Miscellaneous
Am I eating enough protein?If I eat less meat, won’t I have a protein deficiency?Maybe I should add protein powder to my daily diet?Should I switch to a paleo diet?I can say myself that one of the questions I was asked most frequently after choosing tobecome vegetarian at age 11 was: Where do you get protein from? (It did not take long forthose who saw me to see that my growth was not really harmed ...)There is a very common (although incorrect) idea that vegetarians and vegans will not getenough protein in their diet because they do not eat meat. More than that, there are moreand more people today who support the claim that we should all eat very high amounts ofprotein in order to lose weight.So how do you know how much is too little protein? Too much protein? How much proteindo you need at all?That's what today is all about!Protein is essential for the body, it is necessary, among other things, to build and repair cellsin the body, and in the production of enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Apart from that,eating protein contributes to a feeling of satiation - which can reduce the feeling of hungerand prevent us from craving the less healthy kind of snacks.The average person needs at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, and thiscan go up to about 2 grams per kilogram if you exercise regularly, or try to reduce fat levelswithout losing muscle mass. Pregnant women and nursing mothers also need more protein.On average it can be said that the recommendations for protein intake are about 56 gramsper day for a man and 46 grams per day for a woman, but it is quite easy to calculate thispersonally according to your weight ...In general: this means 48 grams of protein per day for a person weighing 60 kg, 56 grams ofprotein for a weight of 70 kg, 64 grams of protein per day for a weight of 80 kg.So, who still needs to worry about protein deficiency?Most foods contain a certain amount of protein, and true protein deficiency is extremelyrare in developed countries. Protein deficiency rates are highest in Central African andSoutheast Asian countries, and can reach up to about 30%.However, vegetarians and vegans whose diet is unbalanced may suffer from proteindeficiency, and the same is true of people who are hospitalized for long periods. In addition,people with anorexia may have a lack of protein.Symptoms of protein deficiency:Protein deficiency can lead to symptoms of fatigue, developmental impairment (physical ormental), hair loss or loss of hair pigmentation, loss of muscle mass, low body temperature,insulin resistance, decreased production of enzymes and hormones – and thus hormonalirregularity and damage to fertility, loss of elasticity of the skin, and, of course, damage tothe immune system.Protein deficiency, in its most severe form which is known mainly in populations sufferingfrom significant and long-term starvation, can become a Kwashiorkor syndrome, meaningprotein malnutrition, and can be fatal.What about too much protein?Yes, that can happen too! Especially for those who follow the Atkins diet, the zone diet, orthe paleo diet (the ancient human diet) - diets that support extensive protein intake, toreduce weight and build muscle mass.Most studies today show that consuming over 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (for normal people, not athletes) can lead to significant health hazards.Symptoms of excessive protein intake include: digestive issues - nausea, diarrhoea orconstipation, dehydration, unexplained fatigue, irritability, headaches, weight gain,unpleasant mouth odour, loss of calcium.If you have any questions you can email me at mayanatuoprathy@gmail.comOr visit: www.mayanaturopathy.co.uk