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Too much protein and not enough sugar?


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I'm really confused about the balance that my diet should be. It seems that my carbs and protein aren't what they should be, but I am healthy and I've been eating this way my entire life with no medical problems.


My sugar intake per day is typically 38g, apparently, but I also eat over 200g of carbs a day in total. I've read in some places that sugar should be 90g, so am I eating wrong? Also, my protein intake per day is usually around 80g when according to my calculations, it should only be about 55g. That amount of protein just seems ridiculously small to me!


(As a point of reference, I'm 5'2", 15, 67kg)

8 Replies (last)

Sugar should be kept at minimum; you are fine.

Also, protein is supposed to be between 12 and 20% of you daily calories. How many calories do you consume?

Thank you :) CC says that my protein is usually 16-20%, but I'm not sure if it is referring to mass or calories (which are typically 1600-1800). This doesn't seem to correlate with the fact that I eat 80g protein a day.

#3  
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Your sugar intake is fine as long as it comes in its natural form - fructose in fruit and other natural sugars.

Your protein intake is fine if you are sedentary, if you are regularly active I would recommend you increase it 100-120 grams daily. 55 grams on a daily basis would most likely cause a protein deficiency.

The belief that protein should be 12-20% of daily calories is flawed.

You're fine, sugar should ideally no more than 40g for every 2000 calories. 

Thanks for the further clarification! I'm glad to know that sugar intake is fine - I'd not particularly like to eat more :P

As for protein - I may increase it then, as I'm rather active. I was just taken aback, as most places seem to advocate 0.8g per kilogram. However, I've also seen a few places say 0.8 per pound. I assume this means the latter is correct?

It's different depending on how active you are. A sedentary person may need just .4 per pound but an athlete may need as much as 1g per pound

I looked up some info on this from some .gov sites and .edu, this is what I found:

 

Protein:
• The daily recommended allowance of protein is .8 g per kilogram. To convert pounds to kg,
divide body weight by 2.2 kg/lb. It is important to combine protein sources to ensure complete
nutrition.
• Good sources of protein include: legumes, vegetables, starches, dairy products, and meats.
• To meet protein allowance for a 154-lb person, 56 kg of protein is needed. 2 cups of skim milk,
3/4 cup of Cheerios, 2 soft-cooked eggs, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, and a 2-oz chicken breast
will meet this allowance.

 

Carbohydrates:
• Carbs should make up approximately 55% of total caloric intake. There is no RDA value, but a
minimum of 50-100g should be consumed daily for brain function.
• Good sources of complex carbohydrates include pasta, rice, whole grain products, and baked
potatoes. Avoid getting too many carbohydrates from sugar.
• 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of pasta and 1 slice of whole wheat bread will provide the minimum
amount of carbohydrates required.

#8  
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Being the overall nutrition junkie, I'd recommend going with whole grain pastas and brown rice so that you get fiber and other micronutrients with your carbs.

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