Page 54 - The Skinny On Your Diet Plan
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How Much Protein do I Need?
The million-dollar question: How much protein should you eat?
The answer: It depends.
The average person eating a standard Western diet is probably not
protein deficient. This is because most of these “eaters” are relatively
sedentary omnivores, which means:
• They don’t need much protein for repair or rebuilding.
• They probably eat animal products and dairy, both of which are
common sources of protein.
Yet “not grossly deficient” or “having enough protein so you don’t die”
doesn’t mean “optimal”. There are different standards of “adequate”,
depending on ways of measurement and the criteria used (e.g. preventing
malnutrition versus enhancing performance and recovery).
Recommendations can vary significantly. Newer recommendations based on
more updated methods suggest that higher protein is better. Recent evidence
strongly suggests that we need more protein than previously recommended
if our goal is to look, feel, function, perform, recover, and age better. (So,
pretty much most goals.)
Our protein needs can go up if:
• we’re training hard frequently (e.g., as athletes) or have a heavy
physical job;
• we want to gain lean mass and/or strength;
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