Promise of Protein

Not only is protein good for you, it’s essential! Proteins provide the framework for every cell in your body, and everyone needs a steady supply to repair and maintain organs, build muscles, antibodies, hormones, and enzymes—we’re talkin’ every cell in our bodies. New infants use as much as 50% of the protein in their diet for growth (breast milk is an excellent source), whereas three-year-olds use 11%, the rest being used for maintenance.

Fortunately it’s easy to get enough protein everyday without much thought, and it’s very difficult to over-dose on it. Fad high-protein diets can send the kidneys into overtime, which can be dangerous, but it takes a lot of protein over an extended period of time to be harmful. So how much is needed?

Good Amount of Proteins

• Infants (0-6 months) require 1 gram per pound of body weight, and 6-12 month infants require.75 grams per pound.
• Children (1-6 years) require.6 grams per pound
• Children (7-15 years) require.5 grams per pound
• Adults require.36 grams per pound

It’s amazing that we aren’t scared to death to put food in our mouths these days with all the changing attitudes and food fads, and good-for-you/bad-for-you hype that bombards us. Some believe that protein and carbs do not mix—i.e. that eating them in the same meal is bad for you. This is not the case and in fact individual foods in and of themselves are combinations of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Basically 10% of our calories should be from protein. Trying to build muscle through vigorous exercise may call for increasing that amount to 15%. If you are pregnant, lactating, or having growth spurts—up, not out--the amount of protein you should consume increases. It’s easy to get the number of grams of protein we need in a day considering a tuna sandwich (with 4 oz of Tuna, and 2 slices of whole wheat bread), with a glass of milk and a cup of yogurt supplies about 54 grams of protein which meets the daily needs of a 150 pound person. Remember, it’s not easy to overdose on protein, so eating it is nothing to be afraid of, and eating enough of it is extremely important to good health.

So what are good sources of Protein?

Good Sources of Protein

Good sources of protein...what are they? First a simple explanation of two kinds of protein: complete proteins and incomplete proteins. The complete ones contain all the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make that we MUST have, and incomplete protein is labeled as such because it is missing one or more of the essential amino acids.

We derive protein from plant and animal sources. Food from animal sources contains complete proteins, whereas vegetables (including legumes), and grain sources of protein are incomplete (except for soybeans).

Some Top Protein Foods Derived from Plants

• Tofu
• Lentils
• Beans (especially black, kidney, and lima)
• Artichokes
• Chickpeas
• Nuts and Sunflower Seeds
• Peanut Butter
• Some Pasta
• Some Cereals

Close Seconds for Plant Protein

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Brussel Sprouts
• Kale
• Peas
• Asparagus
• Whole Wheat Bread

Top Protein Foods from Animals (or Animal Derived)

• Tuna Fish
• Egg Whites
• Cottage Cheese
• Poultry Breast
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Lean Beef

You say you don’t want to eat meat to get complete protein into your diet?

Protein in Foods Other Than Meats

So you don’t want to eat all the fat a piece of meat contains in order to get complete proteins into your body? No worries. Combining food from different plant sources can provide us with all the necessary amino acids without the fat.

One plant food can supply the amino acids missing in another, or plant proteins can also be combined with animal derived foods such as dairy products in order for us to get all essential amino acids in our diet. Here are some suggestions.

Some Complementary Proteins:

• Whole Wheat Bread + Peanut Butter
• Brown Rice + Beans
• Whole Grain Crackers + Lentil Soup
• Whole Wheat Pita + Hummus
• Whole Grain Cereal + Milk
• Granola + Yogurt
• Pasta + Cheese
• Broccoli + Cheese Sauce

You don’t even have to eat these together either! Proteins eaten within 24 hours of each other will combine to provide our bodies with essential amino acids.

So dish up the broccoli, whole grain bread and chicken breast. The promise of protein is that it will provide your body with what it NEEDS to be structurally sound.