What is the best diet? The debate rages among scientists and practitioners since diets were invented. They agree on one point, though: protein-rich diets are superior. Whether you go high carbohydrate or low carbohydrate, high fat or low fat, one thing remains true: you must get enough protein.



How much is enough? Lyle McDonald, physiologist and protein authority, recommends 1.5 grams per pound of body weight per day.

Protein quality is a concern. Not all proteins are created equal. The best sources are animal: meat, poultry (including eggs), fish, and dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese). Vegetable proteins, on the other hand, are less digestible (up to 15% less, depending on the source). If you're completely vegetarian, you'll want to aim for 1.73 grams per pound of body weight per day to compensate.

How do you know how many grams of protein you've eaten in a day? The Nutrition Facts label helps, but here's a simple method: a portion of animal protein the size of a deck of card generally contains 16 grams of protein. If you eat a medium-sized steak (roughly two decks of card), that's 16 x 2 = 32 grams of protein. Using the Nutrition Facts label and the deck-of-card conversion, you should be able to find out how much protein you eat daily. For a more detailed approach to counting grams of protein in your diet, click here.

These tips will help you meet the 1.5 g per pound daily objective:

- Include an animal source with every meal (e.g., eggs at breakfast, chicken at lunch, and steak for dinner).

- Snack with proteins (e.g., yogurt, nuts)

ACTION STEP 18

List everything you've eaten today. For animal protein sources, use the deck-of-card conversion to calculate how many grams of protein you ate. For other sources, check the Nutrition Facts label, or estimate it. Are you eating enough protein?

ACTION STEP 18 REVISITED

Starting right now, carry a pocket notebook and a pen and note everything you eat for 3 days. At the end of each day, calculate your total protein intake and compare it to the recommended value. Make a conscious effort throughout the day to reach that value.

Few people impress me with their knowledge. Lyle does, and knows more about protein than anyone I've heard of. I highly recommend his work, The Protein Book. I bought it the day it came out.