5 food myths
 

I saw this on MSN.com and thought it was interesting.

Here's the one Im going to try out
Myth #1: "High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys."

The origin: Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your "glomerular filtration rate," or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.

What science really shows: Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn't have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there's zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein—specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day—damages healthy kidneys.

The bottom line: As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you're a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you're a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.


The entire article is here
http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/ar...1438&GT1=10514

I don't have healthy kidneys. :) I am only allowed 6oz of animal protein per day, so I try to make do with plant proteins most of the time.

I liked the article. They have links to healthy recipes, too! Thank you for posting this.

Going to read the article now, but yeah, Ive heard that before.

IM trying to figure out how in the world am I going to eat 150g of protein?????

I try for 100 gms of protein a day when I'm exercising heavily 6 days out of 7. It's hard to eat that much. I can see where a man who was into building muscle would want to eat more... but 180 sounds like a lot! More than I'm interested in eating.

Jay

I aim for about 125 which is slightly more than my body weight, but I lift 5 days a week. The general rule of thumb among bodybuilders who tend to eat more protein than others is a minimum of 1 gram per KILOGRAM of body weight, not pound.

Mel

Geez, when I was pregnant they taught us to eat 80 grams a day!! (Which was more than "normal"!

Ok what do yall eat to get that much protein a day? Im normally about 15g and I had thought that was good!

Let's see -- I usually get about 125 grams of protein a day. I eat five mini-meals (at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm) and have protein at each mini-meal, so it all adds up quickly. :)

I should add that, like Mel, I lift weights five days per week and need protein for muscle building and recovery. ;)

My typical post-gym breakfast is a 36 gram protein, low carb shake, so I'm off to a great start. Other typical protein sources would be 3 oz chicken breast (26 grams), 1 whole egg plus 4 egg whites (20 grams), 4 oz salmon (28 grams), 5.3 oz Greek yogurt (13 grams), 1/2 cup LF cottage cheese (12 grams), or 4 oz 95% lean ground beef (24 grams).

For me, the key is protein every time I eat. Protein + fruit, protein + veggies, protein + (limited) starchy carb. Protein keeps me fuller longer, and I hate being hungry!!

I have never tried the protein shakes. Is the powder expensive? I'm wary of alot of those things b/c my skinny hubby purchased the weight gainer from GNC and all it did was make him sick.

I have protein with every meal and every snack and I've never been hungry while on-plan. I really have no idea how much of it I'm eating.

My favorite protein shake is Champion Nutriton's Low Carb UltraMet. It's a meal replacement packet that I dump in the blender with ice and water. I like vanilla with cinnamon shaken in; others like to add fruit or PB to vanilla. It also comes in chocolate if you're so inclined. :drool: You can buy it online at Amazon or Netrition.

There are many, many different protein powders and shake mixes out there, so experiment to see if there's one you like. Some sites or stores will sell individual packets so you don't need to invest a lot of money in something you may not like.

Of course, whole foods are always best, but a shake is an easy, fast breakfast for me. :)

Remember meat is not the only source of protein. Beans and nuts are great sources of protein. Many foods have protein. I easily consume 100 grams of protein daily and eat no beef at all.

I make my own post-workout shake. You can buy the Whey Protein at Wal-Mart for $15-20. It is a 30 day supply (seems to me it lasts longer).

I put in a blender:
2 cups skim milk
1 scoop Whey Protein (currently I am using Soy Protein that I found at a discount store - it doesnt blend properly, too "gooey")
1 TB of Hershey's Special Dark non-sweetened Cocoa Powder (sure I use the chocolate protein powder, but it just doesn't taste like chocolate to me)
6-7 Ice cubes

Blend at the highest speed for about 30 seconds. Makes more then 32oz of chocolaty yumminess.

32.5g carbs, 330 calories, 38g protein, 4.5g of fat