How Much Protein Do You Need And What Kinds?
Protein is on everyone’s lips whether you love or loathe the subject. But no matter where you stand, protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, hair and skin. But how much is too much?
Despite the claims of several diets, you need to base your protein needs on your body as well as your age and activity level. The general daily intake recommendation is .8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. There are a few calculators online some take into account your age whereas others focus on your frame. We like Kashi’s Protein Smart Calculator.
So you need protein, but how much and from where?
Lets start with food: Two eggs for breakfast has about 12 grams of protein; as does a cup of Greek yogurt. Cheese, black beans, and garbanzo beans come in around 7 grams per serving (1/2 cup for beans; 1 ounce for cheese). Moving on you’ve got 21 grams in a serving of salmon (3 oz.) and 24 grams in 6 ounces of cottage cheese. Chicken comes in at 26 per 3-ounce filet as well.
* You don’t want more than 30 grams of protein in one meal. and unfortunately many ‘health’ bars are starting to contain nearly that many grams in a “snack size”.
* If you’re going for a protein bar or drink, take the drink instead. Protein powder is much easier to absorb and is easier on the digestive system when consumed as a shake vs. a bar.
* Go clean. You want clean sources of protein from nuts, legumes, beans, lean meats. Pay attention to where your food is coming from organic dairy vs. conventional and wild fish if possible. Choose quality over quantity, which is a rule of thumb for most nutritional advice.
Here are 7 high-protein, no meat breakfast recipes to try!
With her love of health and writing, Melissa has written for such publications as Shape, Natural Solutions, Yoga Journal, Self and Pilates Style, and has created recipes and food-oriented stories for such publications as Delicious Living and Cooking Light.
- Saving Our Coral Reef One Tube of Sunscreen at a Time. - June 28, 2018
- Healing Tonics: 5 Ingredients You Need to Cure All That Ails You. - May 3, 2018
- Is it Addiction? 4 Surprising Culprits Behind Your Gnawing Sugar Cravings. - April 20, 2018