Proteins are built from a combination of amino acids that are strung together, both essential and nonessential. These amino acids work like building blocks where they break apart and recombine in many different ways.
Protein is the centerpiece of a meal, or even a snack- it will help keep you full, satiated, and maintain steady blood glucose. There are four calories in each gram of protein, so it can be used as energy but is not an efficient source of fuel.
What does protein do?
Builds structures like bones, teeth & collagen (hair, skin, nails, etc.)
Makes hormones and enzymes
Enhances muscular recovery & repair
Great food examples:
Egg Whites
Greek Yogurt
Tofu
Cold Cuts
Beef
Pork
Lamb
Fish
Cream Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Whey & Protein Powder
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Eating Protein in moderate amounts, and spread throughout the day, will serve your body the best. Choosing a variety of proteins will help to increase the bioavailability of your regular diet.
How much?
Well, that’s a weighted question- ba dum tss! But quite literally- this is controversial and varies per person.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), in the US is just 0.8g per kg body [about 0.36g per pound of body weight]. What does that even mean? Well, a 130 pound person would need about 47g dietary protein per day according to this recommendation- which is about 5-6 oz of cooked chicken breast. That doesn’t sound like much, does it?
Most will thrive at something closer to 0.55 - 0.8g per pound of body weight. The same person weighing 130 pounds would eat 70-100g dietary protein per this recommendation. That looks like about 20-25g protein per meal with a post-workout snack.
Essential and Non-Essential
Essential Amino Acids (EAA) are those that we have to eat because our body cannot make them otherwise, and Non-Essential Amino Acids are still great building blocks but the body can produce them.
Some of the foods that we eat contain proteins, but not all of the essential amino acids, so they are incomplete proteins. When you eat certain combinations of foods, you can nourish your body with a complete set of proteins, like rice + beans! Some surprising sources of complete proteins are soy, quinoa, and amaranth seed grains.
Additionally, some food sources contain protein but they are not an efficient source, meaning that more of the calories come from either fat or carbohydrates than from protein itself. Beans, grains and peas are among those that are predominantly carbohydrate sources, but also contain protein. Avocados, nuts, seeds and dairy are among those that are predominantly fats but also contain protein.
SO, that begs the question-
What’s your preferred protein!?
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