Protein is essential for normal body functioning and crucial to help build and repair muscle tissue after strenuous workout sessions. Protein is defined as organic compounds made of amino acids that are arranged in a linear chain, typically found in meat, fish, nuts, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and protein supplements. They are considered to be the building blocks for your muscles and immune system. Protein can also be used as a form of fuel to provide the body with energy if you are not getting enough fat or carbohydrates, which are the primary energy sources.
The recommended daily value (DV) of protein based on a 2,000 calorie diet is 50 grams. For those who exercise frequently, it is recommended to get .8 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For instance, a 200 pound (90.9 kilogram) male is recommended to intake 72 to 108 grams of protein per day. If you don’t get enough protein in your diet, your immune system may become weakened, you can lose muscle mass, experience growth failure, and even weaken the heart and respiratory system. So, please make sure you are getting enough protein in your daily diet.
Now, too much protein is also a bad thing. Too much protein in your diet can put excess stress on the kidneys, enhance the risk of kidney stones, allergy problems, hypertension, headaches, and nausea. Too much protein in your diet also creates calcium deficiencies. High levels of protein will leech, or take away, calcium from your bones, thus creating calcium deficiencies, which is causes even more problems. So, with that being said, try to get a variety of the basic food groups and make sure to get the recommended nutritional values.
An example of a basic layout of an ideal diet is as follows:
- Carbohydrates: 40 to 60% of calories
- Fat: 20 to 30% of calories
- Protein: 10 to 15% of calories
Just as with everything, good things in moderation. Protein is good for you, but you can still have too much of a good thing.