Men's Health
	• Brain Food Diet and Supplements • Ideal Protein Diet for Weight Loss and Fitness • Best Diet for Men's Health Weight Loss

Guys have been given a lot of mixed messages about how much protein to eat and its role in weight loss, as the popularity of high protein diets slowly sputters out. Proteins are essential for weight loss, because they secrete glucagons -- hormones that aid the breakdown and loss of fat.

 

But how much protein is enough?

 

The amount of protein you need per day depends on your body weight and activity level.

Lauded as the favored energy source for several popular weight-loss plans, protein has been given respect lately. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is at present 63 grams a day for men who are moderately active. The RDA represents the establishment of a nutritional standard for planning and measuring dietary ingestion, and are the levels of intake of essential nutrients considered to be sufficient to meet the known needs of almost all healthy people.

But if you're lifting weights and want to build muscle mass, you will need more protein -- a lot more protein in your diet. Some trainers are suggesting guys in training consume as much as 1.5 grams a day for every pound of body weight. That's a lot of protein. So check with your doctor or a certified nutritionist before making major changes in your diet.

Falling short on protein ingestion threatens good health, since protein consists of amino acids, which are building blocks vital for the body’s performance.

 

However, excess protein in your diet doesn’t do you any good, in spite of claims in popular diet books. As a rule of thumb, 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight is sufficient for most active adults. A 3-oz piece of lean chicken, meat or fish provides 15 to 30 grams. An omelet made of five egg whites gives you 40 grams, and a glass of milk, 8 to 12 grams. Here is a sample of the protein content of select foods:

1 slice bread = 2 grams protein

1 cup cooked pasta = 7 grams protein

1 cup milk = 8 grams protein

1 cup yogurt = 8 grams protein

1 cup vegetables = 4 grams protein

3 ounces meat = 21-24 grams protein

1 egg = 7 grams protein

2 slices pizza = 17 grams protein

Protein is a “macronutrient,” as are fat and carbohydrates, meaning that the body needs comparatively large amounts of it. Because of this, many people assume the solution is to eat proteins all day long. The truth is, we need less total protein than you might think. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, teenage boys and active men get all the protein they need from three daily servings, for a total of seven ounces.

 

The typical American diet already supplies a lot of protein. You need to consume just enough of the nutrient so your muscles can be healthy, perform work and grow. You only use protein for about 15 percent of your energy needs. Try to ensure that about 70 percent of your protein comes from sources such as meat, fish, eggs, or poultry. The complete protein provided by these foods combines with incomplete protein consumed from other food sources, so your body makes the best of all the protein that you ingest.

 

Protein-rich animal and plant foods build and repair muscle tissue, produce hormones, aid the immune system, and help hair and nails grow. Only when the diet supplies adequate carbohydrates for energy can dietary protein be used to make body tissues and carry out all other essential processes.

 

When people start consuming too much, however, the extra protein can become a stressful stimulus for the kidneys. Very high levels of dietary protein have also been linked with increased urinary calcium excretion, which can be potentially harmful for bone turnover, with the added risk of osteoporosis.