Bodybuilding.com - Why Women Need Protein!

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In the past I ate only fish and eggs. Whatever you eat, please be sure that you have a diet which includes protein. Find out more about protein here and why it is so important for women. Read on...

By: Fawnia Mondey

Thanks to high-protein diets for weight loss, there has been an explosion of interest in protein. No longer are people looking at carbohydrate for shedding weight, or low fat diets for trimming our thighs; protein has the spotlight.

I was under the impression that animal protein was hard on my body but now through my own experience and after doing some research of my own, I am confident that eating a balanced diet which includes 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is safe and right for me.

PROTEIN CALCULATOR

Much of my protein sources include chicken, fish, eggs, and whey, and I enjoy the odd steak here and there. In the past I ate only fish and eggs, swearing off chicken. Whatever you choose to eat, please be sure that you have a diet which includes adequate amounts of protein. As someone interested in fitness, read on and absorb the facts.

What Is Protein?

Protein is about 75% of what our weight is made of. It is virtually in every body part or tissue including our muscles, bone, skin, and hair.

Amino acids or "building blocks" provide the raw material for all proteins.

If you want to get scientific, guided by genetic instructions, the body strings together amino acids. Some genes require short chains; others are blueprints for long chains that fold, origami-like, into intricate, three-dimensional structures.

The body doesn't store amino acids, like it does fats or carbohydrates. The body needs a daily supply of amino acids to make new protein.

An impressive 10,000 different proteins make you what you are and keep you that way.

All Protein Isn't Alike:

Complete Proteins: Protein that contains all the amino acids needed to build new proteins.
Incomplete Proteins: Other protein sources which lack one or more amino acids that the body can't make from scratch or create by modifying another amino acid.

Vegetarians Take Note:
To get all the amino acids required to make new protein, and to keep the body's systems in check, people who don't eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products should eat a variety of protein-containing foods each day. This will help increase your chances of getting complete proteins.

Protein & Disease

Cardiovascular Disease:

Whether the protein came from animals or vegetables or whether it was part of low-fat or higher-fat diets didn't seem to matter. These results offer reassurance that eating a lot of protein doesn't harm the heart. In fact, it is possible that eating more protein while cutting back on easily digested carbohydrates may be benefit the heart.

A Look At Soy

One protein source that has been getting a lot of attention are soybeans. Some research suggests that regularly eating soy-based foods:

lowers cholesterol
chills hot flashes
prevents breast and prostate cancer
aids weight loss
wards off osteoporosis.²

These effects may be due the soybeans high concentrations of isoflavones. Isoflavones are a type of plant-made estrogen. This research has prompted media reports claiming many benefits of soy. It also has food makers pumping out new soy products that are beginning to move into the mainstream.

In Boston, for example, soymilk is now advertised on the radio during Boston Red Sox games, alongside donuts, oil additives, and beer.

Many of the claims made for soy may go far beyond the available evidence.

Related Soy Articles:

Hot Flashes:

These substances mimic the action of estrogen. So they could cool hot flashes by giving a woman an estrogen-like boost during a time of dwindling estrogen levels. Yet carefully controlled studies haven't found this to be the case.^{3, 4}

Breast Cancer:

Some studies are showing a benefit and others showing no association between soy consumption and breast cancer.⁵ In fact, a handful of unsettling reports suggest that concentrated supplements of soy proteins may stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells; yikes!^{6, 7} Large prospective studies now underway should offer better information regarding soy and breast cancer risk.

Memory & Thinking Ability:

⁸

⁹

Others go further, and suggest that too much soy could lead to memory problems. Among older women of Japanese ancestry living in Hawaii, those who relied on the traditional soy-based diet were more likely to have cognitive problems than those who switched to a more Western diet.¹⁰

The Final Word:
Recommendations For Protein Intake.

Get A Good Mix Of Proteins.
Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you get all of the amino acids you need.
Pay Attention To The Protein Package.
You rarely eat straight protein. If you eat meat, steer yourself toward the leanest cuts. If you like dairy products, skim or low-fat versions are healthier choices. Beans, soy, nuts, and whole grains offer protein without much saturated fat and with plenty of healthful fiber and micronutrients.

Balance Carbohydrates & Protein.
Cutting back on highly processed carbohydrates and increasing protein improves levels of blood triglycerides and HDL, and so may reduce your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other form of cardiovascular disease.

What Is HDL Mean?
An abbreviation for high-density lipoprotein, molecules that remove cholesterol from the bloodstream and carry it to the liver.
HDLs are often called "good" cholesterol.

It may also make you feel full longer, and stave off hunger pangs. Too much protein, though, could weaken bones .

Eat Soy In Moderation.
Soybeans, tofu, and other soy-based foods are an excellent alternative to red meat. But don't go overboard. Two to four servings a week is a good target. And stay away from supplements that contain concentrated soy protein or soy extracts, such as isoflavones. Larger amounts of soy may soothe hot flashes and other menopause-associated problems, but the evidence for this is weak.

Dietary Sources Of Protein

Food Serving Weight In Grams Protein Grams % Daily Value Details

Hamburger, extra lean 6 ounces 170 48.6 97 [ Go ]

Chicken, roasted 6 ounces 170 42.5 85 [ Go ]

Fish 6 ounces 170 41.2 82 [ Go ]

Tuna, water packed 6 ounces 170 40.1 80 [ Go ]

Beefsteak, broiled 6 ounces 170 38.6 77 [ Go ]

Cottage cheese 1 cup 225 28.1 56 [ Go ]

Cheese pizza 2 slices 128 15.4 31 [ Go ]

Yogurt, low fat 8 ounces 227 11.9 24 [ Go ]

Tofu 1/2 cup 126 10.1 20 [ Go ]

Lentils, cooked 1/2 cup 99 9 18 [ Go ]

Skim milk 1 cup 245 8.4 17 [ Go ]

Split peas, cooked 1/2 cup 98 8.1 16 [ Go ]

Whole milk 1 cup 244 8 16 [ Go ]

Lentil soup 1 cup 242 7.8 16 *

Kidney beans, cooked 1/2 cup 87 7.6 15 [ Go ]

Cheddar cheese 1 ounce 28 7.1 14 [ Go ]

Macaroni, cooked 1 cup 140 6.8 14 [ Go ]

Soymilk 1 cup 245 6.7 13 [ Go ]

Egg 1 large 50 6.3 13 [ Go ]

Whole wheat bread 2 slices 56 5.4 11 [ Go ]

White bread 2 slices 60 4.9 10 [ Go ]

Rice, cooked 1 cup 158 4.3 9 [ Go ]

Broccoli, cooked 5 inch piece 140 4.2 8 [ Go ]

Baked potato 2x5 inches 156 3 6 [ Go ]

Corn, cooked 1 ear 77 2.6 5 [ Go ]

Nutritive Value of Foods, USDA.

Reference:

Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Dietary protein and risk of ischemic heart disease in women. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70:221-7.

Messina M, Gardner C, Barnes S. Gaining insight into the health effects of soy but a long way still to go: commentary on the fourth International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease. J Nutr 2002; 132:547S-551S.

Krebs EE, Ensrud KE, MacDonald R, Wilt TJ. Phytoestrogens for treatment of menopausal symptoms: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol 2004; 104:824-36.

Kronenberg F, Fugh-Berman A. Complementary and alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms: a review of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med 2002; 137:805-13.

McMichael-Phillips DF, Harding C, Morton M, et al. Effects of soy-protein supplementation on epithelial proliferation in the histologically normal human breast. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 68:1431S-1435S.

de Lemos ML. Effects of soy phytoestrogens genistein and daidzein on breast cancer growth. Ann Pharmacother 2001; 35:1118-21.

19. Kritz-Silverstein D, Von Muhlen D, Barrett-Connor E, Bressel MA. Isoflavones and cognitive function in older women: the SOy and Postmenopausal Health In Aging (SOPHIA) Study. Menopause 2003; 10:196-202.

Kreijkamp-Kaspers S, Kok L, Grobbee DE, et al. Effect of soy protein containing isoflavones on cognitive function, bone mineral density, and plasma lipids in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2004; 292:65-74.

White LR, Petrovitch H, Ross GW, et al. Brain aging and midlife tofu consumption. J Am Coll Nutr 2000; 19:242-55.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein.html

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