Protein Challenge

So a few weeks back one of my favorite bloggers Annette tackled a question I have long been confused by. How much protein do I need.

With magazines and diets stating the importance of protein in today’s diets, it’s important to know this essential nutrient does a lot more than fill you up. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues, and it is an important building block of muscles and bones.

So how much protein do women need? According to studies some say most women need between 50 and 60 grams of protein a day, I have even read that active woman need up to 80 grams of protein a day. I used Annette’s method and found that I should be getting 63 Grams of protein per day. Well I wanted to see if I was close in my day-to-day meals so I randomly choose a day and calculated it.

Protein Challenge:

Breakfast: 22 Grams Total

• Chobani 6 Ounce Yogurt – 13 Grams
• 3/4 Cup Go Lean Cereal – 9 Grams
• Fuji Apple – 0 Grams

Lunch: 33 Grams Total

• Sabra Hummus Singles – 4 Grams
• Whole Wheat Pita Bread – 3 Grams
• Hard Boiled Egg – 17 Grams
• Serving of Pretzels – 3 Grams
• Mozzarella Cheese Stick – 6 Grams

Dinner: 19 Grams Total

• 3 Ounces Marinated Lime Roasted Tofu – 8 Grams
• Roasted Broccoli with 1 tbsp Oil – 3 Grams
• 1 Cup Nasoya Japanese Noodles – 8 Grams

Snack: Zero

• Archer Farms Dried Fruit Bar – 0 Grams

Results:

I came in at 74 Grams! 

But here’s the thing, I am not at all happy with the 19 grams for dinner. That’s the one meal I eat with my husband and I know he needs more protein than that, this of course is not our dinner every night, but it is a typical Monday night meatless meal for us. So I think in addition to the tofu, I will start adding an additional protein to this meal.

Another problem I found is that I change-up my cereal and I eat the Kashi Berry Blossoms and that cereal only has 3 grams of protein verse the Golean Crunch that has 9. So just by making a small change like switching cereal flavors and not looking at the protein values I could short myself 6 grams of protein. So all in all this has opened my eyes.

What are the best sources?

Most people with a well-rounded diet eat enough protein, but it’s important to include complete proteins, which contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Sources of complete protein include meat, fish, eggs, most dairy products, and soybeans. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are often missing certain amino acids, but they can be combined to make a complete protein meal.

And although meats contain high amounts of protein, be sure to consider how much saturated fat is in your cut. Here are a few good examples of low-fat, protein-packed foods:

Protein source	Amount of protein (grams)	Serving size
Tuna (yellow fish)	33	4 oz.
Roasted chicken	32	3/4 cup, diced
Lean flank steak	31	4 oz.
Soybeans	21	3/4 cup
Lentils	17	1 cup
Non-fat plain Greek yogurt	15	6 oz.

Some of my favorite foods scored really high on the protein list, here’s a few:

• Tofu has 8 to 11 Grams of Protein in 4 Ounces
• Quinoa has 9 Grams of Protein in 1 Cup
• Veggie Burger has 13 Grams of Protein per Patty

 The great thing about learning new information is this, it’s never too late to make a change, it’s never late to improve your diet. That’s why Healthy Living Blogs are an essential part of my day, they feed me ideas, information, tip and support.

Question of the Day: Do you know how much protein you’re getting in your meals?

Check Ya Later.

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