Protein Primer

Protein has become a kind of wonder nutrient in recent years. You probably know at least a handful of people who are proponents of the high-protein diet because it helped them peel off lots of pounds. While there is a definite perk to including a healthy amount of protein in your diet—studies show protein is more satiating than either fat or carbs—some of these plans push the protein limit too far. In fact, studies have shown that you'd be putting your health in jeopardy if you consumed the recommended amount of protein on these programs: Too much red meat increases your cancer risk and the saturated fat in fattier cuts of meat also ups your risk for heart disease. Even if you were to follow a high-protein diet that was based on lean meats, you'd still be cutting out whole grains, which means that you'd be skimping on fiber. This could put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes. Not to mention, studies also show that these diets simply don't work long-term. People get tired of them, and often gain back whatever weight they've lost, and then some.

So, figuring out the right amount of protein for you is key: It can help you stay satisfied at meals and ensure that you're getting important nutrients like iron and vitamin B12. Plus, if you focus on lean sources of protein, you'll also keep your fat and calorie intake in check.

How many protein servings do you need, and which sources are best? Most people need to limit their calories to 1,500 to 2,000 per day to lose weight; on that amount, six to seven protein servings is appropriate. If you can take in more than 2,000 calories and lose weight, you can have eight servings daily. Divvying them up throughout the day will help balance your meals, keeping you satisfied for longer periods of time. A sample day would look like this:

One at breakfast (for example, 1 egg)

Two at lunch (for example, 2 ounces of turkey breast)

Four at dinner (for example, four ounces of salmon or chicken without skin)

What's a serving?

Now that you know how many servings you should be shooting for each day, your next task is to find out what counts as a serving. Below, you'll find a list of protein-rich foods and the serving size for each. (A serving basically contains 65 calories and 5 to 9 g protein per serving. This may seem like a wide range, but foods like peanut butter are lower in protein for the calories while foods like skinless chicken breast are higher in protein for the same number of calories.) Whenever possible, opt for lean meat and chicken with the skin removed, and avoid any of these foods if they're fried.