so about that protein shake...

Some fun recipes from The New York Times

I love my morning shakes.  I really do.  I look forward to making them- at the store I think about what  things I can add into my shake to make it extra yummy- sometimes it's coffee, sometimes it's peanut butter.  I try to make it healthy by adding seeds, nuts, greens, oats, protein, etc.  I never gave much thought to the protein that I add.  I guess I thought- the more protein, the better.

This not really the case.

I'm going to preface this post by saying that protein is extremely important in the diet- it breaks down to amino acids which are the building blocks for all the proteins, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies that your body makes.  It also can be used for energy in emergencies (if your body does not have enough fat or carbohydrates to support its energy usage).  Protein is extremely important for growing children, anyone who is injured, and pregnant women.  Protein also does make you feel satisfied and full.

This 11 oz steak has over 50g of protein!

Although protein is super important- we, middle-class Americans, eat plenty of it.  Chances are, we eat too much of it.*  The recommended daily amount of protein suggested varies by weight- they say you need 0.8g/kg body weight (btw 1 kg = 2.2lbs).  Protein should be 10-30% of your daily caloric intake.  If you are an athlete (and I don't mean the occasional- let-me-take-a-spin-class-here-and-there-type) you can probably get away with 1.0g/kg of protein.

*Too much protein can be problematic.  Your body does not store protein- it uses what is needed (by breaking down the protein into its component amino acids), and the rest is either stored as glycogen, cholesterol or fatty acids, or it is partially metabolized and excreted.  The latter can become dangerous and put extra strain on your kidneys (to process and excrete unneeded proteins) causing them to enlarge, and the former can... make you fat!  Also, people tend to get their proteins from animal products, which tend to be high in saturated fat and cholesterol leading to heart disease and kidney disease.  (I will talk about the difference between animal protein and plant protein in a separate post!... )

The math is simple- for a 180 lb man- you need 65.6 g of protein a day.  Total.   

Oeufs Benedict: In an Eggs Benedict (3 eggs with sauce, not including the bacon or potatoes or bread or whatever on the side)- there is about 33g of protein!!  If you add bacon and some whole wheat bread, you can be adding close to 20g more of protein! That's a total of at least 53g of protein by brunch!

To be clear- it's okay to get slightly more than the recommended dose of protein.  You can occasionally have up to twice your daily allowance, but your body can only handle so much at a time.  The problem with too much protein occurs when people think that additional dietary protein can make them stronger or run faster or lost 20 lbs or whatever.  People add protein supplements to foods and shakes before the gym, after the gym, as a snack, etc.  These shakes or protein bars can have 20-50g of protein, if not more.  Additionally, people take amino acid supplements because they think that it will cure a specific ailment.  For example, people take L-lysine to prevent herpes infections or tryptophan to help relieve pain and depression.  Taking single amino acid supplements is dangerous because these single amino acids have unknown and unstudied interactions with the complex mechanisms within the body.  (Supplements do not have to go through all of the same rigorous FDA approval tests prior to being put out on the market that other foods and drugs do!)  Additionally, when you increase one amino acid (even if it is thought to cure a disease), it can through of the balance of the body's metabolism and disturb the homeostasis. 

Tip: If you eat three meals a day, chances are that you are getting enough protein- even if you work out!  So, save your money and skip the protein bar.  If you want to have a shake or bar supplemented with protein, think of it as a mini meal, and remember to drink lots of water with it!

So, protein is not the magic bullet to make you lose weight or gain weight or become happier.  As is a theme in all of these posts, it should be eaten in moderation and with portion control.

Back to my protein shake... the consensus is that it's okay for me to drink my protein shake if my total protein intake doesn't exceed that which is recommended, and if I keep track of how much protein I'm consuming.  However, as is with all supplements (including oral vitamins) I would be better off eating my protein from "whole sources" (think- real food) than from a powder.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up my delicious smoothies yet, but I will definitely be more aware of my total protein consumption!