Protein is inarguably the MOST IMPORTANT nutrient you MUST eat! Nutritionists can talk for days about the importance of FAT vs CARBS in the diet, but NO ONE disagrees about the importance of PROTEIN!
My EHFix clients start with a FOCUS on carbs- WHY? Your addiction and obsession with carbs is CONTINUALLY taking your eyes and your mind off the prize. What's the prize? PROTEIN!! So first and foremost, we learn to GET AHOLD OF HUNGER AND GAIN CONTROL over the timing of our meals and food selection by limiting CARBS... quickly thereafter, we start to FOCUS on the REAL NECESSARY ESSENTIALS! Remember, CARBs are NOT an ESSENTIAL need for human survival. You can stay alive on them, yes... but hardly WELL! And in this CRAZY MODERN FOOD ENVIRONMENT staying in control to stay well MATTERS!
Get RID of the CARBS for your WELLNESS, then FOCUS on your actual NEEDS to rebuild your body back BETTER!
How much protein do you need exactly?? Enough to support the everyday growth, repair, and rebuilding of your entire LEAN self. So how much you need depends on how much lean tissue (organs, muscles, bones) you have! Let me be a broken record: if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, YOU ARE ALLOWING YOUR BODY TO AGE, WEAKEN, AND FALL INTO DISREPAIR DAILY!
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED
First you need to establish an ideal weight target (you received this in your initial medical screening if you have completed ACCELERATOR). Then you need to know your FAT percent target. Remember this?
This chart represents how OTHER people perceive you! Decide where YOU want to be! This is one of your most important goals to work toward. We focus NOT ON WEIGHT LOSS, but FAT LOSS!!
Protein intake depends on your LEAN WEIGHT mass. So let's say IDEALLY you SHOULD BE a 180 pound man who would like to have 15% body fat. Multiple 180 x 0.15 = 27 pounds (This is YOUR chosen ideal FAT weight). Your lean weight is 180 (ideal total)- 27 (ideal fat)= 153. To MAINTAIN and REPAIR 153 pounds of healthy lean weight you need ROUGHLY 153 grams of protein daily. To GROW muscle, you would need MORE. And it's ok if you get more on some days and less on others. This means, FASTING fits just fine into your overall plan! if you want more help targeting this VERY SPECIFICALLY, Superhuman will show you the way!!
Fun facts about protein: Protein is known to be the most SATIATING macro- it wards off HUNGER the longest. Digesting protein KEEPS us warm- this is why we have a penchant for it during Winter especially!
WHERE TO GET YOUR PROTEIN
Here are some of the easiest and most obvious sources of protein:
Fish, poultry, pork, red meat- 6 ounces of ANY of these provides ROUGHLY 50 GRAMs
- 3 ounces is the size of your palm
-ground beef 85% lean- 1 pound has 120 grams
-ground turkey (fat free)-1 pound has 144 grams
Eggs- 1 provides just over 6 grams. 3 will give you ROUGHLY 20 grams
Cheese- depends on variety. 1 ounce ( size of your thumb) of Parmesan has 10 grams.
Greek yogurt- 1 cup has 20-25 grams
Nuts/nut butters- just 1/4 cup of almonds contains 8 grams (choose your nuts wisely to include less carbs and MORE protein
Seeds/seed butters- 1 ounce (a handful will be 1-2 ounces) of pumpkin seeds has about 8 grams, sunflower seeds have 5 (again choose seeds with less carbs and MORE protein)
Veggies- plant based protein is less bioavailable (less easily digested) and can be an incomplete source, but can provide a good amount of EXTRA protein in your day. (Vegetarians scroll down below👇)
-Lentils have 18 grams per cup, but also 28 net grams of carbs.
-Beans (black, white, lima, pinto, kidney, etc) typcially have 6-8 grams of protein, but double that in net carbs.
These are good vegetarian sources! I personally don't eat much of either lentils or beans, but do make exceptions for HIGH ENERGY DAYS. For example, a day of skiing with chili for lunch😊!
-most of your above ground veggies are reliably low in carbs and provide 3-6 grams of protein per cup
Fruits- traditional fruits contain a negligible amount of protein. Generally, I am not looking to my DESSERTS for protein, or ANY ESSENTIAL for that matter!
***The majority of MY personal diet is made up of ALL OF THE ABOVE☝️! I keep my CARBS low to keep my hunger in check, avoid inflammation (READ DISEASE!) throughout my body, keep my energy level high, and my mood stable! My healthy, ESSENTIAL omega 3 and 6 FATS are BUILT IN to my protein budget. By not always choosing the leanest meats, including yolks, and eating dairy, nuts, and seeds I ensure getting my ESSENTIAL FATS.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF PROTEIN
FOCUS on getting MOST of your protein from the ABOVE ☝️ NATURAL SOURCES!
Here are some additional sources to consider when you fall short or are on the go:
-collagen supplements- I add bovine sourced collagen powder to my drinks and meals for a boost in my protein intake that supports my skin, hair, nails, joints, digestive tract, and more
-protein powder- can be used in shakes, made thick like ice cream, combined with water to make pudding, or thrown into ANY recipe to add flavor and EXTRA protein. Don't want flavor? add the unflavored variety. Choose protein powders made from whey or soy to get ALL your essential amino acids. Pea and Rice based may be missing some of the essentials
-ready made shakes and bars- Ensure, Quest, Muscle Milk, Pure Protein, Power Crunch and Think are just a FEW of the companies stepping up to assist you! BE CAREFUL! These are addictive!!! Best to USE VERY SPARINGLY!
VEGETARIANS:
IMPORTANTLY: If you eat ZERO animal foods, be sure you are supplementing your diet with B12 which is present ONLY in animal based foods
***Getting enough protein from ALL veggies often requires your carb budget to rise out of necessity. Try to stay under 50 grams of net carbs each day if you are vegetarian.
Important sources of HIGH protein for VEGETARIANS:
Tofu- 1 cup is about 40 grams
Soy products: milk, tofu, yogurt, tempeh, edamame, shakes/powders
Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, hummus
Complete ESSENTIAL amino acids found in: hemp, chia seeds, quinoa, spirulina, buckwheat. anything soy based, and Ezekiel bread
Other considerations: textured vegetable protein, wheat gluten, and plant protein concentrates like pea protein found in vegan protein shakes.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians can include: eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt
Note: I am not personally vegetarian, so you will need to do a lot of your own leg work with figuring out grams of protein provided by specialty items. There are many low carb vegetarians with blogs, podcasts, etc to access for additional help. You can start here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegan
PROTEIN ON A BUDGET
Protein is EXPENSIVE for good reason! We all NEED protein to stay well- it is ESSENTIAL! It is TOUGH to get enough protein on a budget! This contributes greatly to the amount of illness and disease prevalent in poorer populations.
Here are some tips for buying protein on a budget:
(1) look for sales
(2) buy in bulk quantity if you can
(3) buy whole: any time a butcher gets involved with removing fat, bones, or creating portions you pay extra. Learn to prepare your own meats.
(4) buy less desirable cuts- often the LESS popular cuts are tougher, leaner and ACTUALLY healthier- shoulder roasts, bone in chicken thighs, pigs feet, beef liver, etc.
(5) learn to hunt or fish- buy a man a fish and.... but teach a man to fish... You know the old proverb right!! Alternatively, buy some chickens!
(4) buy the CHEAPEST SOURCES: Eggs, ground beef/turkey, edamame/tofu, and canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, herring) are among the CHEAPEST and BEST sources of protein. Natural peanut butter, cottage cheese, and seeds are also good sources. Check out this link: https://coach.nine.com.au/diet/the-cheapest-sources-of-protein/5e754184-24fe-4254-b437-19a6f5a59bbf#20
Comments