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> Hints > Past Newsletter Editions > Articles > Protein power: are you getting enough?

Protein power: are you getting enough?

If you're concerned about your weight, you've no doubt heard about the importance of getting enough protein in your diet.

Emerging research shows that protein helps you to lose weight and keep it off by satisfying you on fewer kilojoules. The likely reason for this is that protein is so essential to your survival that if you don't get enough, your body will push you to keep eating until your daily protein needs are met.

So how much protein do you need to consume in order to reap its appetite suppressant effects?

While the current recommended daily intake of protein is around 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day, the amount of protein that has been shown to suppress appetite and promote weight loss is higher, between 1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilo per day. Some studies show weight reducing effects of even higher protein intakes (1.5 to 2.0 grams per kilo per day), but as the potential dangers of these higher protein intakes are not yet known, I personally think it's prudent to aim for the middle range (1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilo per day).

It's easy to find out if you're getting enough protein in your diet

First, make a list of all the foods and beverages you consumed over the course of a day, including quantities. Next, visit www.CalorieKing.com.au (for Australia) or www.CalorieKing.com and enter each food you ate into the free food search tool. Once you've found your food, enter the quantity you ate, and the resultant Nutrition Facts box will show you how much protein was in that food.

When I used Calorie King to assess the protein content of a recent days' eating, this is what I discovered.

Breakfast
350 g fresh fruit salad (2.5 g protein)
1 thick slice of raisin toast (6.8 g protein)
2 teaspoons of butter (0 g protein)
1 cup of very milky tea (2.6 g protein)

Morning tea
Regular caffe latte (8.7 g protein)
4 Vita-Wheat crackers (2.7 g protein)
1-tablespoon peanut butter (5.3 g protein)

Lunch
Falafel and salad wrap (16.1 g protein)

Afternoon tea
Another cup of very milky tea (2.6 g protein)

Dinner
3/4 cup frozen peas, steamed (3.8 g protein)
1 carrot, steamed (1.1 g protein)
1/2 cup string beans, steamed (1.5 g protein)
1/2 large cob of corn (3.9 g protein)
2 teaspoons of butter for vegetables (0 g protein)
1/2 breast of marinated baked chicken (27 g protein)
6 solid milk chocolate mini Easter eggs (my current vice, 3 g protein)

Total protein intake: 87.6 g

Even without eating soy, tuna or masses of meat at every meal and snack, I easily clocked up 87.6 grams of protein in a single day. When I divide this amount by my weight of 65 kilos, I can see that I ate 1.35 grams of protein for every kilo that I weigh. This is enough to get the scientifically proven weight management effects of a "higher-protein" diet.

When you tot up how many grams of protein you're eating in a day and divide it by your current body weight in kilos, how does your protein intake stack up?

If you're eating a wide variety of mostly nutritious foods, you'll probably find that you're getting more than enough dietary protein to reap the weight management power of protein (1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilo per day).

On the other hand, if you rely on too many quick fix meals such as toast with butter and jam and a cup of tea for lunch (only 9.6 grams of protein), or a carb-based dish for dinner, such as mushroom risotto (only 16.7 grams of protein for an average serve), you'll likely discover that you need to eat quite a lot in order to feel satisfied. You may even wonder why you can't stop your 'emotional overeating'. However, if you simply ate more nutritious foods (including at least two plus five serves of fruit and vegetables every day and a wide variety of protein rich foods), you'd probably find yourself feeling less preoccupied with food, and losing weight by eating according to your hunger would happen with much greater ease and grace.

Examples of protein rich foods

Lentil dhal (13.5 g protein per cup)
Hommus (7.5 g protein per quarter cup serving)
Nuts (4 g protein per small 30 g handful)
Smoked salmon (23 g per 100 gram serve)
Milk (8.8 g protein per 250 mL cup)
Eggs (5.7 g protein each)
Roast beef (45 g protein for a medium-sized serving)
Lamb chops (52 g protein for 3-chops)

Over to you

Here's something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

You don't need to eat like a Beef Cake in order to get enough dietary protein for effective weight management, but you do need to be mindful about choosing nutrient-rich foods containing protein.

When you're thinking about what to eat, focus first on getting those essential two or more serves of fruit plus five or more serves of vegetables into your diet every day.

Then, aim to eat a variety of protein-rich foods such as pulses, lentils, dairy, fish, chicken and meat. If you still have any appetite left over (which you probably won't if you've been eating more than you need and your Fat Brake has been activated), fill those empty corners with the more carbohydrate-rich foods, such as toast, mashed potatoes, rice and the like.

Once you're getting adequate fruits, vegetables and protein in your diet, weight management is much more effective.

I wish you a safe month with those chocolate bunnies, and if you'd like to apply for a position in my new Six-Month E-Mail Coaching Program, click here.

Sincerely,

Amanda

Dr Amanda
Connect with your body
www.DrAmandaOnline.com