How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

08/15/16 • -1 min

How much protein should you really be getting on a daily basis?The emerging trend is to "eat more protein," but how much should you really be getting on a daily basis?
For an average person, 10 percent of calories should come from protein (about 50 grams daily). If you're looking to build lean muscle, that figure can go all the way up to 20 percent.
Of course, you can't eat all protein all of the time. It's important to balance out your intake with healthy fats and whole-grain carbohydrates.
What are some healthy sources?
Eggs, lean meats, nut butters, beans, protein powders and bars can all help you fulfill your daily need. Bison is a great option for a lean meat that resembles beef, because it is much lower in fat and contains the same amount of protein.
Keep in mind, with powders and bars, you have to be careful with the amount of sugar those products contain.
If you're a vegetarian or vegan, there are also plant-based options for getting your protein needs. Soy, lentils, whole grains such as brown rice, and even vegetables are viable sources.
Listen in as Sarah Tuff Dunn, award-winning health, fitness and nutrition writer, joins host Lisa Davis to explain why your body needs protein, as well as which sources are the best.

Previous Episode

Real Food vs. Fake Food

Is that really lobster in your lobster roll?You’ve seen the headlines: parmesan cheese made from wood pulp; lobster rolls containing no lobster at all; extra-virgin olive oil that isn’t.
So many fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets that it’s hard to know what you’re eating anymore.
In his new book, Real Food/Fake Food, award-winning journalist Larry Olmsted explains why real food matters and empowers consumers to make smarter choices.
Olmsted digs into the unregulated food industry, revealing the shocking deception that extends from high-end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday staples such as coffee, honey, juice, and cheese. It’s a massive bait-and-switch in which counterfeiting is rampant and in which the consumer ultimately pays the price.
Listen in as Olmsted joins host Lisa Davis to share more about his book, and why the disparity between real food and fake food is becoming such a problem.

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Clean Eating Academy: Change Your Relationship with Food

When you make the decision to start eating clean, you must start to think about what you put into your body and be more mindful of the choices you make.Clean eating is not a diet; it's a way of eating.
When you make the conscious decision to start eating in this way, you must start to think about what you put into your body and be more mindful of the choices you make.
Chef James Smith has over 25 years of of culinary, academic and leadership experience in the Hospitality and Culinary Arts industry and is the creator of the Clean Eating Academy.
The Academy's mission is to change your relationship with food in the way you shop, cook and eat; eschewing processed, packaged convenience foods laden with artificial additives in favor of real, whole foods that are as close to the source of production as possible, so you can live a better, longer life.
Listen is as Chef James joins host Lisa Davis to explain the basis of the Academy, as well as specifics of the seven-course program.