you, soy protein may be a suitable alternative to whey, but there are some concerns with the phytoestrogens (plant estrogen) it contains that may cause health problems.

In choosing a whey protein powder, you’ll want to look for one that doesn’t contain excess sugar, cheap filler ingredients (sometimes gluten) or harmful chemicals.  With all those long-named ingredients on the package, how can you know if you’re getting a safe product?  In response to requests from women for a whey protein powder specific to a woman’s nutritional needs, we created Athlean-RX4 Women.  This low carb, low calorie protein powder contains 26 grams of protein per scoop to help you  boost your protein intake to build a lean, strong body faster.  It’s also free of excess sugar, filler ingredients and harmful chemicals.

But, we didn’t stop there.  To create an optimal supplement for women, we chose to include other nutrients that are frequently lacking in a woman’s diet including calcium, vitamin D and iron.  Calcium is important for bone growth, but studies also show that it prevents unwanted weight gain, protects your heart, protects teeth, and also eases the effects of PMS.   Vitamin D is integral to calcium absorption and  insufficient vitamin D can result in muscular weakness.  Iron helps to prevent anemia, stabilize mood, improve depression, boost stamina, and stimulate the immune system. Athlean-RX4 Women is also enhanced with Co-Q-10,  Resveratrol and Papaya Enzyme, three antioxidants with energy boosting, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.  If you’re looking for a protein powder that you can trust – one that was designed for your needs, give Athlean-RX4 Women a go!  It’s available in tasty vanilla cream or Dutch chocolate and will give your smoothies a healthy, nutritious protein boost!

And finally, if you’d like to stay up to date with the AthleanXXforWomen.com blog, then please like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and follow us on Pinterest.

P.S.  We are a growing community dedicated to and passionate about realistic fitness and nutrition for REAL women.  If you enjoyed this post please feel free to share on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. It would be incredibly appreciated!