Get the Facts About Protein & Stop the Confusion About Protein!

Protein has been de-emphasized and devalued for the past 20 years. You have been told to cut your protein intake to reduce the amount of fat in your diet. But now you're being told that too little protein can compromise your daily performance and long-term health! This is all just too confusing.

Now the health experts are saying we need more protein. Their studies say protein deficiencies in the U.S. are more common than they thought they were. Several groups of people are at risk for not getting enough protein:

* Young people tend to eat unbalanced or irregular meals. * Women often avoid fats to control their weight, and many good protein sources are high in fat. * Athletes eat high carbohydrate, low-fat diets. * Older people eat smaller amounts of food, have a hard time digesting it, and avoid eating good protein sources because of fat content, expense and preparation. * Vegetarians avoid protein-rich, high-fat foods. * Do you fit into any of these categories?

If you don't eat enough protein, your body can literally "feed on itself", breaking down its own muscle tissue to get the protein it demands! Protein is crucial to the growth, maintenance, and repair of all bodily tissues. You need it every day for healthy muscles, blood, hair, skin and eyes, brain and nerves, hormones and enzymes, even genes. Symptoms of low protein may include low energy or endurance; lack of mental focus; irritability; hair, skin and nail problems; food cravings; and overconsumption of sugar. A protein-rich diet supports a strong immune system, optimal fluid balance in tissues, high metabolism, and weight maintenance!

Do you get enough protein? Lack of agreement leaves you wondering!

There is no world-wide agreement on protein intake guidelines, which adds to the protein confusion! Some health experts say getting 15% of our calories from protein is plenty and yet the popular media says that you need to get 30%. Protein needs also depend upon your age, weight, and activity level. Some health specialists even suggest that athletes need higher amounts of protein. Stress, recuperation from illness, and pregnancy can also increase your protein requirements. After considering all of this, how do you know how much protein you need?

Current Recommended Protein Allowance

Multiply your body weight by the amount of protein grams that most closely match your activity level. For example, if you weigh 135 lbs. and are a recreational exerciser, multiply 135 by both .5 and .75 to get a low and high-end range of 67.5 to 1O1.25 grams -- the suggested amount of protein you need daily.

Another confusing fact is that not all protein is the same!

Even if you eat foods high in protein, you may be missing out on the benefits! There are 22 amino acids involved in human nutrition. Your body can manufacture 14 of the 22 amino acids, but the remaining 8 must be supplied daily in your diet! Children's bodies can only manufacture 12 amino acids, and the other 1O must be supplied daily in their diets.

If all 22 amino acids aren't present, your body cannot make complete protein, the remaining amino acids are instead used as energy or stored as fat! The least plentiful amino acid dictates how much protein can be made. Just as flour is needed to make bread, you can only make as many loaves as you have flour, even if you have an abundance of the other ingredients!

So now you know that instead of reducing the amount of protein in your diet, you need to INCREASE it! But you have to increase it with high-quality protein that is low in fat and try to stay at or above the recommended daily amounts.

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