Protein: How much do you really need?
PROTEIN!!
It’s the new thing that has our attention. It used to be low fat. Then it became all about sugar. Now, it’s protein. We have become protein obsessed but I’m going to show you why this is an issue.
Allow me to clarify, we need protein in our diets -yes. It’s the building block for muscles, your immune system, bones, skin, cells, you name it. Protein helps regulate blood sugar, appetite and fullness, energy and metabolism, and therefore it plays a major role in weight management. It’s so important in fact that it’s the last thing your body will eat away at when you are starving. However, we are GORGING on it! It’s overkill.
Protein molecules
Don’t fall for the protein hype. Protein contains the same amount of calories per gram as carbohydrates (4kcals/gram). However, some protein sources also contain FAT, which means if you overeat protein you are probably also overeating fat calories (9 calories per gram).
All that low carb dieting you are doing is great but unless you are also paying attention to your protein intake you may be overdoing it in calories from your protein sources and slowing your progress. All you need is about .8 grams per kilogram of your body weight to sustain a healthy system, assuming you are a healthy individual with no major issues that would require higher amounts in your diet. When you are actively trying to lose weight, that goes up a little bit to 1 gram per kilogram or about 27% of your total calories per day. Most people on a weight loss journey are typically targeting around 1200 calories per day.
So let’s use this as an example since weight-based calculations are highly individualized. That’s 1200kcals x 27% = 324 calories/4 calories per gram protein = 81 grams per day. That’s it. 81 grams per day. Now, let’s look at a some common foods people are including on a weight loss plan...
Chicken breast 4oz = 35g
Tuna salad = 20g
Cheese 1oz = 7g
Eggs x 2 = 12g
Peanut or almond butter 2 tablespoons = 7g
Greek yogurt = 12-15g
Chick peas 4oz = 7g
Nuts 2oz = 12g
Burger with no bun = 30g
Tofu 4oz = 10g
Protein shakes (using Premier as an example) = 30g
You can do some rough math and see how quickly this adds up in your day to day eating routine. We can hit that 81 grams with ease. Even if you are following a vegetarian or vegan plan, you are likely still getting adequate protein in your diet without even trying based on numerous studies supporting this theory.
Now if we added in all the protein that the industry is peppering into products that normally would not have as much in order to get you to buy them, let’s see how that’s adding up in your diet:
Protein cereal 1 cup = 8g
Regular Cheerios contains 2g protein per cup
Protein granola
Regular granola is typically around 4 grams per serving
Home made vegetable barley soup would contain somewhere around 8-10g protein
I am pointing out in a few of these how they are adding Soy Protein Isolate to boost the protein content. Soy is typically a super healthy source of protein for the human diet. However, once you process it into an isolate, you ruin the molecule and potentially make it hazardous to consume. So beware of anything containing Soy Protein Isolate. Pea protein isolate is however harmless and actually a very beneficial protein that has been shown to support the immune system just as well as animal protein sources.
So bottom line… don’t over do it with the protein. Track your intake, read the labels, and know where it’s coming from. If you feel like you want more help with this, feel free to reach out.
