How Much Protein Should You Eat?
By Karen Peralta
Don’t sacrifice your carbohydrates for a
high protein diet, and think twice before
"bulking up" those biceps with protein to
look better at the gym. Your daily diet shouldn’t
contain more than 30% protein ideally, because
an excess of it will do you more harm than
good. So says Gail Butterfield, Ph.D., director
of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans
Administration Medical Center.
Dr. Butterfield says that excess
protein in your diet may have harmful
effects. If you increase protein without
adding more calories and exercise to your
daily life, instead of building muscle
mass you will put your other body systems
under undue stress. And eating more protein
while increasing calorie intake -- but
keeping at the same exercise levels --
builds an equal amount of additional fat
and muscle. Meanwhile, a diet where protein
is more than 30% of your calorie intake
causes a buildup of toxic ketones. A "ketogenic"
diet, or one high in ketones, pushes your
kidneys to excessively flush themselves
free of toxins. This can cause you to
lose a significant amount of water, which
puts you at serious risk of dehydration,
especially if you exercise heavily during
your workouts.
Such water loss will make it appear you’re
losing weight, when in actuality you’re
not. Plus you will be losing, not gaining,
muscle mass and bone calcium from this
ketogenic diet, while the stress of dehydration
can also badly affect your heart. Dehydration
from a ketogenic diet can make you dizzy
and weak, give you bad breath, and lead
to other health-related problems. This
can be the result of a high-protein, low-carb
"fad" diet - one that emphasizes proteins
excessively.
Actual protein deficiency is a very rare
condition and is confined usually to elderly
women or persons with eating disorders.
Protein deficiency is defined as eating
50-75% of the recommended daily amount
of protein. You should consume 0.36 grams
of protein for every pound of your normal
body weight, according to the US recommended
daily allowance -- or RDA -- guides. And
protein should make up about 15% of your
daily caloric intake, not go well over
30% of it.
Protein is absolutely required for your
body’s normal functioning, as it helps
synthesize your enzymes and hormones.
It maintains your fluid balance and the
building of antibodies against infections.
It also is the basic building block for
your muscles, bones, cartilage, skin,
hair and blood, and is essential for the
formation of all of the cells in your
body You should eat protein-rich foods
such as meat, cheese, milk, fish and eggs
to get enough protein in your daily diet.
You can also find protein in soy products,
as well as in combinations of food such
as rice or corn with beans, when it comes
to vegetable proteins that you may consume.
You should eat a balanced diet rich in
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean
meats, fish and complex carbohydrates,
not one heavy in protein alone. But protein
is optimal for immune functioning, and
you may need heavier amounts of it when
injured or otherwise undergoing any serious
healing processes.
Proteins are made up of several different
amino acids, some of which your body can
make on its own. But some of them have
to be ingested. These are called the "essential"
amino acids. You must eat a variety of
foods to make sure you’re getting all
of your essential amino acids. Lack of
these can cause growth failure, loss of
muscle mass, decreased immune system functioning,
weakening of the circulatory and respiratory
systems - and even death.
The most common source of protein in
the American diet is meat, but milk and
other dairy products are rich in it. To
avoid too much fat with your protein,
eat leaner cuts of meat, and cook without
adding fat by baking, broiling, barbecuing
or boiling your meat. By eating beans
and lentils as well as a variety of vegetables
and grains, you can add terrific sources
of vegetable protein to your diet. Nuts
and seeds are also great sources of non-animal
protein.
The average adult American needs eight
grams of protein each day per twenty pounds
of normal body weight. Yet we generally
eat twice that much protein daily. If
you balance your carbohydrates with your
proteins, and eat a variety of foods to
make sure you get all of the amino acids
you need, you will be eating a healthy
diet. You should also make sure you keep
your diet low in fats, oils and refined
sugars. Those substances have no proteins,
and hardly any other nutrients, with one
gram containing nine calories of energy.
You do need some saturated and unsaturated
fats in your food, every day. Unfortunately,
"junk food" laden American eating habits
tend to provide far too much of these
fats.
Your daily diet should contain no more
than 30% total calories from fats, hopefully
far less than that. The upper limit on
the amount of fat in your diet will depend
on how many calories you need to maintain
your weight, and cutting back on fat can
help you consume fewer calories. But some
dietary fat is needed for good health.
It supplies energy and the essential fatty
acids, which like the essential amino
acids can only be gleaned from your consumption
of certain foods. Fats also promote absorption
of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and
K.
High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol
are linked to increased blood cholesterol
and put you at risk for heart disease.
Fat is also associated with protein-rich
food such as meat and dairy products.
So you should lower the daily amount of
protein and fat that you consume to an
acceptable level, while raising the amount
of complex carbohydrates you consume to
at least 50% of your daily calorie intake.
This will ensure that you are eating a
proper and not a "fad" -- or risky to
your health - diet every day. Eating meals
and snacks rich in whole grains, fruits
and vegetables, as well as some high protein
and certain "fatty" foods, will help you
to obtain your desired weight and to keep
fit -- not fat.
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