PRotein... is more always better?

People are kind of obsessed with protein these days. Whether it's because of the Atkins diet or the paleo diet or some other cultural phenomenon it's a topic of conversation in the health and wellness world.

As always, my advice is get your protein from whole foods. Not the store. The foods that are whole.

Very few people need to supplement their diet with extra, and especially not processed, protein. In fact supplement protein generally have lower nutritional quality than whole foods, because they are processed. An egg has all kinds of goodness in it, from healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, lecithin... egg white protein has all that good stuff removed!  

Also always emphasize the lower-fat versions of wholesome protein foods. For example, beans are amazing for your health! If you're not in the habit or don't have a desire to eat beans, then fish or chicken or turkey or grass fed beef can all be good sources of protein.

Still no matter what your protein source, you should probably be emphasizing VEGETABLES in your diet more than protein.

Almost no one in the modern Western world is short on protein.

The only broad exceptions to this rule are older individuals who have a lower appetite. In those cases some supplementation can be helpful. But in those cases you should probably be talking to your doctor about your health first.

Because supplementing with high protein foods can be bad if your kidneys. Again most healthy people have strong kidneys that can process with hurting. But occasionally a low version of kidney disease can be present in a person and they can be unaware.

So if you're planning to supplement protein in your diet I do advise talking to your doctor. But the rest of us all we need to do is make sure we have a few quality sources of protein-rich whole foods.

If you eat eggs... or nuts... or beans... or legumes... or lean dairy... or fish... or lean meat  on a daily or weekly basis... you've got your bases covered.

There is mixed evidence that spreading protein out throughout the day can help with metabolism blood sugar and or weight loss.

There doesn't seem to be strong evidence that this is important at this point but it may help you feel fuller and help you choose healthier balance of foods throughout the day.

So it might be worth trying to move some of your protein out of dinner (which tends to be protein heavy in the US) and into breakfast and lunch (which tend to be lighter in protein).

Other than that there is probably nothing to worry about!

Okay, but you still want to know what protein supplements I recommend just in case you want to use one anyway?  I hear ya. It's a pretty American thing to want to buy supplements, so I have opinions on those, too! Lots of opinions! 

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