Whenever you are on a diet to lose weight or improve your overall health, make sure you are getting enough protein. You need a certain amount of this body-building substance in order to maintain lean body mass, burn fat more successfully, and improve the tonus of your muscles.

Although there is a huge disagreement among experts on how much protein is “enough”, ranging from the militant vegetarian point of view claiming that we need less than 30 grams of protein daily to the extreme “carnivorous” estimate of more than 2 grams of protein for every pound of weight, the truth must be somewhere in the middle. In fact, protein requirements should differ depending on a number of factors - activity level, sex, percentage of fat, percentage of lean body mass, etc. Therefore, the terms “high-protein” or “low-protein” make no sense if your dietary approach is individualized.

  To determine exactly how much protein you need in order to maintain lean body mass (or LBM) and burn fat, let us use the method which was first . Start with measuring the percentage of your body fat, which could be done in a doctor’s office or even in a good gym. (For example, a healthy percentage of body fat for women is about 20-28 percent, although the average American woman has about 33 percent of body fat.) Then, multiply your weight in pounds by your percentage of body fat expressed as a decimal (this will give you the total weight of your body fat). Subtract the total weight of your body fat from your weight in pounds (this will tell you your lean body mass). Then, multiply your LBM by the cofactor that describes your lifestyle and activity level: 0,5 - for a sedentary lifestyle, 0,6 - if you are moderately active, 0.7 - for an active lifestyle, and 0.9 - if you are an athlete. The figure that you obtain at the end will be your daily protein requirements expressed in grams.

Let us illustrate how to calculate protein requirements using the example of Lucy. Lucy is a middle-aged sedentary woman, weighing 157 pounds with 30 percent body fat.

1. Total weight of Lucy's body fat: 157 X .30 = 47 pounds

2. Lucy's lean body mass (LBM): 157 - 47 = 110 pounds

3. Lucy's daily protein requirements: 110 X 0,5 = 55 grams

Lucy needs about 55 grams of protein daily in order to maintain her lean body mass and efficiently burn fat. At that, the bulk of her protein-rich foods should be of an animal origin, because, in a human body, animal proteins are broken down into essential amino acids and metabolized much more successfully than proteins in pulses, grains, or vegetables. Which products are the richest in protein? Meat, fish, and cheeses, especially hard cheeses, contain the most protein in an easy-to-absorb form. 100 grams of cooked beef contain about 20 grams of protein, a serving of grilled salmon - 17 gram, and 100 grams of Farmer’s cheese - about 28 grams of protein. Therefore, to satisfy her daily protein requirements, even sedentary Lucy has to include in her menu a half of a pound of meat daily!

Do YOU consume enough protein?