Protein
Walking through grocery stores, watching tv, scrolling through Instagram, there are ads for protein shakes, protein crackers, and even protein cookies. What’s all the hype about? Well, protein is essential for having energy throughout the day, maintaining and building muscle, and immune health. Protein is primarily found in meats, meat substitutes like soy, eggs, beans, nuts, and dairy.
How much should I eat?
Differences in sex, age, exercise amount, lifestyle, and body size mean we all need different amounts of protein. Many experts recommend around 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. This is about 47 g for an individual who weighs 150 lbs. People trying to gain muscle are often recommended to consume about 1 gram of protein per 1 lb. of body weight.
How do I know how much protein I am eating?
A general guideline is to eat about a palm-sized portion of protein 3-5 times a day at mealtimes and for snacks. This could be meat, eggs, tofu, etc. This will be close to the calculated grams per pound of body weight calculation from above.
Protein on campus:
All of our dining halls have the following protein foods available:
- Eggs
- Meat (chicken, beef, pork, turkey, etc.)
- Tofu
- Other meat substitutes (like tempeh, meatless burger, etc.)
- Beans
- Peanut Butter
- Milk and soy milk (which has the most protein of non-dairy milks)
In the express stations:
- Meat on sandwiches
- Hard boiled eggs
- Smoothies with whey or plant-based protein
- Core Power protein shakes
- Protein bars
- Mixed nuts
If you have any questions or concerns, visit the Eat Well office in the Academic Village Common building, or visit https://eatwell.colostate.edu