By Robert Lalonde
People are often concerned about eating the right foods. In North America however, we rarely worry about whether or not we are eating enough protein.
The general recommendation for adults is to eat a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. That works out to.36 grams per pound of body weight or about 58 grams for an adult that weighs 160 pounds.
It's important to realize that this recommendation is a 'minimum daily requirement.' This is not the amount required to keep you in great shape nor is it an optimum amount for many people.
Average Protein Intake
According to statistics, adults in the US get an average of 15 percent of their calories from protein. It is generally thought that increasing your intake so it provides you with 20 to 25 percent of your total calories could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
It is also recommended that you reduce your intake of carbohydrates. An added benefit is that a higher protein diet is also beneficial for weight loss.
The exception is that people who have diabetes or early-stage kidney disease should stick with the recommended intake of 0.8 to 1.0 gram per kilogram of body weight.
Types of Protein
Proteins are made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of your body.
Those amino acids that cannot be made by the body are known as essential amino acids. They're called essential because we have to get them from our diet.
As a result, we classify protein in two classes:
Complete Proteins - provide all of the essential amino acids in one food. They are also referred to as high quality protein. Examples of complete protein sources are fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.
Incomplete Proteins - proteins that are missing some of the essential amino acids.
If you don't eat complete protein sources, you must combine incomplete proteins to ensure you obtain all the essential amino acids. These combinations of incomplete proteins are called complementary proteins.
Best Source of Protein
Fish is one of the better choices for protein because it is low in fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids. According to research, you can reduce the risk of heart disease by eating 6 ounces of fatty fish every week.
Beef and pork can also be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids provided they are grass-fed. Most beef and pork are grain-fed and provide omega-6 fatty acids.
Higher Protein Diets Are Not Bad for Your Heart
What about concerns that diets that are high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates cause harm to your heart? Well, recent research does not support these claims. In fact, it appears that eating more protein, especially vegetable protein, while cutting back on easily digested carbohydrates may benefit the heart.
Who Needs More Protein
The recommended daily allowance is for a typical healthy adult. Growing children, pregnant and lactating women, very active individuals, seniors and people undergoing stress or illness, probably need more protein. In these cases, the protein intake should be increased to 1.2 to 1.8 g/kg.
How To Get Enough Protein
Good protein sources are usually not as readily available as carbohydrates. The easiest way to increase your protein intake is to have some protein with each of your meals.
Protein and Weight Loss
If you are dieting and trying to lose weight, you might want to increase your protein intake even more. Recent studies show that a low glycemic load diet which provides about one-third of calories from protein is the best approach for weight loss.(1)
Conclusion:
If you are in one of the groups that could use a bit more protein, you should be getting about 20 to 25 percent of your calories from protein. If you are dieting and trying to lose weight, it is best if you get one-third of your calories from protein.
It isn't necessary to obsess about calories and exact protein content. The simplest way to get the right amount of protein is to have a protein source take up about 20 to 30 percent of your plate at each meal.
(1) http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1199154
You can find more diet and health related articles from the author on his blog http://easyleanandhealthy.com/blog/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Lalonde
People are often concerned about eating the right foods. In North America however, we rarely worry about whether or not we are eating enough protein.
The general recommendation for adults is to eat a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. That works out to.36 grams per pound of body weight or about 58 grams for an adult that weighs 160 pounds.
It's important to realize that this recommendation is a 'minimum daily requirement.' This is not the amount required to keep you in great shape nor is it an optimum amount for many people.
Average Protein Intake
According to statistics, adults in the US get an average of 15 percent of their calories from protein. It is generally thought that increasing your intake so it provides you with 20 to 25 percent of your total calories could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
It is also recommended that you reduce your intake of carbohydrates. An added benefit is that a higher protein diet is also beneficial for weight loss.
The exception is that people who have diabetes or early-stage kidney disease should stick with the recommended intake of 0.8 to 1.0 gram per kilogram of body weight.
Types of Protein
Proteins are made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of your body.
Those amino acids that cannot be made by the body are known as essential amino acids. They're called essential because we have to get them from our diet.
As a result, we classify protein in two classes:
Complete Proteins - provide all of the essential amino acids in one food. They are also referred to as high quality protein. Examples of complete protein sources are fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.
Incomplete Proteins - proteins that are missing some of the essential amino acids.
If you don't eat complete protein sources, you must combine incomplete proteins to ensure you obtain all the essential amino acids. These combinations of incomplete proteins are called complementary proteins.
Best Source of Protein
Fish is one of the better choices for protein because it is low in fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids. According to research, you can reduce the risk of heart disease by eating 6 ounces of fatty fish every week.
Beef and pork can also be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids provided they are grass-fed. Most beef and pork are grain-fed and provide omega-6 fatty acids.
Higher Protein Diets Are Not Bad for Your Heart
What about concerns that diets that are high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates cause harm to your heart? Well, recent research does not support these claims. In fact, it appears that eating more protein, especially vegetable protein, while cutting back on easily digested carbohydrates may benefit the heart.
Who Needs More Protein
The recommended daily allowance is for a typical healthy adult. Growing children, pregnant and lactating women, very active individuals, seniors and people undergoing stress or illness, probably need more protein. In these cases, the protein intake should be increased to 1.2 to 1.8 g/kg.
How To Get Enough Protein
Good protein sources are usually not as readily available as carbohydrates. The easiest way to increase your protein intake is to have some protein with each of your meals.
Protein and Weight Loss
If you are dieting and trying to lose weight, you might want to increase your protein intake even more. Recent studies show that a low glycemic load diet which provides about one-third of calories from protein is the best approach for weight loss.(1)
Conclusion:
If you are in one of the groups that could use a bit more protein, you should be getting about 20 to 25 percent of your calories from protein. If you are dieting and trying to lose weight, it is best if you get one-third of your calories from protein.
It isn't necessary to obsess about calories and exact protein content. The simplest way to get the right amount of protein is to have a protein source take up about 20 to 30 percent of your plate at each meal.
(1) http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1199154
You can find more diet and health related articles from the author on his blog http://easyleanandhealthy.com/blog/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Lalonde
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