Myths about getting enough protein. Good one.

Hey All' date='

 

Being a customer of Unjury, I am, of course on their e-mailing list. I don't mind mailings when they are informative and not desperately trying to sell a product. A lot of you probably received this but I thought it might be interesting to those who did not:

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[*]Myth 1: I'm done with the program. I've lost weight. I don't need to track my protein anymore.

[*]Myth 2: I'm at the solid food stage. That means I'm off supplements.

[*]Myth 3: Protein is Protein. Just get the number of grams recommended.

Let's discuss one myth at a time:

 

Myth 1: I'm done with the program. I've lost weight. I don't need to track my protein anymore.

 

Why it's a myth:

 

Protein is essential to every part of your body. When you don't consume enough protein, your body gets what it needs by taking away more protein from your muscles and organs -- to use it for building and repairing elsewhere. Eventually your muscle and organ tissues weaken.

 

The New York Times "Diagnosis" column1 told the story of a man with severe chest pain who had been on a restrictive diet without medical advice. In the ER, they first thought it was a heart attack, but it wasn't. It was a case of malnutrition. "Malnutrition can eat away heart muscle." He wasn't getting enough protein to his heart. The walls of the left side of the man's heart were thin and weak -- painfully, dangerously weak.

 

One experienced support group moderator we know recommends 1 to 2 shakes a day forever, as an "insurance policy" against that kind of problem.

 

Myth 2: I'm at the solid food stage. That means I'm off protein supplements.

 

Why it's a myth:

 

First, when the doctor's office says you can move on to solid foods after surgery, that doesn't automatically mean to stop using supplements. The ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) has issued recommendations that patients get 60 to 80 grams of quality protein each day3..

 

Can you get that much protein from food? Well, you would need, for example, this much each day:

 

10 ounces (almost two-thirds of a pound) of chicken or beef (the weight after cooking shrinkage)

 

OR

 

10 eggs

 

OR

 

14 containers of Yoplait Original Strawberry yogurt

 

That's hard to do...What if you don't get enough protein?

 

First, reread the story about the man with the thinning heart walls above.

 

Then, remember that protein is key to not being hungry -- and not being hungry is key to losing weight2. We regularly hear from patients and from surgeons' offices, and even read in the newspaper about patients who had surgery one or more years ago, who are now gaining weight or who have hair falling out.

 

Please do get the recommended amount of protein for the rest of your life. Every day.

 

Myth 3: Protein is Protein. Just get the number of grams recommended. (We have even heard this from surgeons and dietitians.)

 

Why it's a myth:

 

The quality of the protein makes a huge difference. What you need most is complete protein. Truly complete protein has a PDCAAS score of 100. Some supplements that have a lot of protein only provide a little complete protein. If it isn't complete protein, your body cannot use the protein for building and replacing cells -- what your heart, and the rest of your body needs.

 

Be sure to remember that Whey Protein Isolate has more protein, and less lactose, than Whey Protein Concentrate. The two names are similar, so just remember, "I want I-solate".

 

Remember also that the ASMBS cautions about the collagen products. The lead source of protein in the test tube products is collagen. Collagen is an incomplete protein.

 

Some of the test tube brands use the word complete a lot in their marketing, but the best measure of completeness is a score called PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score). As of two years ago, the PDCAAS score of the test tubes was about 35; that's about one-third as good as highest quality whey protein, which gets a 100. So you need to get 3 times as many grams of low quality protein with a 35 score as you do with a high quality protein with a 100 score.