How much protein is enough?

Protein... organic compounds made of up "building-blocks" or amino acids.  Protein has a number of functions in the body, it is mainly thought of as the building material for your skin, bones, muscles and other tissues.  When damage happens within the body, it is protein that is needed to rebuild the affected area.  This also means that it is essential for growth.

So, as you can see protein is a very important part of our diet.  However, just how much protein do you really need?

Low carb - high protein diets are very fashionable at the moment, and you will often find advice saying that you should include protein at every meal, which brings up another huge question:

Where do you get protein from?

Well, the first thing that tends to spring to mind when talking about protein is a nice juicy steak, chicken, fish, eggs... etc...

But let's go back to the first question, how much protein do you really need?

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is set at about 0.75 - 0.8g per kilogram of body weight.  This means that if you are a woman weighing around 58k you would need 43.5g of protein per day.  Or a man weighing 75k you would need 56.2g of protein per day.

I you think that an average steak weighs about 225g ... then you may just come to the conclusion that we are eating way too much protein, and you'd be right.

In fact even the RDA for protein is way too high and a new lower figure of 0.6g per kilogram of bodyweight would be enough.  However, this is a generalization as there are different groups with different needs.  Children, older people, pregnant women, athletes and anyone recovering from surgery would need more protein.  But that would mean about 1.5 - 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day.

Too much protein can lead to certain problems such as weight gain, reduced liver and brain function, high cholesterol.  Too much protein can lead to your body producing too much ammonia, a toxin that your liver makes turns into non toxic - too much protein over a prolonged period means your liver can become over worked.  Too many toxins in your body can lead to a decline in brain function.  However it is hard to tell from the available information if they are talking about animal or plant protein or both.

As I said before we tend to think of protein in the animal form, but we also get protein from vegetable sources such as spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, parsley, cucumbers, green pepper, cabbage, and tomatoes, for example.  And other sources such as legumes, dairy products, nuts and whole grains and fruit.

If we also throw into the equation that the agricultural sector is the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gas thanks to the methane produced by livestock, then you might want to do yourself - and the planet a favor; switch to much more plant orientated diet.

Some like to call this a "flexitarian" diet which means less animal products and more plant foods.  Many people have become vegetarian or vegan over time, but this isn't always appealing to everyone, but there are ways you can lower your animal intake and up your plant intake.

Some families are already adopting the "meatless Monday" approach, or others who just have fruit or vegetables for dinner and have their animal protein at breakfast or lunch.

But you don't need to worry about falling short of your protein intake.  Many other foods on our weekly shopping lists are full of protein:

Food:                                                               Protein Content (g)
Slice of toast with butter                                             3.7                        
Large bowl of porridge with milk                             14.7                      
Banana                                                                         1.2
Apple                                                                           0.6
Salad and tomatoes                                                      1.7
Greek Yogurt                                                               8.6
Frozen Peas                                                                 5.5
Potatoes                                                                       3.1
Mushrooms                                                                  0.6
Peanuts (28g)                                                               6.7
Almonds (28g)                                                             6.0
Tofu (140g)                                                                 11.0
Blueberries (1 bowl)                                                     1.10
Apricots (1 fresh)                                                          0.49
Dates (100g)                                                                  2.50
Broccoli (1/2 cup)                                                          2.0
Spinach (1 cup cooked)                                                  5.0

Another swap to reduce your animal produce intake is to swap cow's milk for other milks: almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, rice milk, walnut milk, etc.

By all means, eat meat, fish, chicken, eggs, etc.. but one important piece of advice; when you look at the food you are about to eat, make sure there are more vegetables than anything else on your plate.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Have your steak and eat it too!

It's been a year since my first article THE TRUTH ABOUT SATURATED FATS, so in light of new data I decided it was time for an update.

Saturated fat is still considered to be the number one culprit of clogged arteries and elevated risk of heart attacks in its devoted consumers.  However, there is new evidence emerging that health risks from the consumption of saturated fats really depends on the TYPE of fat being eaten.

It is thought that one particular type of saturated fat called stearic acid, found in cheese, beef, pork, skinless chicken, olive oil, milk and chocolate may actually protect against heart disease.

Stearic acid is just one of a few saturated fatty acids found in foods.  The others include lauric, myristic and palmitic acids.  Repeated studies have shown that stearic acid has no adverse effect on blood cholesterol levels or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the same can not be said of the "others".

One study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stated that eating lean beef on a daily basis improved cholesterol levels, the stearic acid in the beef was responsible for the positive changes.

Participants in the tudy on a daily diet of lean beef for 5 weeks, experienced a 5% drop in total cholesterol and a 4% drop in LDL (bad) cholesterol - almost equal to those in the control group on a diet high in fish, vegetable protein and poultry.  Also both groups kept their weight steady.

Dr. Michael Roussell, one of the study's authors from Pennsylvania State University, said that unlike processed meats such as sausages and ham, unadulterated red meat "brings a unique, heart-healthy blend of fats to the table".

Many myths and misconceptions have led the general public to wrongly believe that all saturated fats are bad when in fact, sensible amounts of foods rich in stearic acid such as red meat, can be eaten without fearing for their heart's health.

"There are different forms of saturated fat, and stearic acid isn't linked to heart disease." says Glenys Jones, a Nutritionist at the Medical Research Council's Human Nutrition Research Department in Cambridge.

"Other forms of saturated fat, such as the fat in butter, have a much stronger association and, of course, too much of any fat will result in obesity, which is a risk for heart disease itself."

Strangely enough, this "new" take on saturated fatty acids really isn't new at all and reaches as far back as 1957, when it was shown that cocoa butter did not raise blood cholesterol levels as much as the fat from the butter did.  Aslo, almost 25 years ago, a major study at the University of Texas demonstrated that not all saturated fats have the same negative effects.

The New England Journal of Medicine reported that saturated fats such as butter and coconut oil, which contain only trace amounts of stearic acid, had far more damaging effects on blood fats than red meat or chocolate.

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) published a major report in 2011 that challenged the conventional beliefs about the effects of saturated fat in red meat.  In this document Dr. Carrie Ruxton, an independent dietician, confirmed there is "no conclusive link" between cardiovascular disease and red meat that contains some fatty acids, such as stearic acid, that protect the heart.

"There is less saturated fat in a grilled pork steak than in grilled chicken with the skin left on," she said.
"Studies have shown favorable effects of lean red meat consumption on blood pressure and cholesterol levels."

The amount of stearic acid varies depending on the different foods - the good news is that chocolate and red meat have the highes amounts.

Now, all this positive information is not a licence to gorge on anything and everything high in stearic acid.  The key, as with everything, is moderation.

"There is definite evidence that stearic acid has a neutral effect on cholesterol and cardiovascular risk," says Dr. Emma Williams, a BNF nutrition scientist, "However, in many foods stearic acid is lumped together with other saturated fatty acids which are less beneficial and can contribute to a rise in risks.  The truth is, no one has ever said people should cut out animal fats completely.  Just eat them sparingly."

The key, as I said, is moderation, but there is also another thing to keep in mind, and that is VARIATION.  The more varied a diet the better it is for your health.


Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com