Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1541020
26 WAC Magazine | wac.net By Liz Wyosnick, WAC Dietitian Protein, the most beloved macronutrient. Nowadays, protein is added to things that were never thought of as protein sourc- es—chips, pancakes, candy bars, popcorn, and even water! Is this helpful? Or is it a solution to a problem that never existed? First, allow me to drive home a very important point: e human body is so incredibly complex and sophisticated that it needs all three macronutrients—car- bohydrates, protein, and fat—to sustain life. For simplicity, think of your body as a house with three key pillars. 1. Dietary protein provides the bricks, drywall, siding, and interi- or structure. 2. Dietary fat is the paint that coats the walls and mediates messages around the house (anti-inflamma- tory or inflammatory messages). 3. Carbohydrates are the electricity that makes it all run. If you adopt a dietary pattern that significantly reduces one macronutrient below the necessary level, your house suffers. It has been a point of obsession with- in the nutrition—and consumer—com- munity to determine if there is an ideal macronutrient ratio for optimal health and body composition. Many factors apply when considering this, and it is highly individual. is is oen where my one-on-one work with clients is devoted. Although protein is important, it is not the panacea touted today, and there are downfalls to over-consuming pro- tein. Let's set the record straight. How much is just right? Put plainly, don't eat too little or too much. If you don't eat enough protein, you won't have enough raw materials available to rebuild your house from the typical wear and tear of life. Muscle mass, bones, organs, enzymes, and immune cells won't regenerate as well if protein intake is too low. In these conditions, you may be insatiably hungry, get injured oen, and your immunity could suffer. Individuals most at risk of inadequate protein intake are those on restrictive diets, those with eating difficulties, and the elderly population. If you eat too much protein, the excess is stored as fat. If you eat protein beyond your body's needs, the protein is convert- ed to fat because the body cannot store protein. If your brick walls are completely finished, you need to dispose of the extra bricks. If your muscle, bones, and protein-derived structures have been adequately tended to for the day, the nitrogen must be removed from the excess amino acids to form urine, and the rest of the structure is stored as fat. NUTRITION TALK Dive deeper into protein myths and how to plan and stick with a health-building diet at WAC Dietitian Liz Wyosnick's upcoming "Nutrition Fact or Fad" presenta- tion. RSVP on the WAC app. • 6–7:30 pm; Wednesday, November 5; Meisnest Room on the 3rd Floor living fit the power of protein Protein rules Eating the right amount of protein isn't about always eating more