I agree with your perspective. I am a 78-year-old family physician going through a divorce and raising a 12-year-old daughter, so my plate is full, so to speak. I eat a Mediterranean-style diet (I have a home in Greece), but I don't specifically monitor my protein intake, as I'm sure that I'm getting enough. I walk on the treadmill five days per week, lift weights two days per week, and work on my blog in my spare time: https://carbsyndrome.com
Rather than worrying about protein intake, I suggest focusing on preventing CARB syndrome, the disease that is driving our twin epidemics of obesity and common brain disorders.
Thank you for this, Doc. The tables were helpful too, especially the one that frees us from the shackles of the metric system 😆.
I feel a bit concerned for me and my husband. We are pescatarians who eat mostly plant-based (fish/seafood maybe once a week). It is much harder to hit the new minimum with just tofu, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts, etc. without consuming large quantities. I usually boost my Kodiak protein oatmeal with high quality whey powder. I know that sentence probably sounds influencer-nuts, but I’ve done the math and I can’t seem to hit the target without doing things like that. I’d love to not think about my protein intake so much, but I think our circumstances give me little choice. My husband turns 65 in a month, to boot.
I share your consternation with metric system, like learning another language it’s just not easily done after the brain matures! I have to confess I’ve never actually calculated my own daily protein intake. I just assume that since e I have some with most meals it adds up. Do you have a recommended calculator app? I wouldn’t sweat a pescatarian diet through. I’m guessing that is really health overall, and even if not hitting the “new targets” you guys are probably clearing the minimum bar easily.
Another good post combining science and practical advise. Thanks. On a lighter note, the comedian Lewis Black has a funny bit on the protein craze. Google “Lewis Black protein rant” if you’re interested. His humor is often not suitable for children but most adults don’t find him particularly offensive compared to what else is out there.
I’m going to do that, thanks Steve! I’ve often thought about composing a rant for him to potentially read on his podcast, but figured that was a bit off brand for me… but listening to a good Lewis Black rant is good medicine, right! Off to find that clip…
Thanks for another informative post on a topic that has become a bit obfuscated of late. I am 65, and have avoided red meat for the past 25 or so years, in favor of a Mediterranean diet. I have a fair number of days that wind up being completely plant-based, not necessarily by design. Just a reflection of the foods I enjoy most. It’s on those days that I end up counting grams closely. Some of the points you make here will help ease my occasional angst!
Hi David, can’t argue with the health of the Mediterranean diet! The whole reductionist approach to grams of protein would really miss the big picture, so not obsessing about hitting your daily target makes sense to me, too. I have those days with mostly plants and I usually feel better. Maybe we should start a protein detox day trend 😆
The explosion of labels labeled "HIGH PROTEIN" is figuratively shouting at you from cookies to drinks. I feature some of this in my substack. Also, with all the cutbacks (I believe a number of over 700,000 lost SNAP benefits IIRC reading), this makes us healthier? Anyway, it's only part of the nutrition picture.
Great points, KB. Most high protein is expensive, and I’m guessing cutting 125billion of SNAP funding will further contribute to the immoral malnourishment of poor Americans, who somewhat paradoxically become obese from Emory, cheap, affordable calories. These harmful leaders truly want us to just “eat cake.”
Thanks for this. I did a rough calculation of my protein intake for that day and found I was likely not even meeting the old RDA. Since I’m 79 years old, I feel like I should be aiming for the new guidelines. This information was very helpful!
Hi Gina, glad to hear that! Given your age makes sense to bump your intake. I personally run on the too thin side, so I probably need to build more muscle with resistance/strength exercise than I currently do, too. Are you able to do a little of that in concert with the protein intake? Good luck!
Yes,thanks,…as a matter of fact I finally set up an orientation/ intake session with a physical trainer at my gym. She gave me an excellent resistance routine which I started on Tuesday. I’ll e doing this 2-3 times a week and continuing to increase my protein.
Thanks for this, Ryan! As someone with mild CKD, I'm trying to achieve a protein intake that balances the need to avoid renal damage with combating age-related sarcopenia. Exercise is certainly important for both.
Maintaining a diet that also meets the recommended limits for sodium intake is even more challenging. When I first started tracking this, I was surprised at the high salt content in many foods, particularly baked goods. It's especially difficult to know what dishes are best when eating out, since few restaurants publish the amount of sodium and other nutrients in their menus.
Given that salt restriction is recommended for several common conditions, it might be helpful for you to explore it in a future post. If you do, I'd be happy to share what I've learned.
Hi Franklin, many thanks for adding this. I was going to take a detour into CKD, as so many people have at least mild forms of it… but as always the tyranny of the word count held me back. You bring up a classic dilemma trying to balance protein intake necessary to keep muscle mass up, and not stressing the glomeruli netting with big boulders.
Good points about sodium. I also notice that it takes a lot more water intake to clear the salt load after bread, baked goods, bagels because of all the hidden sodium. Those kinds of carbs really hide the salt flavor, and by the time we can taste it, the quantity is quite high. I’m going to add a sodium post to the queue and hope to get to it soon, great idea. It will suffer from word count considerations, but adding on any commentary would be great. If applicable, i’ll copy and paste back into the original post, too.
I agree with your perspective. I am a 78-year-old family physician going through a divorce and raising a 12-year-old daughter, so my plate is full, so to speak. I eat a Mediterranean-style diet (I have a home in Greece), but I don't specifically monitor my protein intake, as I'm sure that I'm getting enough. I walk on the treadmill five days per week, lift weights two days per week, and work on my blog in my spare time: https://carbsyndrome.com
Rather than worrying about protein intake, I suggest focusing on preventing CARB syndrome, the disease that is driving our twin epidemics of obesity and common brain disorders.
Thank you for this, Doc. The tables were helpful too, especially the one that frees us from the shackles of the metric system 😆.
I feel a bit concerned for me and my husband. We are pescatarians who eat mostly plant-based (fish/seafood maybe once a week). It is much harder to hit the new minimum with just tofu, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts, etc. without consuming large quantities. I usually boost my Kodiak protein oatmeal with high quality whey powder. I know that sentence probably sounds influencer-nuts, but I’ve done the math and I can’t seem to hit the target without doing things like that. I’d love to not think about my protein intake so much, but I think our circumstances give me little choice. My husband turns 65 in a month, to boot.
At 69 I add some protein powder to my Greek yogurt -- mostly because I am a vegetarian and not sure I get enough protein.
Oh good - this makes me feel less nutty
Lol! I also DO eat nuts for a snack each day!
Makes good sense. Whey protein?
Pumpkin seed protein powder. Not sure why...or whey?? 🙄
I share your consternation with metric system, like learning another language it’s just not easily done after the brain matures! I have to confess I’ve never actually calculated my own daily protein intake. I just assume that since e I have some with most meals it adds up. Do you have a recommended calculator app? I wouldn’t sweat a pescatarian diet through. I’m guessing that is really health overall, and even if not hitting the “new targets” you guys are probably clearing the minimum bar easily.
I have used the Cronometer app in the past and I like it because it has the nutrition counts for almost anything you could think to enter. Easy peasy.
I hope you are off having fun and thanks as always.
Another good post combining science and practical advise. Thanks. On a lighter note, the comedian Lewis Black has a funny bit on the protein craze. Google “Lewis Black protein rant” if you’re interested. His humor is often not suitable for children but most adults don’t find him particularly offensive compared to what else is out there.
Watched it. It is very funny!
“We can finally enjoy ice cream” broke me up.
I’m going to do that, thanks Steve! I’ve often thought about composing a rant for him to potentially read on his podcast, but figured that was a bit off brand for me… but listening to a good Lewis Black rant is good medicine, right! Off to find that clip…
Here we go 😂
https://youtu.be/bc3H9ZMtF8s?is=kIGYEbHJC4hdfOxN
Very good information!
Thanks for another informative post on a topic that has become a bit obfuscated of late. I am 65, and have avoided red meat for the past 25 or so years, in favor of a Mediterranean diet. I have a fair number of days that wind up being completely plant-based, not necessarily by design. Just a reflection of the foods I enjoy most. It’s on those days that I end up counting grams closely. Some of the points you make here will help ease my occasional angst!
Hi David, can’t argue with the health of the Mediterranean diet! The whole reductionist approach to grams of protein would really miss the big picture, so not obsessing about hitting your daily target makes sense to me, too. I have those days with mostly plants and I usually feel better. Maybe we should start a protein detox day trend 😆
The explosion of labels labeled "HIGH PROTEIN" is figuratively shouting at you from cookies to drinks. I feature some of this in my substack. Also, with all the cutbacks (I believe a number of over 700,000 lost SNAP benefits IIRC reading), this makes us healthier? Anyway, it's only part of the nutrition picture.
Great points, KB. Most high protein is expensive, and I’m guessing cutting 125billion of SNAP funding will further contribute to the immoral malnourishment of poor Americans, who somewhat paradoxically become obese from Emory, cheap, affordable calories. These harmful leaders truly want us to just “eat cake.”
Thanks for this. I did a rough calculation of my protein intake for that day and found I was likely not even meeting the old RDA. Since I’m 79 years old, I feel like I should be aiming for the new guidelines. This information was very helpful!
Hi Gina, glad to hear that! Given your age makes sense to bump your intake. I personally run on the too thin side, so I probably need to build more muscle with resistance/strength exercise than I currently do, too. Are you able to do a little of that in concert with the protein intake? Good luck!
Yes,thanks,…as a matter of fact I finally set up an orientation/ intake session with a physical trainer at my gym. She gave me an excellent resistance routine which I started on Tuesday. I’ll e doing this 2-3 times a week and continuing to increase my protein.
Thanks for this, Ryan! As someone with mild CKD, I'm trying to achieve a protein intake that balances the need to avoid renal damage with combating age-related sarcopenia. Exercise is certainly important for both.
Maintaining a diet that also meets the recommended limits for sodium intake is even more challenging. When I first started tracking this, I was surprised at the high salt content in many foods, particularly baked goods. It's especially difficult to know what dishes are best when eating out, since few restaurants publish the amount of sodium and other nutrients in their menus.
Given that salt restriction is recommended for several common conditions, it might be helpful for you to explore it in a future post. If you do, I'd be happy to share what I've learned.
Hi Franklin, many thanks for adding this. I was going to take a detour into CKD, as so many people have at least mild forms of it… but as always the tyranny of the word count held me back. You bring up a classic dilemma trying to balance protein intake necessary to keep muscle mass up, and not stressing the glomeruli netting with big boulders.
Good points about sodium. I also notice that it takes a lot more water intake to clear the salt load after bread, baked goods, bagels because of all the hidden sodium. Those kinds of carbs really hide the salt flavor, and by the time we can taste it, the quantity is quite high. I’m going to add a sodium post to the queue and hope to get to it soon, great idea. It will suffer from word count considerations, but adding on any commentary would be great. If applicable, i’ll copy and paste back into the original post, too.