Protein

Protein is a pretty important part of the human diet.  It's one of the three sources of fuel the human body runs on (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins).  Making sure you have enough protein within 30 min of your workout is imperative to muscle repair.

While it is important, you only need so much protein in your diet, even you are physically active.  A sedentary woman only needs .4g of protein per pound of body weight per day, while an active needs .6g.  The human body can only absorb around 7g of protein per hour.  If digestion takes between 4-5 hours, you're look at at max of 28g - 35g of usable protein in a meal.  It is generally recommended to divide up your protein between meals.  How you do that is up to you.  I prefer to start the day off with a bang and have a 1/3 of my protein at breakfast.  I get this with my smoothies and flax granola.  I try to have only a small amount of protein at lunch, because I tend to get lethargic going into the latter part of the day if I have too much.  I usually have a bit of protein with my afternoon snack and then have the remainder at dinner.

On days that I have a workout, instead of a snack, I will have a pre-workout smoothie and a post-workout smoothie, with 9g of protein each.  For dinner, I will have the remainder of my protein.    

http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410520,00.html

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-how-much-protein-can-you-absorb-and-use-from-one-meal/

http://sarahfit.com/why-protein-should-be-your-workout-companion/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/530256-how-much-protein-should-a-female-take-post-workout/

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders_of_nutrition/overview_of_nutrition/carbohydrates_proteins_and_fats.html

http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/Get_enough_protein_after_your_next_workout

http://greatist.com/fitness/what%E2%80%99s-best-source-post-workout-protein