Why Protein Matters More Than You Think

Growing up in many Singaporean and Asian households, we often see our parents' and grandparents' diets gradually change with age. Rice becomes porridge. Meals become softer, lighter, and easier to chew. Teochew porridge, congee, steamed fish, tofu, soups, braised vegetables, and soft-cooked dishes naturally become part of everyday life. These changes are usually made with good intentions. Appetite may decline, chewing becomes more difficult, and lighter meals often feel easier to digest.

What often goes unnoticed, however, is whether these dietary changes also reduce one of the very nutrients that becomes increasingly important as we grow older: protein.

Protein has somehow acquired the image of being a nutrient reserved for athletes, bodybuilders, or people trying to gain muscle in the gym. Chicken breast, protein shakes and tubs of powder have become the visual symbols of protein, leaving many people to assume that it is primarily associated with fitness rather than everyday health. In reality, protein is a lifelong nutrient. Every stage of life relies upon it to repair tissues, support the immune system, produce hormones and enzymes, and maintain the muscles that quietly allow us to move through daily life.

From Appearance To Independence

For much of early adulthood, conversations about protein often revolve around appearance. We associate it with building bigger muscles, achieving a leaner physique, or improving athletic performance. Those are genuine benefits, but they represent only one chapter of a much longer story.

As we grow older, muscle becomes less about how it looks and far more about what it allows us to do. It helps us climb stairs confidently, carry groceries, recover after illness, maintain our balance, travel independently, play with grandchildren, and simply rise comfortably from a chair. Many of these everyday activities depend upon strength that most of us barely notice until it begins to decline.

This decline starts earlier than many people realise. Adults naturally begin losing muscle mass from around their 30s if nothing is done to preserve it, with the rate of loss often accelerating after the age of 60. We also become less efficient at maintaining muscle as we age, which means preserving strength gradually requires more intention than it once did.

Fortunately, the answer is not spending every day in the gym.

Regular resistance exercise, whether through weight training, resistance bands, Pilates, bodyweight exercises or other forms of strength training, provides the stimulus that tells our muscles they are still needed. Protein then provides many of the raw materials required to repair and maintain those muscles.

A useful analogy is to imagine building a house. Exercise tells the builders where work needs to be done. Protein supplies the bricks. Without builders, the bricks remain largely unused. Without bricks, the builders have very little to work with. Strong muscles require both.

This also explains why people who exercise regularly should not overlook protein. It is entirely possible to train consistently while limiting progress simply because the body does not have sufficient building materials to repair and adapt. Equally, eating plenty of protein without challenging our muscles provides little reason for the body to preserve them. Movement and nutrition work together throughout life.

Protein Doesn't Have To Look Like Gym Food

Fortunately, obtaining adequate protein does not require eating like a bodybuilder. Many foods already familiar to Singaporean households are naturally rich in protein while remaining easy to prepare, chew and enjoy.

Soft meals and protein-rich meals are not opposites. A bowl of fish congee, Teochew porridge accompanied by steamed fish, tofu and braised egg, steamed minced pork with vegetables, sliced fish soup, tofu with prawns, or a simple omelette can all provide meaningful amounts of protein while remaining gentle on the teeth and stomach.

For older adults who find shopping difficult, convenient options such as canned tuna in water, sardines, unsweetened soy milk, tofu and even frozen seafood can also provide practical ways of maintaining protein intake without requiring fresh ingredients every day.

How Much Protein Do We Actually Need?

A practical guideline for most healthy adults is to aim for approximately 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. As we grow older, particularly from around our 60s onwards, many experts recommend aiming towards the higher end of that range because our bodies become less efficient at maintaining muscle. People who regularly participate in strength training, endurance sports, physically demanding occupations, or who are recovering from illness or surgery often require even more protein to support muscle repair and recovery.

Rather than memorising gram targets, it may be easier to think about gradually adding protein "building blocks" across the day.

BODY WEIGHT	GENERAL DAILY TARGET*	WHAT YOU COULD ADD ACROSS THE DAY
50 kg	50 - 60g	2 soft boiled eggs + 1 palm-sized serving of chicken, pork or fish + 1 block of plain or egg tofu
60 kg	60 - 72g	Everything above + ten medium prawns or 1 glass soy milk
70kg	70 - 84g	Everything above + another palm-sized serving of chicken, pork or fish
80 kg	80 - 96g	Everything above + a standard tub of greek yoghurt or 1 can of tuna in water
90 kg	90 - 108g	Everything above + another protein serving of your choice

These are not meal plans. Think of them as protein building blocks that can be mixed and matched according to your preferences and lifestyle. The objective is not to eat every item listed. It is simply to include enough meaningful protein sources across the day so that your meals naturally meet your body's needs.

*These are general guidelines for healthy adults. Individual requirements vary according to age, activity level, body composition and medical conditions.

A Typical Singaporean Day May Contain Less Protein Than We Realise

One reason protein intake is often overlooked is that many meals feel substantial without necessarily providing very much protein.

Imagine a fairly typical weekday.

Breakfast is kaya toast with kopi and perhaps one soft-boiled egg before rushing to work. Lunch is chicken rice with colleagues. An afternoon bubble tea or muffin helps through the mid-afternoon slump. Dinner is a plate of pasta carbonara, a burger meal, or chicken nasi briyani before heading home.

Nothing about this day appears unhealthy or unusual. Most Singaporeans would recognise it as a perfectly ordinary way of eating. Yet depending on portion sizes, that entire day’s intake may provide only around 50 to 60 grams of protein. For someone weighing 70 kg, that could still fall noticeably below the recommended range despite eating three satisfying meals.

Fortunately, increasing protein intake does not require abandoning favourite foods or adopting a restrictive diet. The goal is often to make small additions or adjustments that fit naturally within the meals you already enjoy.

For example:

• Enjoying kaya toast? Add another soft-boiled egg.

• Having pasta? Choose a version with grilled chicken, seafood or a more generous serving of lean meat.

• Ordering sliced fish soup? Include tofu.

• Eating Teochew porridge? Pair it with steamed fish, braised egg or tofu.

• Having congee? Choose fish, chicken or minced pork instead of plain congee.

• Looking for an afternoon snack? Greek yoghurt or unsweetened soy milk can provide substantially more protein than many pastries or sweet drinks.

The principle is simple. Rather than changing cuisines or avoiding favourite foods, look for opportunities to include another meaningful source of protein within the meals you already eat.

These are small adjustments rather than dramatic lifestyle changes. Over weeks, months and years, those seemingly modest improvements can make a meaningful difference to preserving strength, recovery and independence.

A Balanced Perspective

Protein is important, but it should never be viewed in isolation. Individuals living with chronic kidney disease, gout, or other medical conditions may require adjustments to the amount or type of protein they consume. Others may need to be more selective about particular protein sources because of cholesterol or other health considerations. These situations are rarely about eliminating protein altogether. Instead, they are best managed with guidance from a doctor or accredited dietitian so that nutritional needs remain appropriately balanced.

For everyone else, the goal is not perfection. Neither is it to consume protein at every opportunity. It is simply to recognise that our nutritional priorities evolve throughout life. Meals that are easier to chew should still provide the nutrients our bodies increasingly rely upon.

Strength For The Life You Want To Live

Protein matters not because it helps us build the biggest muscles in the room, but because it helps us preserve the strength that quietly supports everyday life. The ability to remain independent, recover well after illness, continue travelling, enjoy hobbies, carry shopping, play actively with children and grandchildren, or simply live confidently in our own homes depends upon far more than determination alone.

Perhaps growing older is not simply about eating less. It is about eating more thoughtfully. We cannot eat our way to strength without movement, just as exercise alone cannot fully support muscle without adequate nutrition. The two work together throughout life.

The goal is not to eat like a bodybuilder.

It is to build a body that continues to serve us well for as many years as possible.