I couldn't think of a clever name for this one, so we're just gonna call it protein.

I can't decide if this is the easiest or the hardest subject to talk about. I guess it depends on who's reading. Protein is one of those things that people can really go overboard on… or not have enough of it at all. At least in my humble opinion.

Protein differs from fat and carbs in that it contains nitrogen. They're composed of these little things called amino acids that are linked together by peptide bonds. BORING. Lets skip the structure stuff for now and talk about what proteins do. The main roles for protein in the body include structue, enzymes, hormones, transport and immunoproteins…. code for you need them. Just like carbs and fat… surprise! 

So, there's these things called essential amino acids. What that means is our bodies can't make these amino asicds in the right amounts so we have to get them from our diets. There happens to be nine of these… some that might be familar are luecine, isoleucine, phenylalanine… and tryptophan. That's right! That sleepy effect we get from eating too much turkey aka tryptophan is an essential amino acid. You learn something new every day, huh?! 

Ok, so we know that there's essential amino acids now, and you probably could have guessed that there's non-essential amino acids… but did you know that there's limiting amino acids too? (I promise there's a point to all this, a method to my madness if you will). This leads into the idea of complete and incomplete proteins. Without getting super technical, complete proteins contain ALL of these essential amino acids whereas incomplete proteins will be lacking in some. Make sense? Good. So what actual foods are considered incomplete and complete proteins?

Complete Proteins:
Chicken

Turkey

Red Meat

Fish

Dairy

Eggs

Tofu

Chia seeds

Quinoa

Incomplete Proteins:

Legumes

Fruits

Veggies

Nuts

Grains

Seeds

Now for some more good news… you can turn incomplete proteins into complete proteins with a little thing I like to call nutrition magic. First I have to mention that the incompletes have to be separated into two groups. Legumes, fruits, and veggies all have the same limiting amino acids (meaning they don't have enough of the same kind) and nuts, grains and seeds are missing the other essential amino acids. Here's where that magic comes in… Combine one food from each incomplete group and tah-dah!! you have yourself a complete protein. For example, combine almonds and a veggie and you have a complete protein. Impressive?! I think so, but I'm pretty easy to please. 

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: Protein, specifically lean protein, is the key to getting lean. Yep, that's right kids. No magic cleanse, no special pills, just good old fashioned lean protein. It can help boost your metabolism and balance your blood sugar and even help you to stay feeling full. Pretty neat huh?! It takes your body more to digest them which is part of why they can help keep you trim. So, if this is the secret to getting lean then that means if I eat a crap ton of protein then I will have the body of my dreams, right?! Nope, not necessarily. Again, balance should become your best friend when it comes to what you eat. 

Lets talk really quickly about what happens when you eat too much protein. There's this thing called nitrogen balance. Remember how I said that protein is different from carbs and fat in that it has nitrogen?! Well, here's where that becomes important. Nitrogen and other toxins that build up from a very high protein diet can cause some really yucky problems for your kidneys. Maybe not right away, but even if its ten years down the road is it really worth the risk? I have a feeling I'm going to get some grief for this so let me be clear about two things: 1) I won't debate you or argue with you if you disagree with my protein views and 2) I'm not the boss of you so if you eat a ton of protein and love it and know deep in your heart that I don't know what I'm talking about… then guess what, you can eat protein to your hearts content and I can't and won't try to stop you. 

So what's the recommendation? Well for your average person it would be calculated out using 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you can figure out what that means for you, in my eyes you would get a gold star for the day. Truth is, it's not a hard equation… but I'm not gonna give step by step instructions and give away all my secrets. Basically if you weigh 140 pounds you would need about 51 grams of protein per day. Now if you're an athlete or work out a lot… and I'm talking like a lot… like ladies you don't wear make up to the gym a lot… then you could increase that to 1.2-2 grams of protein per kilograms of body weight. To put it in perspective, based on your personal goals and activity levels your protein intake should be 10-35% of your daily intake. 

This was a long post. I'm gonna stop while I'm ahead…. or at least while I think I'm ahead. Hopefully you're not completely confused. Remember just because something is a good thing doesn't mean that consuming a ton of it makes it an even better thing. And on the opposite end, lets make sure that we are eating enough of it. I'm telling you, once you unlock the glorious world of nutrition you will see changes in your body, mood, sleep, output, everything else, that you wouldn't have imagined. In case I haven't said it enough in the last few posts, I'll remind you one more time: BALANCE. On another note, I totally did two blog posts this week. If that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is.

Until next time,

Leslie