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Vary your protein routine


Mar 28, 2022

Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. In Part IV of our five part Nutrition Month series, Olivia Kinkade, a member of the clinical nutrition department at UHC, joins us to talk about focusing on varying your protein routine.

1. What foods are in the Protein Foods Group?

Foods in the Protein Foods Group are seafood; meat, poultry, and eggs; beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds, and soy. Beans, peas, and lentils are also part of the Vegetable Group.

Select a wide variety of protein foods to get more of the nutrients your body needs and for health benefits. Meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat, like 93% lean ground beef, pork loin, and skinless chicken breasts. Choose seafood options that are higher in beneficial fatty acids (omega-3s) and lower in methylmercury, such as salmon, anchovies, and trout. The advice to consume lean or low-fat meat and poultry and a variety of seafood does not apply to vegetarians. Vegetarian options in the Protein Foods Group include beans, peas, and lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

2. Why is it important to choose a variety of choices from the Protein Foods Group?

Foods in the Protein Foods Group provide nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of your body. Many Americans meet the protein recommendations for meat, poultry, and eggs, but do not meet the recommendations for seafood or nuts, seeds, and soy products. Meeting the recommendations for these Protein Foods subgroups can help increase intake of important nutrients, including unsaturated fats, dietary fiber, and vitamin D and help to limit intake of sodium and saturated fats coming from processed meat and poultry.

Protein Nutrients:

  • Some food choices in the Protein Food Group are high in saturated fat. These include fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, regular (75% to 85% lean) ground beef; regular sausages, hot dogs, and bacon; some luncheon meats such as regular bologna and salami; and some poultry such as duck. To help keep saturated fat intake below 10% of daily calories, limit the amount of these foods you eat.
  • Meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, and lentils, eggs, and nuts, seeds, and soy products supply many nutrients. These include protein, B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6), vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium.

3. How much food from the Protein Foods Group is needed daily and what counts as an ounce-equivalent in the Protein Foods Group?

The amount of protein foods you need to eat depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and level of physical activity. For women, the amount can also depend on whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Most Americans eat enough from the Protein Foods Group, but need to select leaner varieties of meat and poultry and increase the variety of protein foods selected, choosing meats less often.

In general, 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds can be considered as 1 ounce-equivalent from the Protein Foods Group. The table in this video provides specific amounts that count as 1 ounce-equivalent in the Protein Foods Group toward your daily recommended intake.

Protein Chart

This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.

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