Myth Buster: You Don’t Need a High Protein Diet

Protein is a hot topic these days! Everyone seems to be told they need to have a “high protein diet”. That they need “more, more, more protein.” But that’s not actually what nutrition science shows!

First off, I want to remind you that more protein is not necessarily better. What we are looking for with protein is a quality source, and making sure that you are having it spread throughout the day, and not just loaded up in your dinner meal.

The truth is that you don’t need a “high protein diet”, you need an “adequate protein diet”. Depending on what your current habits are, you might need higher protein, or perhaps you don’t!

Average Protein Needs

Each person’s nutrient needs are a little different, and you actually have some leeway with how much of each to have. You already know how I feel about phytochemicals… the more the better! However, when it comes to macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat), it’s not the same rule. We want to get enough, without too much.

There are varying suggestions on what the correct ratio is for macronutrient intake, but they typically fall within the following range:

• 45-65% of calories from carbs
• 20-35% of calories from fat (I’ve seen some studies show mediterranean diets that have up to 40%)
• 10-35% of calories from protein

NOTE that these are not percentages of food on the plate, they are percentages of CALORIES from each food group. What makes this extra confusing is that carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram where fat is 9 calories per gram. Fat is very calorie dense, which is why you aim to eat less of it by volume, than the other sources of calories. Less is more!

Also, FYI – alcohol is 7 calories per gram. That’s still more calories per gram than carbs and protein. It can add up fast, hence the ‘beer belly’ that some people can accumulate even when it seems that they don’t “eat” that much.

Given this information, what is the optimal amount of protein that you should aim for? Estimates are typically made based on calorie intake or body weight.

• 10% to 35% of total calories (for a 2,000 calorie diet, that’s 50 to 175 grams of protein per day)
• 0.36g to 0.68g per pound of body weight (for someone who weighs 150 pounds, that’s 55 – 100g per day)

** If you are currently undergoing cancer treatment, your protein needs may be higher than normal for the typical person of your same age and activity level. It will depend on the type of cancer you have been diagnosed with, and what your treatment regimen is. Be sure to ask your medical team for a referral to your treatment center dietitian if you have concerns about protein intake during cancer treatment.

More is not better!

Consuming more protein than your body needs is not helpful. The average American eats twice as much protein as they need (they fill 1/2 their plate with meat!).

A “serving” of meat is 3-4 ounces (about 21-28g). That would be the size of a deck of cards. I’ve seen the typical person’s plate… it holds at least 2 decks of cards in meat! Plus, think about the size of a steak at a steakhouse. The smallest amount you can find is 9 ounces, which is enough for an entire day!

Practical Applications

If you’ve been reading my blog long enough, you know that I’m all about the bottom line. The “So What?!” part of the information I read.

Obviously, there are some exceptions to the general rule about protein. Going through certain types of cancer treatment, a diagnosis of diseases that cause muscle turnover, or very intensive athletic training come to mind. However, for the average person (including most cancer survivors), I find the bottom line is that you don’t have to eat massive amounts of protein to meet your needs, you just have to be intentional with how you apportion it.

For breakfast consider including additional high quality proteins. Throw in an egg, a glass of milk, yogurt or add a handful of nuts to get to 30 grams of protein, do something similar to get to 30g for lunch, and then eat a smaller amount of protein for dinner. Pair that with some physical activity, and over the course of the day your body will work on building/maintaining muscle.

Now that I have you thinking more about your serving sizes of protein and how you spread them out throughout the day, we’ll wait for the next article to talk about how much protein various foods have in them!

– Julie