General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Is Mario Batali on Food Stamps? [View all]Chan790
(20,176 posts)the average American eats somewhere between 3-5x the optimal protein level for their diet and activity-level daily. What does that extra protein get you?
Does it make you smarter? No.
Does it make you stronger? No.
Does it make you faster? No.
Does it make you look better? No.
Does it make you thinner? I'm sure a great shock to Atkins adherents...No.
Does it make your hair look shinier? Actually there some evidence this one might be true.
So what does it do? It gets passed through your system into your colon where it causes stool-hardening making it harder to poop; increasing the occurrence of hemorrhoids; raises your risk of colon and rectal cancers; and increases the frequency of constipation. All of these can be mitigated by increasing fiber-intake...but the average American eats only about 10% of their recommended fiber and to offset their increased protein consumption, they'd have to eat closer to 200-300%.
So, how much protein should the average American be eating daily? Two of the following:
1 oz Turkey breast or chicken breast, skin removed
1 oz Fish fillet (flounder, sole, scrod, cod, etc.)
1 oz Canned tuna in water
1 oz Shellfish (clams, lobster, scallop, shrimp)
¾ C Cottage cheese, nonfat or low-fat
2 Egg whites
¼ C Egg substitute
1 oz Fat-free cheese
½ C Beans, cooked (black beans, kidney, chick peas or lentils)
1 oz Chickendark meat, skin removed
1 oz Turkeydark meat, skin removed
1 oz Salmon, swordfish, herring
1 oz Lean beef (flank steak, London broil, tenderloin, roast beef)*
1 oz Veal, roast or lean chop*
1 oz Lamb, roast or lean chop*
1 oz Pork, tenderloin or fresh ham*
1 oz Low-fat cheese (with 3 g or less of fat per ounce)
1 oz Low-fat luncheon meats (with 3 g or less of fat per ounce)
¼ C 4.5% cottage cheese
2 med. Sardines
* Limit to 12 times per week
1 oz Beef (any prime cut), corned beef, ground beef**
1 oz Pork chop
1 Whole egg (medium)**
1 oz Mozzarella cheese
¼ C Ricotta cheese
4 oz Tofu
** Choose these very infrequently
(Serving size guidelines courtesy of the American Dietetic Association and National Institutes of Health.)
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/fd_exch.htm
Because I know that some people will want to know:
Bean products like tempeh are the same as the derived bean-matter--1/2 C (4oz)
Kitchen-prepared mock-meats like seitan are usually 1 oz or 2 oz
One homemade veggie-patty is 1 serving per 6oz unless TVP is included...tabulate weight of hydrated TVP as bean-matter.
Peanut Butter and other nut-butters are 2 tbsp per serving
1 spray or 1 tbsp. of Liquid Aminos is 1 serving. The same is true of most fermented tamari and shoyu (soy sauce)
And now, we've established a baseline for how much is enough/too-little/too-much protein.