Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Charlotte Lawson, a registered and licensed dietitian and if you're looking to keep your protein balanced or moderate you're probably wondering what foods can I have and what foods should I avoid. Well first, if you do have a certain condition that's making you moderate or limit your protein or even in fact increase your protein, make sure you're speaking with your physician or your personal dietitian to find out your exact protein needs. Typically an average person requires about .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So that's kind of about half your weight to one gram of protein in a well rounded estimate. Now foods that are high in protein are typically our animal sources and this type of protein is really the best absorbed by our body because us as animals don't have to change the combination of amino acids to absorb them from other animal products. For instance the egg is what we call our golden standard protein. It's almost 98 percent pure protein and our body absorbs almost all of it. So when you're choosing those meats and animal products, be sure to choose lean versions as well because you don't need that extra saturated fat that often comes in animal products. Now keep in mind we get protein from other things as well. For instance some of our vegetables like legumes and our beans as well as the whole grains do contain some protein. So when we kind of do that combination and we get that combination of proteins we can still get the complete proteins we need. Now if you're trying to moderate your proteins, be sure to kind of avoid those animal sources but still incorporate about a good three ounces or so per day and again just be aware of your whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Also keep in mind any well rounded diet does include all five food groups. So try touching on some of the more leafy vegetables and eating some more fruits throughout the day. Those are just a couple tips on how to keep your protein levels moderate. I'm Charlotte and eat happy.