Everybody needs protein, but how much is right for each body? The answer to that question can be a delicate balance between several factors. Too much protein can be dangerous to the body's health, even when it is of the healthiest kind. Too little protein can also be dangerous, especially for those who are very active. The most athletic person is going to need more of virtually every nutrient than the person who sits on the couch the majority of his lifetime. Deciding how much is right and how much can be a danger depends on a number of factors, including how active you really are.
Not only do you need the right kind and the right amount of protein to be at your very best, but you need to make sure that you are getting it at the right time of the day to keep your body running in its top condition. Here is the story of protein and two men, both age 35 but very different in every respect.
Pete - The Elite Athlete
Pete has always been a healthy and very active guy. In high school he played on the baseball team in the summer and the hockey team the rest of the year. In college, he focused on hockey while working toward his degree. Pete even had some degree of success at the professional level and while he was very good at what he did, he just was never going to be at the pinnacle of the sport. He remained healthy and active even after graduation, carving time out to pursue his passions as hard as he did as a boy.
Pete still plays baseball every summer and plays hockey on two leagues throughout the year. He ran in several 5ks and is even training for a marathon. He recently added weight lifting as more of his daily routine and is going to bump up his protein consumption. He has been consuming .8 grams of protein (the average amount) per kilogram of his current body weight but has been told that this is far too low for the amount of activity that he engages in. The sports nutritionist suggests that the athlete who is very active (like Pete) should get a minimum of 1.75 grams of protein per kg of their weight and that they may need as much as 2 grams. The elite athlete may actually lose muscle mass on the .8 grams that is recommended for the average person. (Source: Rivera)
Phil - The Couch Potato
Phil was always a bit on the sickly side as a child, so his mother and grandmother mothered and smothered him with love, attention, and most of all food. They believed that butter was a necessary ingredient to virtually every dish and that you could not spell breakfast without the word bacon. Phil started to pick up weight which made his mother very happy. Always a sensitive boy, Phil wanted to make them as happy as possible. He soon became more than just a member of the clean plate society; he became the chapter president and was bursting out of his jeans as fast as his mother could buy them. By the time he was wearing men's sized clothing in his junior high school days and winded just walking up the stairs, no one was happy any longer. Unable to complete even the most basic of exercise routine without complete collapse, Phil failed gym class.
Thankfully, he was a smart lad and graduated high school with honors and then went on to do the same from college, earning a degree in accounting. Phil sits behind a desk every day for very long hours often only stopping long enough to grab a cheeseburger from the fast food place down the block. He comes home in the evening, grabs a mountainous plate of food and then plops down in front of the television where he will spend the rest of the evening. He will get up every now and then and get a snack, a soda or go to the toilet, but otherwise will not move from that spot until it is time for him to go to bed for the evening.
In the morning, Phil will get up feeling groggy and lethargic, grab a cup of extra strong coffee and then swing through the drive through for several breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. The average suggested intake of protein is between .5 and .8 grams per kg of body weight, however for Phil, the couch potato, the amount that he really needs might be as low as .4 grams per kg of his body weight.
When They Should Have Their Protein
For both Phil and Pete, eating protein with every meal is beneficial because it fuels the body and prevents hunger. In addition, protein also helps to stabilize the blood sugar. If either needs a between- meal snack, protein is the perfect solution as long as they count it with their overall daily calories and count the amount in their protein intake. For Phil, it may help him to lose some of the weight that he needs to drop and for Pete, it will help him keep his metabolism fired up and ready to go while his muscles work hard to build lean muscle mass.
Pete should have a protein and carbohydrate sport drink to increase his recovery after intense exercise. This drink will help to increase glycogen recovery by 22-34% and will decrease muscle fatigue, soreness while increasing vigor and performance. (Source: Landas) Another option for him would be a glass of low fat milk which contains nine grams of protein and 31% of the daily calcium he needs.
If Phil has a little protein with every meal, he will feel full faster and may be able to eat less. Eating smaller meals that are a blend of carbs, proteins and a little fat, more often, will keep him from starving and then overeating and will also help him to lose weight. He can even opt to use protein supplements as a meal replacement; however he should do this in the middle of the day and then eat small, sensible meals for the rest of the day.
Phil might also benefit from eating his largest meal at the beginning of the day. This breakfast should be high in both protein and carbohydrates with the rest of the day low in calories and carbohydrates. (Source: Mindfood, 2008)
Where it Should Come From
For both Phil and Pete, healthy protein sources include lean poultry and fatty fish, low fat dairy foods, eggs, and plant based protein. Both men should be limiting or eliminating red meat as much as possible. They could both also consider using protein supplements, as long as they consider the calorie count, the amount of protein and the additional ingredients that are involved with each type.
For both men, Profect from Protica might be a good idea. For only one hundred calories per serving, they will each get 25 grams of protein, 100% Vitamin C for the day, 10% of their daily Vitamin B complex and zero carbs and zero fats. They can each pick their favorite from a number of flavors and because it is packaged in a plastic vial, they can take it anywhere.
More Information:
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures
Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein shots for bariatric surgery patients. You can learn more at
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