Butch Femme Planet - View Single Post

Kelt · 11-08-2012, 09:37 AM

Well, I have answered one of my own questions which of course just generates more of them.

I found this article by the CDC that talks about the protein requirement as outlined by the RDA.

This is part of it:

****************************

How much protein do I need?
Maybe you've wondered how much protein you need each day. In general, it's recommended that 10–35% of your daily calories come from protein. Below are the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for different age groups.2

Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein
Grams of protein
needed each day
Children ages 1 – 3 13
Children ages 4 – 8 19
Children ages 9 – 13 34
Girls ages 14 – 18 46
Boys ages 14 – 18 52
Women ages 19 – 70+ 46
Men ages 19 – 70+ 56

Here are examples of amounts of protein in food:
1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein
A 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein
1 cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein
An 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein
Added together, just these four sources would meet the protein needs of an adult male (56 grams). This doesn't count all the other foods that add smaller amounts of protein to his diet.

Rather than just focusing on your protein needs, choose an overall healthy eating plan that provides the protein you need as well as other nutrients.

**************************

The part I don't understand is why these recommendations are so incomplete. It does state 10-35% of dietary calories, it does not have any consideration for activity levels or any differentiation for quality of proteins.

While I understand that a unit of protein in a unit of protein as a macronutrient. I am surprised that there is no mention of micronutrient content. (vitamins, minerals, fiber, trace elements) low fat animal proteins seem to be the most efficient at bulk quantity delivery of just protein but I can't help but notice how different sources make me feel.

When it comes to weight based recommendations, I still hope to find that resource, I can only wonder about my own needs. I have been both >250+ and <150. According to this chart my needs are no different, which would support the thinking that it is lean tissue based. That would make sense to me, but nowhere is it stated.

But, if we go by just weight based recommendations it does not account for how much of my body is lean vs fat, or what my activity levels are. A person 6' tall at 250 has more lean body weight than I would at 5'4" and I would think need marginally more protein to maintain it.

There is also the question of activity; theoretically running (per hour) burns more calories than weight lifting, yet the weight lifting creates more of a need for protein for tissue repair. Of course exceptions can be found for everything.

For myself, I seem to have settled in at around 70g per day while being very active and it works for me for now. I am looking at increasing the proportion of proteins obtained from plant sources to improve my micronutrient profile, this may lead to revising my overall protein intake downward. Hmmm, as always, more questions than answers.

Like anything else, I guess we can use the guidelines as a starting point, and adjust it for the performance it gives us as individuals.

11-08-2012, 09:37 AM	#4345
Kelt Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Beach Butch Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,751 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 19,765 Thanked 15,305 Times in 2,539 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Well, I have answered one of my own questions which of course just generates more of them. I found this article by the CDC that talks about the protein requirement as outlined by the RDA. This is part of it: ************************** How much protein do I need? Maybe you've wondered how much protein you need each day. In general, it's recommended that 10–35% of your daily calories come from protein. Below are the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for different age groups.2 Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein Grams of protein needed each day Children ages 1 – 3 13 Children ages 4 – 8 19 Children ages 9 – 13 34 Girls ages 14 – 18 46 Boys ages 14 – 18 52 Women ages 19 – 70+ 46 Men ages 19 – 70+ 56 Here are examples of amounts of protein in food: 1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein A 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein 1 cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein An 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein Added together, just these four sources would meet the protein needs of an adult male (56 grams). This doesn't count all the other foods that add smaller amounts of protein to his diet. Rather than just focusing on your protein needs, choose an overall healthy eating plan that provides the protein you need as well as other nutrients. ************************ The part I don't understand is why these recommendations are so incomplete. It does state 10-35% of dietary calories, it does not have any consideration for activity levels or any differentiation for quality of proteins. While I understand that a unit of protein in a unit of protein as a macronutrient. I am surprised that there is no mention of micronutrient content. (vitamins, minerals, fiber, trace elements) low fat animal proteins seem to be the most efficient at bulk quantity delivery of just protein but I can't help but notice how different sources make me feel. When it comes to weight based recommendations, I still hope to find that resource, I can only wonder about my own needs. I have been both >250+ and <150. According to this chart my needs are no different, which would support the thinking that it is lean tissue based. That would make sense to me, but nowhere is it stated. But, if we go by just weight based recommendations it does not account for how much of my body is lean vs fat, or what my activity levels are. A person 6' tall at 250 has more lean body weight than I would at 5'4" and I would think need marginally more protein to maintain it. There is also the question of activity; theoretically running (per hour) burns more calories than weight lifting, yet the weight lifting creates more of a need for protein for tissue repair. Of course exceptions can be found for everything. For myself, I seem to have settled in at around 70g per day while being very active and it works for me for now. I am looking at increasing the proportion of proteins obtained from plant sources to improve my micronutrient profile, this may lead to revising my overall protein intake downward. Hmmm, as always, more questions than answers. Like anything else, I guess we can use the guidelines as a starting point, and adjust it for the performance it gives us as individuals.