It is an essential macro nutrient that we need daily, because the body does not store it.
Fifteen percent of your body weight approx., is protein. Protein is the building blocks of your muscles, cartilage, bones, hair, nails, skin, blood, and body chemicals like hormones and enzymes.
So, you can see how important protein is!
Sources of Protein
Meat, seafood, poultry, beans, grains, and dairy products, like yogurt made with skim milk and cheese, cheddar cheese has 25 grams of protein for every 100 grams, are good sources of protein.
Not all proteins are equal some are better than others.
Whole foods and natural sources are your best forms of protein.
How Much Protein Should You Eat a Day?
Most people need as a safe level if they don’t exercise, 40 to 60 grams
of protein daily. If you are not consuming enough protein it can be detrimental to your health.
Some Symptoms of Low Protein Intake
Muscle loss
Aches and pains
Unexplained hunger
Headaches
Difficult to sleep
Thinning hair, brittle nails and skin problems
Easily to fracture or broken bones
Swelling
Fatigue
Slower metabolism
Poor immune system
Mood swings and changes in your energy
Slow recovery from injuries
Symptoms of Too Much Protein
indigestion
dehydration
exhausted
nauseated
irritability
headaches
diarrhea
This can also lead to other risks such as bad cardiovascular, liver and kidney malfunction, seizures, blood vessel disorders and death. Not to mention type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.
Of course athletes, pregnant women and people who do a lot of physical demanding work will require more protein.
These are the symptoms of too much protein, however it’s more likely you will be lacking protein than having too much.
Why We Need Protein
How much protein should you eat every day. Most people need as a safe level depending on how active they are 40 to 60 grams daily.
Whole foods and natural sources are one of the best forms of protein. However, whey protein is much better at building and regenerating muscles.
One scoop of whey has approx. 20 grams of protein.
Why Do our Bodies Need Protein
If you are not eating enough protein this can greatly affect your body growth for example like muscles, tendons, hair, nails, skin, cartilage, bones, blood and body chemicals i.e., hormones and enzymes.
So 40 to 60 grams of protein may be enough for a person who does not exercise and this would be the minimum but for an active person who exercises a lot or does heavy work all day you may need 20 to 40 grams more daily.
So, with the right amount of protein you should feel energized.
The right amount of protein needed per day also depends on your age, your activity, do you exercise a lot or a little or not at all, your muscle mass and your health.
Protein is so important for your body that some study’s show that we should get around 30 grams of per meal, so 3 meals a day would be 90 grams.
Of course there are study’s that show that we should eat much less protein like only about 15 grams per meal. I personally don’t agree with this based on my own experience I found the 30 grams of protein per meal to give me more energy. Also friends of mine who have taken whey protein supplements have told me they have more energy after taking one scoop of whey per day which is about 25 grams of protein approx.
Protein is so important, because without it we would die. As I said before, they are the main building blocks of our body.
Proteins are made up of molecules called amino acids, some we get from our diet, which are essential amino acids and needed in the right ratios and others are produced by our body.
What is the Best Protein
Well, this depends if you are a vegan, a vegetarian, or as some people jokingly call themselves meatatarians or meat eaters.
People who like to eat meat will get a lot of protein from animal protein.
Animal protein is a complete protein.
Plant protein can also be a complete protein if combined in the right way.
Animal proteins like meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy are similar to the protein in our body.
These are complete proteins because they contain all the basic amino acids our body needs to function properly.
Are You Getting Enough Daily Protein
You have to make a list of how much protein you are eating everyday otherwise how will you know if you are getting enough.
Ok, lets take a simple breakfast
– 2 eggs@ 6 grams of protein – 12 grams
now cooked eggs are absorbed by 90% approx., raw eggs by 50% so the protein grams are approx.
– 2 slices of toast @ approx. 100 grams of wheat bread -8-11 grams
– 2 slices of white bread toasted – 2.2 grams approx.
– 2 slices of bacon – 6 grams
– 1 cup of hash browns potatoes – 3.8 grams
– 1 tablespoon of butter – 0.1 gram approx.
– 1 cup of coffee with cream and sugar -1.2 grams approx.
– 3/4 cup of low fat Greek yogurt – 17 grams
Total 44.3 gr.approx.
This gives you some idea of how much protein you can eat at an average meal.
You can do this with any meal you are thinking of eating or have eaten.
It will give you a guideline to follow. you can google any food to figure out how much protein you will need every day.
So, that is just breakfast, you can see if you add a 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt you get 16 to 18 grams of protein. Some yogurt has as little as 6 grams of protein but much more fat, your choice.
Personally, I prefer the plain low fat or no fat yogurt made with skim milk.
Now, if you want some fruit with your yogurt for fibre, you can chop up an apple and a banana.
protein in 1 regular apple – 0.3 grams
protein in 1 regular banana – 1.1 grams
Now not everyone likes to eat bacon and eggs and apples and bananas with yogurt but you can see how much protein is in a simple meal.
Now if you are a person who exercises a lot you will need much more protein than what I just described.
Remember if you are only getting say 50 to 60 grams of protein a day this is only for the daily maintenance of your body. If you want your hair and muscles etc. to be nourished you will need more protein.
Starting today start to read the labels on your food how much protein you are getting and sugar and fat etc. and you will be surprised but educated.
In Conclusion
Remember to get your daily protein and you will feel better and have more energy.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, you can go to a natureopath and have yourself tested with a vega machine. This machine will tell you which foods you digest better than others including proteins. You can have a blood test which will tell you the same thing but it will cost twice as much.
As always see your family doctor before trying anything I have mentioned in this post.
Also, you can e-mail me for any questions you might have I would be happy to answer them.
