For the past month I have endeavored a lot. A lot of grief, pain, bliss, challenges, and motivation. No need to bore you with the details. During this break from writing I truly think I have figured out my passion and what I need to do to achieve a life worth living. You see during this time I had heavily gotten into Yoga, Meditation, Chakras, and all that jazz - wonderful, sweet jazz. Also, journaling, reading, and relaxing. College is just around the corner for me, with that said, after all that I have been blessed to have experience the last year, I believe I am committed to studying nutrition and health sciences.
Why am I telling you this? As many of you who have read this blog or know me in real life, maybe even follow me on social media, you would know that I am currently in recovery for Anorexia. Due to my journey I have had many counseling sessions about diet and nutrition, met with numerous dietitians, and have even researched my own on a Healthy Lifestyle. This is what I want to do; to help others understand the value of balance in nutrition and daily life. Along with working with my knowledge of coping, stress relieving, and ignoring the negative. With all this said, this post is written by me, a high school student who is passionate about a healthy lifestyle. It will be about;
- Daily Nutrient Requirements
- Protein
- Fats
- Carbohydrates
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Exercise
- Cardio
- Strength
I am an American. There is no hiding it, no shame in it either when you think about the foundations that my land was founded on. There is however a bit of shame for the way we {as a whole} took those foundations to the extreme, espeicailly freedom. Freedom around our health, diet.
Most of us, globally, are not taking in enough nutrients. Then there are some that may be taking in more than recommended, or more of one thing and less of the others.
Let's start off with the Three Macro Nutrients;
- Protein
- Fats
- Carbohydrates
Today I will just be discussing Protein.
Protein;
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| Diagram of Protein Structures. Provided by Madison Technical College |
Proteins are the building blocks of life. Created by essential amino acids that break down providing, energy, replenishment to muscles, repair tissues, and help us grow. Amino Acids are organic compounds that are classified into three groups;
- Essential Amino Acids
- Cannot be found in the human body, so they must come from food sources. These include nine essential nutrients; histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
- Nonessential Amino Acids
- These lovely compounds are and can be created in the human body if not already consumed in food or organic matter. Here we find; alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid.
- Conditional Amino Acids
- Found here are the essential amino acids; arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline, and serine. These acids are not needed or essential for the body to function, unless under stress or illness. For example, after a body builder lifts and leaves their body under stress, muscle needs to be repaired and will require Conditional Amino Acids such as glutamine.
These compounds link together to form a variety of shape and sized polypepetide chains that our body uses to help carry oxygen, blood, hormones, hemoglobin, mygloben, lipoproteins, throughout the body.
Most studies, in fact any study that you will probably find about protein intake, will tell you that most people, who are taking in the correct and adequate amount of calories in a day, are taking in a good amount of protein. But there are those who are taking in, consuming too little. The following are a few risks of taking in too much protein or too little.
Too Much Protein;
A lot of dieters go on High Protein diets, which in a short period may offer you a few pounds shredded, but long term can do a toll on your overall health. Taking in too much protein can result in numerous health issues. To name a few;
- Weight Gain;
- Yes, it's true! By eating more protein than necessary your body will end up storing this excess protein. This is due to after having catalyzed and metabolized your body's requirements of protein, the left over gets stored for "Starvation mode". Meaning that the body will store protein components as fat and use the energy later on if needed. Protein may also be stored or converted into carbohydrates to generate necessary glucose in the body.
- Kidneys
- Those lovely organs that help us pee and balance our blood and vitamins. Yes, these are at risk when one consumes too much protein. Polypepetide Chains are held together by the use of Nitrogen. When consuming protein our body's are taking an intake of nitrogen in which our kidney's have to cycle. When taking in too much protein, our kidney's go into an almost, Over drive, state of shock and may result in damaged organs over the course of a long period of time.
- Also, too much nitrogen will make you thirsty. Nitrogen at high level can be toxic and your body needs to flush those toxins out, leading one to be very thirsty.
- One may devolp Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones due to urinating more calcium than necessary.
- Liver and Brain Function;
- Unlike Nitrogen which is found in the protein chain, while consuming protein your body creates ammonia, a toxin created in your liver. But just like nitrogen in the kidneys, too much ammonia in the liver can be extremly harmful, causing a build up of toxins in your bloodstream. This later may result in disease such as hepati ecephalopathy, which let's just say, isn't healthy for the brain or nervous system.
- Cholesterol and Heart Disease;
- Some High Protein diets and meals consist of meats and/or full-fat dairy products which may, excuse me, will deploy your health over a long-term, over top, use. When consuming protein be mindful of what you're buying and your serving amount of fats.
That's not even all!
Too Little Protein;
Then there are some of us who don't take in enough of this major life component. These are usually teenagers, older adults, and those who follow vegetarian or vegan diets. Not taking in
- Immune System
- You don't have to be a genius to know that your immune system is made up of blood cells, blood proteins, and other greats such as interferons. These components travel through the body and are created strong by proteins. By elimanting or taking in too little protein, one's immune support will most likely decline.
- Bone Health;
- Did you know that your protein intake also affects calcium levels in your body? By consuming a low protein diet it becomes hard for the body, espeically digestion tract, to absorb vitamins and minerals {usually D} associated with calcium, due to the opposite effect of above's listing in the kidneys, wrecking ones digestion tract that they cannot absorb the nutrients and immediately urinates it.
- Calcium and Vitamin D are essential for bone health. It creates a strong foundation and provides building blocks and tools for the bones to grow and maintain healthy. With little protein and lack of absorption, bone health and bone mass will decline causing many diseases down the road and fragile, brittle skeleton system.
- Muscle;
- Protein is the essential for muscles! What would we do without it! By decreasing one's protein intake one does not have enough amino acids to metabolizes the body, the muscles; including your heart and brain. Without the correct amount of protein, muscle fibers breakdown and one can experience muscle wasting.
And That's Not Even All!
For those who do work out, lets say 4-7 times a week, running, lifting, walking, yoga, Pilates, whatever it may be, need to increase their protein amount, as well as other macro nutrients, to replenish and restore their body's need. An equation {supplied by Precision Nutrition} for high intensity training athletes. This concludes to 1.4- 2.0 grams per kilogram, around 0.64-0.9 grams per pound of body mass. Studies have also shown that after exercises, such as resistance like weight training, the body synthesizes proteins for forty-eight hours, post work-out! With this said the protein breakdown in rapidly increased as well. During this time, without enough pre- and post- work out fueling the body can go into a Catabolic state.
Dairy Products;
Nuts, Seeds, Grains;
So how much protein is recommended?
Scientist, Nutritionist, Dietitians alike, recommend one to take 0.8 grams per kilogram, approximately 0.36 grams per pound, of body mass in adults at a healthy weight with little to no strenuous exercise.
For those who do work out, lets say 4-7 times a week, running, lifting, walking, yoga, Pilates, whatever it may be, need to increase their protein amount, as well as other macro nutrients, to replenish and restore their body's need. An equation {supplied by Precision Nutrition} for high intensity training athletes. This concludes to 1.4- 2.0 grams per kilogram, around 0.64-0.9 grams per pound of body mass. Studies have also shown that after exercises, such as resistance like weight training, the body synthesizes proteins for forty-eight hours, post work-out! With this said the protein breakdown in rapidly increased as well. During this time, without enough pre- and post- work out fueling the body can go into a Catabolic state.
Over all, an average human being should take in 10% -35% of Protein daily. The above image shows the daily recommended grams of protein at various ages, at a healthy weight and moderate - light exercise.
Top Ways To Get Protein;
Don't worry if you're a vegetarian or vegan, proteins aren't just found in meats! In fact a lot of whole grains and plants contain high amounts of this nutrient! Here are a following list of High Protein Foods.
Meat Eaters;
- Fish
- Tuna, Salmon, Halibut
- Lean Chicken
- Lean Turkey
- Oysters
- Pork Top Loin
- Lean Beef
- Lamb
Dairy Products;
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cottage Cheese
- Greek Yogurt
- Soft/Medium/Hard Cheeses
- Cheddar, Mozzeralla, Colby, Ricotta
- Lentils
- Black Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Chickpeas
- Lima Beans
- Split Peas
- Peanuts
- Soy Protein
- Tofu, Soy Milk, Tempeh, Soy Protein products such as Veggie Burgers
- Soybeans like Edamame
- Mungbean Sprouts
Nuts, Seeds, Grains;
- Almonds {Including Almond Butter}
- Cashews
- Sunfloer Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Flax Seeds
- Quinoa
- Brown Rice
- Oats
- Barley
- Millet
- Buckwheat
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Sprouts
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
- Peas
- Brussels Sprouts
- Artichokes
- Whey Protein
- Protein Shake Supplements
Please keep in mind when consuming protein to be taking in healthy, lean alternatives. For some meats are known for high unsaturated and trans fat which can cause harmful danger to your body; more on that in my post on fats!
So whether your a body builder, a baby, or a blogger; Protein is like oxygen.
Peace, Chaos, and Good Vibes.
-Lindsey C.
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