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Chapter 7: Nutrition Basics 91

Get Enough Protein, but Don’t Fall for High-Protein Propaganda ...........

Protein is crucial because it’s made up of amino acids, which your body uses

to build and repair your muscles, red blood cells, enzymes, and other tissues.

Are you a protein overeater or undereater? Or are you right on target? The

general rule of thumb for inactive people is to eat 0.4 grams per 1 pound of

body weight. For example, a 180-pound couch potato multiplies 180 by 0.4.

He needs about 72 grams of protein a day; a 130-pound person needs about 52.

Exercisers need a bit more protein, although not nearly as much as many

protein advertisements would lead you to believe. A recreational exerciser

should aim for 0.5 to 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A com-

petitive athlete may need as much as 0.9.

To get an idea of how easy it is to rack up protein, consider that a Philly

Cheese steak (36 grams), a side of fries (6 grams), and an 8-ounce glass of

chocolate milk (8 grams) provide 50 grams of protein. In general, about 15

to 20 percent of your total calories should come from protein.

You can assess your protein needs by following the tips in the “Analyze Your

Eating Habits” section later in this chapter. If you find that you’re overshoot-

ing the mark on protein, cut back by using high-protein foods as a side-dish

Eating a wide variety of foods

Ever notice that you stroll down the same aisles

of the grocery store every week and fill your

basket with almost the exact same items?

People who have researched these things have

found that most of us are in a serious rut, eating

only 20 to 25 different foods on a regular basis.

Not only does this repetition take a lot of the

adventure out of eating, but eating the same

foods over and over again limits the nutrients

you get.

Even if you consume adequate amounts of vita-

mins and minerals, you may be missing out on

thousands of phytochemicals,substances in

fruits and vegetables that appear to help fight

heart disease and cancer, strengthen the

immune system, and slow the aging process.

These substances have catchy names like

quercetin, genistein, ferulic acid, and inositol

hexaphosphate. Research into phytochemicals

is relatively new, so nutrition experts don’t yet

know how much of them we need or which

ones are most important. The best strategy

is to eat as wide a variety of foods as possible.

If you’re a big fan of broccoli and eat it several

times a week, the next time you’re in the gro-

cery store, instead of choosing only broc-

coli (high in organosulfides, flavonoids, and

indoles — to name a few), go for asparagus, too

(high in lutein, zeaxanthin, and glutathione).