What to eat part 2 – Got Protein?

Got Protein? Who doesn’t love protein? Today we’re going to talk about three things you need to know about it.

Where to find your protein

The first thing you need to know about protein is where to find it. Now protein can be found in most foods. Again, it’s one of those  three macronutrients, so it can be found in most things.

The largest protein concentrations can be found in fish and meat, and eggs.  You also find it in quinoa, legumes like beans, and nuts, but it’s in everything you eat. Vegetables contain less of it -there’s only about 1.2 grams in half a cup of it – but there’s still protein in broccoli.

Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein in each one. Meat – If you are going to. have a big steak about 20% of it’s weight is protein. Depending on the cut of meat, about 5% of it is going to be fat and he rest is water. If you’re wondering if you’ve got protein, you’re going to plenty from a steak.

Why protein?

Second thing you need to know about protein is why you need it.

When you eat protein, it is broken down into amino acids. Using these amino acids, your body makes about 20,000 different proteins. These proteins in  have all kinds of essential purposes in your body.Uses of proteins include enzymes, antibodies, and hormones.  Proteins also provide structure, transport and storage in the body.

Without proteins, we die.

There are both essential and nonessential amino acids.  There’s nine  essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These amino acids must be acquired from your diet.

How much protein?

Third thing you need to know about protein is how much do you need? The Harvard Health Blog suggests you get about 15 to 25% of your calories from protein – this means 60 to 125 grams of protein everyday for most people.

In helping diabetics, and those with diabetic neuropathy I don’t recommend any changes to this amount. The standard is that you get enough for your daily needs, no less, and no more. When we look at reversing the damage of neuropathy the major dietary changes occur between carbohydrate, and fat consumption.

More on this in another post!

Do you suffer from type 2 diabetes? What is your greatest challenge with finding the right food to eat? Comment below!