How often do you eat protein?

With so many different nutritional practices it seems one fairly common consensus is that additional protein is needed. In the past when I have spoke to high school students I was always surprised at how often the students didn’t know which foods were good choices for protein. Maybe this is why many people are not consuming enough, a simple lack of understanding of which foods to eat.

Some of the best protein rich foods are: beef, poultry, buffalo and wild game, fish, egg whites, and cottage cheese. When choosing a protein source be cautious of the ratio of protein vs fats, etc. For instance other items such as some pork, especially nuts, and legumes tend to contain so much fat that to consume any significant amount of protein you are consuming a tremendous amount of fat. Now that you have some ideas which foods might be the best to eat you may be wondering just how much and how often you should be eating protein.

I remember when I first started personal training asking people if they ate a lot of protein. So often I was met with, “yes I eat plenty of protein we have meat a couple times per week.” Our body is in a constant need of protein, it does so much more than just make muscles. Every time we consume foods our blood sugar increases and the body releases insulin, the ultimate storage hormone which lowers our blood sugar and stimulates hunger. At the same time insulin is storing sugars our body is also using and storing the protein within our blood, when our blood sugar drops low, so may our blood protein levels. When our body needs to repair tissue from injury, strain or stress, reinforce our immune system, or help us become more alert or lay down to rest proteins play important roles. By now I bet you see where I am going, protein needs to be the other cornerstone to our daily nutrition next to the almighty carbohydrate. If you consume carbs, you should be consuming protein alongside four to six times per day. In terms of just how much, well that’s an argument that will probably run rampant through all time, but my suggestion would be 1-2 grams or protein per kilogram of bodyweight. (Less active people at the lower end of the scale and more active people toward the higher end.) This is just a guideline, the amount necessary for healthy basic living and the amount for performance or dramatic physical change can be very different, we can talk more about that in a future column. Good luck, and happy holidays!

With so many different nutritional practices it seems one fairly common consensus is that additional protein is needed. In the past when I have spoke to high school students I was always surprised at how often the students didn’t know which foods were good choices for protein. Maybe this is why many people are not consuming enough, a simple lack of understanding of which foods to eat.

Some of the best protein rich foods are: beef, poultry, buffalo and wild game, fish, egg whites, and cottage cheese. When choosing a protein source be cautious of the ratio of protein vs fats, etc. For instance other items such as some pork, especially nuts, and legumes tend to contain so much fat that to consume any significant amount of protein you are consuming a tremendous amount of fat. Now that you have some ideas which foods might be the best to eat you may be wondering just how much and how often you should be eating protein.

I remember when I first started personal training asking people if they ate a lot of protein. So often I was met with, “yes I eat plenty of protein we have meat a couple times per week.” Our body is in a constant need of protein, it does so much more than just make muscles. Every time we consume foods our blood sugar increases and the body releases insulin, the ultimate storage hormone which lowers our blood sugar and stimulates hunger. At the same time insulin is storing sugars our body is also using and storing the protein within our blood, when our blood sugar drops low, so may our blood protein levels. When our body needs to repair tissue from injury, strain or stress, reinforce our immune system, or help us become more alert or lay down to rest proteins play important roles. By now I bet you see where I am going, protein needs to be the other cornerstone to our daily nutrition next to the almighty carbohydrate. If you consume carbs, you should be consuming protein alongside four to six times per day. In terms of just how much, well that’s an argument that will probably run rampant through all time, but my suggestion would be 1-2 grams or protein per kilogram of bodyweight. (Less active people at the lower end of the scale and more active people toward the higher end.) This is just a guideline, the amount necessary for healthy basic living and the amount for performance or dramatic physical change can be very different, we can talk more about that in a future column. Good luck, and happy holidays!

With so many different nutritional practices it seems one fairly common consensus is that additional protein is needed. In the past when I have spoke to high school students I was always surprised at how often the students didn’t know which foods were good choices for protein. Maybe this is why many people are not consuming enough, a simple lack of understanding of which foods to eat.

Some of the best protein rich foods are: beef, poultry, buffalo and wild game, fish, egg whites, and cottage cheese. When choosing a protein source be cautious of the ratio of protein vs fats, etc. For instance other items such as some pork, especially nuts, and legumes tend to contain so much fat that to consume any significant amount of protein you are consuming a tremendous amount of fat. Now that you have some ideas which foods might be the best to eat you may be wondering just how much and how often you should be eating protein.

I remember when I first started personal training asking people if they ate a lot of protein. So often I was met with, “yes I eat plenty of protein we have meat a couple times per week.” Our body is in a constant need of protein, it does so much more than just make muscles. Every time we consume foods our blood sugar increases and the body releases insulin, the ultimate storage hormone which lowers our blood sugar and stimulates hunger. At the same time insulin is storing sugars our body is also using and storing the protein within our blood, when our blood sugar drops low, so may our blood protein levels. When our body needs to repair tissue from injury, strain or stress, reinforce our immune system, or help us become more alert or lay down to rest proteins play important roles. By now I bet you see where I am going, protein needs to be the other cornerstone to our daily nutrition next to the almighty carbohydrate. If you consume carbs, you should be consuming protein alongside four to six times per day. In terms of just how much, well that’s an argument that will probably run rampant through all time, but my suggestion would be 1-2 grams or protein per kilogram of bodyweight. (Less active people at the lower end of the scale and more active people toward the higher end.) This is just a guideline, the amount necessary for healthy basic living and the amount for performance or dramatic physical change can be very different, we can talk more about that in a future column. Good luck, and happy holidays!