How Much Protein Should You Eat?

This is the question that you can find a thousand answers to. But I discovered a simple formula that gives you the answer.

I’ve been reading about diets and fitness, losing weight, and building muscle for more than 10 years and I’ve found several theories about diet and protein. I’m sure you’ve heard that eliminating red meat from your diet will reduce your body fat. It's a fact that the people on Earth that live the longest and healthiest are the ones that eat less red meat. And it's been proven the healthiest people only eat red meat 5 times a month.  But then how do you get protein?

I get protein from Chicken breast, tuna and other seafood, peanut butter, plain Greek Yogurt, black beans, chickpeas, eggs, protein powder, and Almond milk. The only dairy I eat is Greek Yogurt for protein.

I also drink protein shakes. I make a shake with some Greek Yogurt to thicken the shake, protein powder, almond milk, and frozen blueberries. As you can see there are dozens of ways to get protein without eating red meat. Actually, beans are your best source of plant food with high amounts of protein.

The trouble with red meat is the animal fat that comes marbled in the meat. Animal fat is the one type of fat the body can only process in very small amounts, a few grams a day. And North Americans especially overdose on red meat almost at every meal. For some reason, we’ve been trained to think we have to eat red meat. Our European ancestors ate mostly seafood and chickens after they stopped laying eggs. It wasn’t until the middle ages that pork became popular along with the wild game. Wild game was the first source of red meat. Sheep, pigs, goats, and chickens are not really red meat. The fat isn’t marbled through the meat and it can be separated. In fact, pork is considered to be white meat and we don’t eat any sheep or goat products in this country.

So, back to the question, how much protein do you need? There is a simple formula:

Divide your weight by 2.2 and then time that number by .8 and that equals the number of grams of protein your body needs every day to keep you from losing muscle. I weigh 160 pounds and I need 58 grams a day. It’s easy for me to get all the protein I need in just 2 meals. I eat no red meat, my doctor loves my diet, and I can easily get 60 grams a day without trying. I eat salads when I eat out, either chicken or tuna salads with chickpeas or black beans. If you ask, many restaurants will custom make a salad for you if you don’t see what you want on the menu. A can of tuna in oil is about 25 grams of protein. My protein shakes with protein powder, almond milk, and Greek Yogurt can be 40 to 50 grams of protein depending on the size.

I reduce my body fat by eliminating dairy (except for plain Greek Yogurt) and red meat. You can eliminate Greek Yogurt, it’s an acquired taste and not for everyone). You can thicken a shake with a banana and a little extra protein powder.

I eat fresh food and make most of my meals. I try and only eat in restaurants where I know I can get the kinds of food I want to eat.

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