Are you protein deficient?

After not getting enough water, lack of sufficient protein intake is the second most common nutritional deficit that I find in my patients. An individual’s protein intake can be low for several reasons such as cost, convenience, and fear that one is overeating protein.

When protein is digested it is broken down into amino acids which are building blocks for bones, muscles and connective tissue. It also is the building blocks of our organs. Your brain needs the amino acids to make neurotransmitters and without them your brain just doesn’t work properly! Proteins are also extremely important for injury repair. I have seen many strict vegetarians over the years have difficulty getting over injuries because their protein intake was too low.

If your protein intake is low, your body will cannibalize itself in order to serve immediate needs. In other words, it will breakdown organs and the collagen in your skin in order to keep up the levels of what it needs now such as neurotransmitters. This is why people with low protein intake age and decay more rapidly.

To combat a protein deficiency, patients should look for high protein foods to incorporate into their diet - the best sources of protein are eggs and meats. Although there is some protein in grains and vegetables, the amount is relatively small and huge amounts of food would need to be eaten in order to get enough protein. These foods also tend to bring along a lot of carbohydrates which contribute to blood sugar problems and weight gain.

Eggs are one high protein form of nutrition

My general recommendation is that an average person should eat one gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight. For athletes that should be increased to up to two grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight.

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