PROTEIN & FATS THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Conner Middelmann, B.Sc., DipION Nutrition Consultant @ Modern Mediterranean
Fat & Protein – Are You Confused? Dietary fat and protein are neither “good” nor “bad.” They are essential macronutrients that every human needs in order to live and thrive. However, some types of fats and protein promote health, while others may be detrimental to it.
You do you! Nutritional science keeps evolving and there are no exact answers that suit everyone. We are all biochemically unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. Find out what works best for you and stick with it, regard- less of media hype or comments from family and friends.
Refresher: Macronutrients Only two of these are essential* *Carbs are not “essential” as the liver can make glucose from protein and fat in a process called gluconeogenesis . However, vegetables, fruits and legumes contain health-promoting nutrients and fiber and most of us should eat these at every meal. It’s refined carbs – sugar & flour – we should limit.
Rule of Thirds Protein (20-25% of calories) : Fish, seafood, meat, egg whites, dairy, tofu, beans, seeds, nuts, Carbohydrate (30-35% (protein powder). of calories): Vegetables, Protein Essential. fruits, whole grains, Carb beans, lentils. Non-essential. Fats (35-40% of calories): Fat Olive oil, olives, avocado, nuts, nut butter, nut oil, seeds, oily fish, dairy, egg yolks, meat (ideally grass- fed). Essential.
Dietary fats: Good, Bad, Ugly
Fats: Essential to health Dietary fats are essential to health; we cannot thrive without them. • Fat is a source of energy to fuel bodily functions. • Fats are needed for the proper functioning of nerves and brain, for healthy skin , to regulate inflammation and to form hormones such as testosterone, estrogen or adrenaline. • We need dietary fats so we can absorb important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and K2 from food and carry them through the bloodstream. • Fat does not affect blood glucose or insulin → can help with weight loss and (pre)diabetes (this is the basis of high-fat keto diets). But only the “good” fats do this. (Next slide.)
Healthy fats: Enjoy! Primarily (about 3/4 of your fat intake): • Olives & olive oil • Avocados & avocado oil • Nuts, nut butters & oils • Seeds, seed butters (e.g., chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin) • Oily fish • Pastured/omega-3 enriched eggs To a lesser extent (about 1/4 of fat intake): • Grass-fed meat • Grass-fed dairy (milk, butter, ghee, yogurt, kefir, cheese, etc.) • Coconuts, coconut oil, MCT oil
Processed fats: Limit • Seed oils high in omega-6 fatty acids (soybean, corn, safflower, cottonseed, sun- flower, grape seed – a.k.a. “vegetable oil”) • Highly processed oils (all the oils listed above as well as canola and peanut oil) • Margarines, spreads, salad dressings and mayonnaise made with these oils • Trans fats, vegetable shortening, fried foods • Fats heated beyond their smoke point • Rancid fats (incl. fish oil supplements past their “best - by” date) • Saturated fat from intensively reared animals
How much fat should you eat? This woman needs 2,038 calories/day. To obtain 40% of her calories from fat, she’d have to eat 815 fat calories each day (2,038 x 0.40 = 815 cal). Divide 815 by 9 (1 g fat = 9 calories) → 90 g fat/day . Divide that by 3 meals → 30 g fat per meal . Click on image to calculate your calorie & fat requirements.
• 4 oz hamburger (85% lean) = 18g fat • 1 chocolate-frosted donut = 15g Fat content of • 1 tbsp olive oil or salad dressing = 14g fat • 1 oz almonds = 14g fat selected foods • ½ avocado = 10g fat Ranked by fat content, not • 1 tbsp butter = 12g fat healthfulness. • 3 oz salmon = 11g fat • 1 small serving McDonalds French fries = 11g • 1 oz cheddar cheese = 9g fat • 1 cup whole milk / whole milk yogurt = 8g • 1 tbsp flax seed = 4g • 1 large egg = 5g
An excerpt from my MyFitnessPal account: On this day I ate 83g healthy fats from eggs, olive oil, sardines, grass-fed beef, pastured pork and nuts. My protein intake was 74g , and my carbs totaled 151g .
Fats in the kitchen Best fats for cooking and frying Best fats for cold use – salad at temperatures up to 420F dressings, mayonnaise, etc . • Extra virgin olive oil (article • Extra virgin olive oil here about its safety as a • Avocado oil (ideally cold- cooking oil) pressed, extra virgin) • Avocado oil (refined) • Nut oils (hazelnut, walnut, • Coconut oil pecan, macadamia) • MCT oil • Nut butters • Ghee (grass-fed) • Butter (grass-fed – e.g. KerryGold)
Click on graphic for an excellent article on “good” vs “bad” fats by Dr. David Jockers, DC
Protein: Good, Bad, Ugly
Protein: Building blocks of life From the Greek word protos: “the first” or “ of prime importance ” Without protein, life is impossible. • Proteins are used to make muscles, tendons, organs, skin , hair, nails, veins, arteries, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, antibodies . • Proteins help to transport oxygen and cholesterol around your body • Protein is needed for tissue growth, repair and wound healing . • Protein (esp. in combination with exercise) is essential for healthy muscle mass, and to prevent muscle wasting in people with cancer • Protein plays a key role in satiety and blood glucose control . For this reason, it is particularly helpful for people trying to lose weight and balance blood glucose.
Protein can help with weight loss… Am J Clin Nut 2005: A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations.
… and it can tame cravings
Amino acids Protein is made from building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids. Some of these can be made by our bodies, but nine must be obtained from our diet (“ essential amino acids ”). When you eat protein in food, your body breaks it down into its constituent amino acids and rebuilds them into new proteins. If you don’t eat enough protein, or if you aren’t eating all nine essential amino acids , your body can’t do its job.
Animal vs. plant Animal foods (e.g., meat, fish, eggs, dairy) provide all nine essential amino acids in the right amounts for us to make full use of them (this is called “complete” protein). Plant foods (e.g., beans, grains, nuts, tofu, etc.) contain less protein than animal foods. Moreover, they don’t provide all the essential amino acids and need to be combined to yield “complete” protein (e.g. beans & rice).
Essential amino acid content From Examine.com article , “How much protein do you need?”
Protein digestibility
How much protein should you eat? Your protein requirement depends on your age, weight, height, sex and activity level. You can calculate it here. (As me to help you, if necessary.) The Institute of Medicine's recommendation is very broad: 0.8-2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day , or 56-200 grams per day. (1 kg = 2.2 lbs.) 0.8 g/day is the minimum amount of protein needed to prevent deficiency. Some researchers say this isn’t enough, especially in older people. I recommend 1-1.5g/kg/day , which equates to around 20-30g/meal for women and 30-40g/meal for men . Veg(etari)ans need more protein than omnivores. Important : Eat protein throughout the day , spread across all your meals. Less than 20g protein per meal is hard for the body to assimilate; on the other hand, 60+ g protein in one meal is more than your body can effectively use.
Veg(etari)an vs. omnivore diets A balanced, whole-food veg(etar)ian diet can be healthy, provided you pay close attention to nutrient balance; plant-based diets can be low in protein and various vitamins and minerals, and high in carbs. If you’re a “ bread-pasta- pizza vegetarian,” you’re at risk of nutritional deficiencies.
Veg vs. Med: Equally healthy A study in the journal Circulation compared calorie-restricted vegetarian and Mediterranean diets in overweight omnivores for six months. Both provided benefits: the vegetarians had a 9-point drop in LDL while the Mediterraneans achieved a 13-point drop in triglycerides. Both groups lost 1.8kg. An older British study compared health-conscious vegetarians and omnivores. (They all shopped in health-food stores.) Both groups lived longer than people in the general population, but there was no survival difference between vegetarians or omnivores. Nor was there any difference in rates of heart disease or stroke between the two groups. When you eat a veg(etari)an diet, pay attention to the nutrients that are harder to obtain from plant foods: protein, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, zinc, essential fatty acids (EPA & DHA), fat-soluble vitamins A, D & K2. I recommend supplementing. (More here.)
Minimally processed protein: Enjoy
Highly processed protein: Limit/Avoid
30g protein at breakfast looks like this: These and other 30g protein breakfasts here.
30g protein at lunch looks like this: These and other 30g protein lunches here.
30g protein one-pan dinners look like: These and other 30g protein dinners here.
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