22 Jun No need to overdo it on protein consumption

Protein is one of the most commonly referred to menu items whenever people start talking about watching what they eat and special diets.
It is good to eat lots of lean proteins, but with all the hype about protein many people may actually be getting too much of it.
According to recent studies, most Americans get more than enough protein each day – and they may be getting too much of it from animal sources, such as meat, poultry, and eggs.
It’s most often the fruits and vegetables people come up short on in their diets.
Protein is very important, but overdoing the consumption of it will not help someone build more muscle or make them extra strong.
If you eat too much protein, the result will be extra calories and you can add fat.
Adults in the U.S. should get about 10 to 35 percent of their calories in a day from protein – or approximately 46 grams of protein for women, and 56 grams for men.
Even eating two to three servings of protein-rich foods a day can help reach the recommended standards, according to the CDC.
A small 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein. A typical 8-ounce piece of meat could have over 50 grams of protein.
One 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein.
One cup of milk has 8 grams of protein.
One cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein.
According to the FDA’s recently revamped Food Plate, people should get half their calories from fruits and vegetables to balance their nutrition.
Some people require additional protein, such as pregnant women or women who are nursing. They’ll need an average of about 10 more grams of protein per day, while pregnant and then add on another 10-20 more grams when they’re breastfeeding.
Athletes who push their bodies to extremes, such as marathoners, sometimes need 50 percent more protein than average people.
For more on the new food plate, go to choosemyplate.gov.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com