Nutrition experts always advocate the importance of the right quantity and quality of protein in one’s everyday meal plan.  Unfortunately, most fad diets or extreme ways of eating constantly bombard the public with eating extremely high amounts of protein without any carbohydrates.  The truth is, it is important to find the right balance of protein and complex carbohydrates in order to fuel your body to burn fat.

Typically, the average person needs 0.8-1 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight to sustain a healthy muscle mass and overall good health.  Protein needs definitely change in accordance with physical activity, disease states, and with certain medications.  Your dietician can help you to determine what protein level is appropriate for you and your lifestyle.

In general, every time one chooses a complex carbohydrate, the appropriate protein source should be chosen to compliment it.  If carbohydrates are eaten by themselves, this causes a person to be hungry again shortly after no matter what the quantity of food he or she ate is.  For example, if one eats an apple or 5 servings of plain pasta, chances are that he or she will be hungry about an hour later.  However, if one eats some almonds with the apple or eats a smaller amount of pasta with minced turkey meat, he or she will be hungry 3-4 hours later, which is the ideal.  The goal is to eat smaller amounts every 3-4 hours and to mix carbohydrate and protein at every meal and snack.

Here are some suggestions for morning and afternoon snacks based one the above info:

• 4-6 whole wheat crackers + 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 fruit + 1 handful of almonds, walnuts, or cashews
• 1 cup light plain yogurt + 1 tsp honey + 3 walnuts halves
• ½ cup light cottage cheese + 2-3 melon slices

The mistake most people make is that they choose carbohydrates more often than protein to eat for a meal or snack.   This causes a person to over-eat as they feel hungry more often and can lead to weight gain.  In order to lose fat or to maintain a healthy weight, one should definitely try to incorporate more protein at every meal and snack to increase satiety and to increase one’s metabolism to become more efficient at burning fat.

Any questions on the above or would you like more info?

Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !  Looking forward to hearing from you.