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Get your Protein fix every day!


protein

You have to ask yourself:

"Am I getting enough protein in my diet?"

Here's the issue: you should feel satisfied when you eat a meal, but too many carbs can equal extra fat

I'm not going to talk about going on a no or low carb diet. I am just going to help enlighten you to what you should aim to eat in terms of protein. Within the past couple of years, the USDA recommended diet reduced and balanced their meal suggestions (check out ChooseMYPlate.gov for more info) with about 35-40% of the meal containing protein and much less grains or starches.

Proteins help provide the body with necessary amino acids. Meats and fish are more protein dense compared to milk, legumes, or whole grains. The recommended amount of protein for women is around 46 grams per day, and men about 56. The best way to stay healthy is to eat leaner meats and fish, and fill in the rest of the servings with beans, rice, and the like to reduce the amount of fat and sugar taken into your diet.

For those trying to achieve greater muscle mass, the numbers are different. A regular person needs about 0.8 grams per kilogram of weight. So in the above example with 56 grams of protein, we are assuming a weight around 75 Kg or 160 lbs. A bodybuilder will likely weigh closer to 200 lbs., and needs to keep feeding his muscles, so the recommended intake is 1.4-1.8 grams per Kg, so we're looking at twice the intake on protein from regular people. Athletes should take in 1.2-1.4 grams. Some bodybuilding sites recommend as much as 2 grams per pound (!) which is way more than anybody needs (400 grams of protein, really? That's like eating 60-oz. of steak. Enter, the protein shake...)

Here's the best advice for protein intake:
Regular, active men and women- about 50 grams of protein (at least 56 for men)
Marathoners, runners, competing athletes-  depending on weight, about 80-100 grams
Bodybuilder and meatheads- aim higher, so get about 140-180 grams

If you want to try the crazy meathead diet: follow this link and get ready to chow down

Here's a fun recipe for a high protein, low sugar ice cream
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