Muscles are made largely of protein. As with most tissues in the body, muscles are dynamic and are constantly being broken down and rebuilt. To gain muscle, the body must be synthesizing more muscle protein than it is breaking down. For this reason, people who want a lot of muscle will need to eat a greater amount of protein and do resistance exercises. It is well documented that a higher protein intake helps build muscle and strength. Also, people who want to retain the muscle that they already have, may need to increase their protein intake when losing body fat, because a high protein intake can help prevent the muscle loss that usually occurs when dieting.

When it comes to muscle mass, the studies are usually not looking at percentage of calories, but daily grams of protein per unit of lean or goal body weight (kilograms).

It is important to eat enough protein if you want to gain and/or maintain muscle. Most studies suggest that (1.5 – 2.2 grams per 1kg) of lean mass is sufficient. You may use your goal weight as an approximation of your lean mass not your present body weight.

There is very common misunderstanding about what ‘Grams of Protein’ really mean.

It means grams of the macronutrient protein, not grams of a protein containing food like meat or eggs. A large serving of meat weighs about 226 grams, but it only contains 61 grams of actual protein. A large egg weighs about 46 grams, but it only contains 6 to 7 grams of protein.

Disregarding muscle mass and physique goals, people who are physically active do need more protein than people who are sedentary. As various physiological factors makes it harder to grow muscles as one ages, elderly people need significantly more protein, up to 50 percent higher than the DRI, or about 1-1.3 grams per Kg of lean or goal bodyweight. This can help prevent osteoporosis and sarcopenia (reduction in muscle mass), both significant problems in the elderly. People who are recovering from injuries may also need more protein.

Protein has been unfairly blamed for a number of health problems. It has been said that a high protein diet can cause kidney damage, liver failure and osteoporosis. However, none of this is supported by science. Although protein restriction is helpful for people with pre-existing kidney problems, protein has never been shown to cause kidney damage in healthy people. In fact, a higher protein intake has been shown to lower blood pressure and help fight diabetes, which are two of the main risk factors for kidney disease.

There is really no need for most people to actually track their protein intake. If you’re just a healthy person trying to stay healthy, then simply eating quality protein with most of your meals (along with nutritious plant foods) should bring your intake into an optimal range.

If you’re at a healthy weight, you don’t lift weights and you don’t exercise much, then aiming for 1.0 to 1.3 gram per kg of your lean or goal body mass is a reasonable estimate. But given that there is no evidence of harm and significant evidence of benefit, it is better for most people to err on the side of more protein rather than less and that is what is recommended in the Low-Carb Diet. However, in the Ketogenic Diet staying at no more than 1.0 gm per kg is what is recommended.

Carbohydrates:

The actual amount of Carbohydrate (Carbs) required by humans for health is ZERO. People like the Inuits (Eskimos) of old who have lived quite healthily on a near zero carbohydrate diet, eating only fat and protein, as where they lived they had no access to vegetables or grain and the vegetable fibre they got was mostly from the stomach contents of the Reindeer they ate and from the reindeer milk, prove the point. Of course, it is not practical to have a zero carbohydrate diet today as vegetables, seeds and nuts, all contain carbohydrates. However, the modern diet includes too much of carbohydrates.

Ultimately, all carbohydrates – other than dietary fiber, which is not digested – enter the blood stream as monosaccharide sugars:

• Starches get broken down into maltose and maltotriose by amylase in the saliva, which in turn are broken down into glucose by maltase in the gut.
• Sucrose (table sugar) is broken down into fructose and glucose by sucrase in the gut.
• Lactose (milk sugar) is broken down into galactose and glucose by lactase in the gut, unless you are lactose intolerant in which case it isn’t broken down or absorbed at all.
• Fructose and glucose (e.g. honey or high fructose corn syrup) are already monosaccharide’s, and don’t need to be broken

In fibrous carbohydrate sources, such as whole grains or fruits, most of the carbohydrate is still in the form of starches or sugars; only a small percentage is dietary fibre. It is the net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus the fibre content) that count. Fibre is also necessary when you eat fat, to keep the right balance of micro flora in your gut.

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