Reading food labels may seem complicated, so for newcomers to the concept, here is an easy guide to the basics:

Start Here:

Serving size: Begin by looking at the serving size under the nutrition facts. Make sure that if you are choosing to eat this food, that the serving size matches up to a realistic portion of what you are going to consume.  For example, a 1oz serving of hard pretzels may fit the bill for your caloric intake of a snack at around 100 calories, but if you gobble up four handfuls, you most likely ate at least three servings.  Remember that if you are eating double the serving size, you must double all the nutrition facts.  In turn, if you are eating only half a serving size, you can cut the nutrition facts panel in half.

Calories: A calorie is a unit of energy.  Everyone requires calories on a daily basis for the bodies basic function, and you require even more for daily activities and exercise.  Caloric balance is a term used when the calories you are consuming is equal to calories you output each day.  Caloric balance is an ideal goal for those trying to maintain their current weight.  Simply put, if you are trying to lose weight, cutting back on calories can help you achieve a calorie deficit, aka eating less calories then you are consuming.  If you are trying to gain weight, you can achieve caloric excess by eating more calories than you are using daily.  Everyone requires a different amount of calories each day according to their goals, so keep your daily goals in mind when reading food labels.

Limit These:

Total Fat:  According to The American Heart Association, total fat should be limited to between 56-78g/day.  These recommendations are for 25-35% of total calories from fat based on a 2.000 calorie diet.  Depending on what your calorie needs are, your fat intake may be higher or lower.  As a Registered Dietitian, I usually recommend a total fat daily percentage to not exceed 30% of total calories.  To find your needs, multiply your daily calorie needs by .30 and then divide this number by 9.  For example, a person on a 1500 calorie/day diet should not consume more than 50g of fat/day (1500 x .30 = 450/9 = 50)

Saturated Fat: Saturated fat, aka bad fats, can be found primarily in animal and animal byproducts, as well as processed foods and sweets.  Since these fats contribute to heart disease, limit them! This number is a subdivision of your total fats, not in addition to. Like the above equation, aim for saturated fats to be <7%  of your daily caloric intake.  To find your needs, multiply your daily calorie needs by .07 and then divide this number by 9.  The same person eating 1500 calories/day should consume no more than 12g/saturated fat/day. (1500 x .07 = 105/9 = 11.6).

To learn more about dietary fat, read my article Dietary Fat: Eat, drink, and be fit and happy.

Sodium: Recommendations for daily sodium intake were recently lowered to just 1,500 mg/day.  Keep in mind that processed foods tend to contain high amounts of sodium to add flavor and help preserve shelf-life.  If you are eating a food that is high in sodium, try to eat fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables, for the rest of the day.  Also remember that even foods that contain no calories, like diet soda, may still contain sodium.

Sugar: Although there are no set recommendations for daily intake of sugar by the FDA, try to keep daily intake on the lower end to help prevent weight gain, heart disease, and Type 2 Diabetes.  When reading nutrition facts, keep in mind that for every 4 grams of added sugar on the label, it is equivalent to one tsp on added sugar in that food.

To learn more about sugar in the diet, read my article Brush Up on Your Basics: Sugar in the Diet

Get Enough of These:

Protein: Although the average American diet is not lacking protein, I feel it important to make sure there is healthy protein in the foods I am eating when reading food labels.  The reason for this is that foods that contain protein help you stay full longer, since they take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates and sugar, as well as provide the body with essential amino acids for muscle recovery and maintenance.  If total calories and saturated fat are being monitored and within the recommended limits,and other food groups are not being neglected, I recommend protein be eaten without further boundaries.

Dietary Fiber: The average adult should eat somewhere between 25-35grams of dietary fiber/day.  When looking at food labels, soluble and insoluble fiber may be distinguished.  Both are good for health, helping to lower cholesterol, slow the absorption of food, and aid in digestion, but just focus on getting your total numbers within a healthy range to meet basic fiber needs.

Vitamins/Minerals:  Both naturally occurring and added vitamins and minerals are listed in percentage form on the nutrition label of foods. Remember that the percentage is based on a 2.000 calorie diet, which is not suited for everyone.  The FDA requires that Vitamins A, C, calcium and iron be listed on every food label, so keep these vitamins and minerals in mind when reading.  For example, if you consistently notice that foods you are eating do not contain any calcium, a supplement may be a good option for you.

So now that you know how to decipher a food label, keep this information in mind to become a more educated consumer.  Take advantage of your knowledge to choose foods that fit into the right diet for you!

Graham, Dan J., and Melssa N. Laska. “Nutrition Label Use Partially Mediates the Relationship   between Attitude toward Healthy Eating and Overall Dietary Quality among College             Students.”       Www.andjrnl.org. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 14 Nov. 2011.             Web. 27 Mar. 2012.             <http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S0002-8223%2811%2901540-        9/abstract?elsca1=etoc&elsca2=email&elsca3=2212       2672_201203_112_3&elsca4=nutrition_dietetics>.

“What Choices Are You Making?” Ibx.com. Independence Blue Cross. Web. Apr. 2011.

Bumble Bee Easy Peel Sensations Bowls

Tuna is one of my lunch time favorites, but sometimes even the thought of opening, draining, mixing, and seasoning can leave me feeling overwhelmed with two minutes to get out the door. That’s why I love Bumblebee’s Easy Peel Sensations.  Each individual bowl can be easily opened without a can opener and there is no need to mix with mayonnaise because each bowl is already seasoned to perfection.  With flavors like lemon and cracked pepper (my personal favorite), sundried tomato and basil, and spicy thai chili, these bowls are my secret weapon when I want to eat healthy but skip the prep work. Each bowl has less then two-hundred calories and about thirty grams of protein!

Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Soups

Soups are a classic lunch food, and since many come in easy microwavable containers they are an easy on the go meal to bring to work.  However, many of them are packed with sodium, and I find the low-sodium options to be lacking a lot of flavor.  This is why I scanned the grocery store aisles and did some taste sampling to find the best tasting, moderate sodium, low calorie soup to help my clients and readers make good choices at the lunch table.  Campbell’s got it right when they created their Select Harvest Light soup varieties.  All their twelve different varieties contain 100% all natural ingredients and even if you eat the entire container, it will only set you back between 100 to 160 calories.  Although the sodium levels are not low, two cups contains around 1,200mg, so as long as you pair your soup with other lower sodium choices throughout the day you should be okay.

Green Giant Healthy Blend frozen vegetables

Green Giant recently came out with their health blend veggies which conveniently steam in the microwave and make it easy to get in a couple servings of vegetables at lunch.  Each variety spotlights a different aspect of good health including their antioxidant-rich blend, healthy vision blend, heart health blend, digestive health blend and healthy weight blend.  My favorite is the healthy weight blend, which contained carrots, sugar snap peas, black beans and edamame tossed in a light butter sauce.  There are two servings in each container, and eating the entire package provides ten grams of fiber, ten grams of protein, and only has six grams of sugar and 180 calories.

EAS Myoplex OriginalReady-to-Drink Protein Shakes

I am an advocate of healthy homemade protein shakes made with real fruit, but sometimes getting out the blender doesn’t fit into your morning to-do list.  EAS Myoplex shakes are a great option and not only take absolutely no time to prepare, but I think they taste great.  Each three-hundred calorie shake container is seventeen ounces and packs in forty-two grams of protein, six grams of sugar, and has only two grams sugar.

Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal

One of my favorite breakfast/lunches is 1/2 C Quaker quick-oats, 1/2 banana sliced and 1 C almond milk in the microwave for three minutes and topped with 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter.  It is so warm, so filling and the combination of ingredients is delicious! However, sometimes there just isn’t time for measuring, slicing, and waiting! For those types of days, I am glad I have Quaker Weight Control packets on hand.  Just add hot water and you’ve got a warm meal with seven grams of protein, six grams of fiber and one gram of sugar, this oatmeal is a good option for a lunch where all you have to do is add hot water and eat!

My advice, pick up some of the above options for the days where ten minutes of extra sleep feels like an extra hour and pair with other grab-n-go items like fruit, greek yogurt, whole-grain crackers or protein bars for a complete meal.

Fortunately, a healthy breakfast doesn’t need to be complicated – or expensive. I recently started making my own muesli, and I don’t see myself returning to commercially produced cereal any time soon. Prepare this recipe on Sunday evening for a week’s worth of breakfasts (or more). Store Muesli in an airtight container. If you plan to consume the cereal within a week, store it at room temperature; otherwise, stick it in the fridge and let it warm up a bit before serving.

Perhaps the most appealing part of this recipe is its imprecision – you can add whatever you like (and omit the things you don’t like), so long as you begin with a solid base of oats. On that note, let’s get started!

Homemade Muesli: The Real Breakfast of Champions

1. Pour 16 ounces rolled oats into a bowl. I prefer Bob’s Red Mill brand, but any rolled oats will do.
2. To the oats, add one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon cinnamon. The salt will enhance the flavor of the cereal, and the cinnamon – in addition to spicing the Muesli – may lower your LDL cholesterol levels. Cinnamon also provides calcium, fiber, iron, and manganese. If, after you’ve completed this recipe, your Muesli tastes bland, feel free to add more salt and cinnamon. Just be wary of how much salt you add; one advantage of this recipe is that it contains less sodium than many commercial cereals.
3. Add unsweetened, shredded coconut to your oat mixture. I love coconut, so I add about one cup, but you can add more or less, given your preferences.
4. Add about one cup of nuts, roughly chopped, to your mixture. When I make this recipe, I use mixed, unsalted nuts – I like the variety – but you may use whatever nuts are readily available. I will suggest using unsalted nuts so you don’t unnecessarily raise the cereal’s sodium level. In addition to adding flavor and crunch, nuts contribute heart-healthy fats and protein to this recipe.
5. After you’ve added nuts, add one cup of the dried fruit of your choice. I like to use raisins, dried pineapple (diced), and dried mango (diced). Dried pineapple tends to be very sweet, so I use only ¼ cup or so. Raisins, on the other hand, aren’t as sweet, and can be added in greater quantity.
6. If you’re feeling decadent, add a scant amount of coarsely chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao) to the mixture.
7. Once you’ve added everything to the bowl, mix thoroughly.
8. Transfer the muesli to an airtight container, and enjoy at your leisure!

Serving suggestions: Muesli is great with almond or rice milk, or sprinkled on a bowl of plain Greek yogurt. In addition, it can be eaten plain as a pre-workout snack.

Photo by Melissa Wiese

You might have heard that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a “bad thing to eat”, but did you know that common table sugar’s (sucrose) molecular profile closely resembles that of HFCS?

Why is High Fructose Corn Syrup Bad Anyway?

HFCS is 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Glucose is what fuels our body and can be metabolized by every cell in our body (good!). Fructose can only be metabolized in our liver (bad!). Based on recent studies fructose does the following nasty things to your body:

• Can cause bloating, diarrhea, and other digestive issues for some people
• Causes ghrelin hormonal spikes, which makes you hungry
• Is processed only by the liver, which means:
  • The liver converts much of the fructose into fat.
  • The byproduct of this process is uric acid (plays a role in cardiovascular disease)
  • Continuous burden on the liver to convert fructose into fat can contribute to fatty liver disease and insulin resistance (which leads to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes)

For more information on how bad fructose is for you, check out Dr. Lustig’s lecture: Sugar: The Bitter Truth.

How Similar Are Sugar and HFCS?

Sucrose is made up of a molecule of carbohydrate glucose and one molecule of cabohydrate fructose, a 50-50 mixture of the two.

High fructose corn syrup is made up of the same two molecules, but in a 55-45 mixture (pretty close eh?).

Some Carbs that Contain a Substantial Amount of Fructose

• Table sugar
• Brown sugar
• Cane sugar
• Honey (both processed & raw)
• Fruits
• Maple Syrup
• Molasses
• Agave Nectar
• Palm/Coconut Sugar

Pretty much anything noticeably sweet will contain fructose in it.

Some Carbs that Do Not Contain Fructose

• Potatoes
• Rice
• Wheat
• Barley
• Oats
• Bread
• Yam

These complex carbohydrates get broken down to purely glucose (the good stuff!). A lot of food manufacturers use these ingredients as base ingredients and add a bunch of extra sugar and HFCS to make their products sell. To be sure, make sure you try to eat as little processed foods and as more raw, whole foods as you can.

What? I Can’t  Even Eat Fruits Anymore?

Not exactly. The human body can safely tolerate a healthy amount of sugar we get from eating a sensible amount of fruits and vegetables. In fact, the body can tolerate a little bit more before it starts to misbehave.

According to this NY Times article, it is recommended that we do not consume more than 40 pounds of sugar per person per year (in addition to our natural fruits and vegetable allotment). Now that’s a bit of an odd number to imagine, so if you break it down into days, it’s about 200 calories per day of sugar.

Go Forth, Be Healthy, and Share!

I’d be interested to hear from any of you who has decided to quit sugar. I’ve switched to eating whole foods for a while now and I do notice a drop of 8 lbs after 2 months. I guess it’s a nice side effect of not consuming the extra sugar that comes along with processed foods.

Walk into any running store and one of the first things you will see is an entire wall dedicated to nutritional products.  There are products to reduce the likelihood of cramping, speed recovery, maximize performance, etc.  I admit, it can be a little overwhelming.

When it comes to supplements for runners, I consider myself to be somewhat of a minimalist.  I don’t like to disrupt the flow of my body’s natural way of doing things.  I’ve tried salt tablets on a couple occasions, even though I’ve never really had any issues with cramping.  I take a Chondroitin Glucosamine supplement once in awhile to assist with joint cartilage repair.  I consider these to be kind of “specialty products”, geared toward a very specific issue.

The vast majority of what you will see on that wall is ENERGY.  Gels, jelly beans, cookies, granola bars, protein bars, all promising to make you perform better.  Before you read on, let me first say that there is no substitute for a well-balanced diet.  The products you see at the running store are not intended to be used as meal replacements.  If you’ve ever eaten a Whopper Value Meal and tried to run five miles an hour later, chances are you know that an energy gel is not going to save you.

Why Use Energy Gels?

In my view, energy gels are to be used for calorie replenishment and to maintain an optimum blood/sugar level DURING exercise.  No more than that, no less than that.  They are not magic and they will not take seconds off your PR.  They may, however, enable you to sustain your desired level of activity for a longer period of time by quickly replacing lost glucose stores.

Let me also preface this next part by saying that I do not work for Gu.  I’m not suggesting that Gu makes the best product on the market or that Gu is for everyone.  It just happens to be the product line that I tried first.  It worked for me and once I find something that works for me, I don’t like to mess with it.  Here are three different Gu options that are all nutritionally engineered to achieve basically the same goal.

Gu Energy Gels

If Gu were Honda, this is the Civic.  It is affordable, starts up every time, and gives you excellent gas mileage.  This is purely a sugar replenishment supplement.  Gu’s website boasts of all kinds of additional benefits involving hydration levels and mental performance.  I’m not a chemist.  All I can say is that this product will give you 100 calories that are easily and rapidly digested.  There are various flavors from Just Plain to Mint Chocolate to Tri-Berry.  Three different levels of caffeine to meet your preference (No Caffeine, Normal, & Double).  You can get these around $1.29/each so stock up on these like basic tees.

Gu Roctane Energy Gels

This looks pretty similar to the Honda Civic from afar.  But as you get closer, you’ll notice they’ve added some 20″ rims and a turbocharger.  Still 100 calories, the key difference between the Roctane and the regular Gel is that they’ve basically tripled the amount of amino acids and they’ve added OKG–which is an amino acid complex that inhibits muscle breakdown.  In short, the Roctane should get to work on energy and electrolyte replenishment even faster than a regular Gu gel.  This may help you out during difficult tempo runs or long speedwork sessions.  I find them to be a little thicker and thus harder to get down, so make sure you wash it down with water to jumpstart the digestion process.  You’ll pay more for these, around $2.29 apiece, so I usually reserve them for my hardest training runs.

Gu Chomps

Instead of a Honda Civic, maybe you want a hybrid crossover.  These energy chews are a great alternative to gels.  Each bag has two servings (eight chews), so you can just pop one or two whenever you feel like it if you don’t want to take in a whole serving at once.  They can be a little sticky and difficult to dig out when you’re on the move.  And a full bag can be a little bulky in your pocket.  But an empty gel packet in your pocket can be pretty sticky and messy as well.  So pick your poison.  I find the Chomps to be the best bang for my buck.  Only 90 calories instead of 100, but I seem to get great results out them.  These run about the same cost as the Roctane, except you get the double serving.

Flavors

If you’ve never had an energy gel or chew before, the first experience can be a little shocking to your taste buds.  The Gu products are loaded with maltodextrin and fructose, giving you a huge burst of sweetness.  Finding flavors that you can tolerate is almost as critical as choosing the right overall product.  Try running by a cow pasture in 90 degree heat after you’ve already logged five miles.  The smell is nauseating.  Similarly, the taste of the wrong energy gel can make you sick to your stomach.  Don’t be afraid to try different flavors, even if you think you won’t like it.  I never thought I’d like Lemon Lime during a run but it turned out to be one of my favorites.  If it’s the texture of gels that bothers you, give the Chomps a shot.  Happy training!

Water is essential for life. Water is the most important nutrient and the most abundant substance in the human body. Three quarters of the human body is made up of water; it is a major component in every cell. As simple as the three molecules (two hydrogen and one oxygen) that make up water are, they are necessary for so many basic physiological functions. Directly and indirectly, water is responsible for how the body regulates itself, produces energy, carries and delivers nutrients, filters toxins and many other vital processes of life. While a very straightforward concept, many people still do not give their body enough water or truly understand the benefits to the additives that go into water and other beverages.

The Facts

Water is needed to separate (by a process called hydrolysis) a phosphate group from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to get energy as illustrated by the following equations.

ATP +H2O = Energy + ADP + Inorganic Phosphate
GTP +H2O = Energy + GDP + Inorganic Phosphate

All energy from food is used to generate ATP or GTP before its energy can be used by the human body, which makes water crucial to all energy usage by the human body. This is one of the reasons why drinking water can help you have more energy.

The Function

Water is the containing medium for electrolytes and all other ions throughout the human body.
**Being only 2% dehydrated can seriously degrade physical and mental functions.
**Being 15% dehydrated is likely to be lethal.
Water is also very important for removing toxins from the human body. The body has four major ways of removing toxins which are: perspiration, urination, bowels, and processing of toxins by the liver.
Water is also important to fitness and fat loss for several reasons including the following:

How Much To Drink

It is normally recommended to drink about 2 to 3 quarts of water per day. However, your size, activity level and the climate conditions you live in play an important role. As a general rule: if your urine is bright yellow, then you need to drink more water. Also, anyone who exercises nonstop for more than 1 hour should consider replacing electrolytes along with the water. This is to avoid hyponatremia (depleted sodium) or other forms of severe electrolyte depletion which can be dangerous.

Recommended daily amount (litres/day)

• Children: 1.3-1.7L
• Men: 3.7L
• Women: 2.7L
• Pregnant Women: 3.0L
• Lactating Women: 3.8L

Calculate Your Own Daily Water Requirement
The International Sports Medicine Institute recommends using this formula to calculate your specific needs.
You can also try this online Calculator for Daily Water Requirement.

Body Weight (in pounds)
Water Needed for Activity Level (50% for Sedentary People; 75% for Active Individuals
Add 16 fl oz. if you live in a dry climate
Add 16 fl oz. for strenuous exercise.

Example: 150 lbs. x 75% + 16 oz. + 16 oz. = 144.5 oz. per day.
if you divide by the number of hours you are awake, 144.5 oz/ 16 hrs. = 9 fl. oz per hour.

Negative Consequences of Over Ingestion

There are no maximum doses. Healthy and fully operating kidneys theoretically can filter up to 0.7 litres of water in one hour, that is almost 17 litres of water a day. However excessive ingestion of water and other liquids is extra work for the body. Signs of intoxication of water are hyponatriemya (decreased amount of natrium in blood) and rubdomiolysis (damage of muscularity – collapse of skeleton) what can cause acute incompetence of kidneys. Also it must be considered that average amount of water ingested by food is only 20% of recommended daily amount. The human brain is about 85% water and our bones are between 10 to 15% water.

The Truth About Water

The real truth is that water is one of the best cures for our most common ailments. The flip side of this is that there is very little money in selling water and for the most part it is free. Doctors almost never write a prescription for water and yet look what all it can treat: allergies, asthma, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, alcohol dependency, lower back pain, neck pain, and on and on.
Don’t be fooled by considering the coffee, tea or soda pop that you drink as part of your water intake; these products are caffeinated producing the opposite effect on our bodies. Caffeine acts as a diuretic to our system and actually results in water reduction to our bodies. The same applies to drinks with alcohol. If you are drinking these items make sure you don’t count them as part of your eight glasses of water per day.

Drinking Water to Prevent Aging

Now is it just coincidental that disease and/or health problems dramatically increase as we get older? It has not been well documented, but there is a common generalized reduction in the amount of water in their intake in people as they age, which reduces their body water percentage. Some of the symptons that older people get lead them to reduce their water intake (such as high blood pressure). Loss of water in all tissues continues and is probably involved in many of the physical alterations associated with aging.

Strategies for Drinking More Water

Low Calorie Fresh Homemade Gatorade

• 1 quart of cold water
• 1 lime (or 1 lemon or 1 orange)
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1 tsp of salt
• few ice cubes

Squeeze the lime/lemon/orange juice out into the 1 quart of water. Throw in the sugar, honey, salt, and then mix until every dissolves. Throw some ice cubes in there to get it super chilled (perfect aid during a rigorous workout).

High Calorie Fresh Homemade Gatorade

Just increase sugar and honey to your preferred taste. I usually don’t exceed more than 2 tbsp of sugar or honey.

Other Flavors

You can always substitute the lime, lemon, orange with a fruit juice of your choice or a packet of KoolAid. I wouldn’t recommend bottled juices or KoolAid though because it’s not really “fresh”.

Post Workout Recovery

After a tough workout, pair your homemade low-calorie gatorade with some protein shakes and your body will thank you for providing adequate hydration and nutrients for recovery.

Three Important Types of Protein to Know

Whey (fast-absorbing)

Whey protein is found as a by-product of milk and cheese productions. This type of protein can be quickly ingested into the body quickly. Because of that whey protein shakes are the best protein shakes for post-workout recovery.

Casein (slow-absorbing)

Casein protein accounts for about 80% of proteins in cow milk and cheese. This type of protein has the ability to coagulate (gel or clot) in your stomach, which causes it to digest very slowly. I opt to use for Casein powder instead of milk is because milk contains fats and carbohydrates, which I do not need for my purposes.

Egg (medium-absorbing)

Egg protein is found in [you guessed it] eggs. These proteins take about one and a half to three hours to absorb into your body (medium absorption rate). As a side note, careful nutritional inspection will reveal that egg yolks are quite good for you too. Here is a comparison between egg white and egg yolk.

How to Take These Proteins

Whey Protein

Because whey protein can be absorbed quickly, it is best consumed immediately after a workout. After an intense workout, your body is in a state that craves nutrients. Failure to provide proper nutrition will force the body into a catabolic state (you do not want this). After a workout, you need simple carbohydrates to quickly push the body out of its catabolic state and whey protein to help your muscles rebuild. After my workouts, I drink a shake consisting of sugar and whey protein mixed at ~2:1 ratio. For example my post-workout protein shake consists of

• Water
• 50g of whey protein (usually 2 scoops)
• 100g of pure cane sugar OR 125g of honey

(About ~80% of honey is sugar, giving 100g of sugar total.)

I prefer using 125g of honey because it is more soluble it contains potassium which also aids in muscle recovery and helps prevent cramps.

Casein Protein

Because casein protein is absorbed very slowly, it is best to consume this protein before you sleep. The reason for this is because your body goes into starvation every night and runs on catabolism. Sleep is really the best time for your body to rebuild and recover, but it cannot do it if it is in a catabolic state. The slow release property of casein protein provides your body with a constant small source of protein to keep your body from catabolism. My pre-sleep shake is quite simple: water and casein protein (no other non-sense).

Egg Protein

Egg proteins fall in between the two extremes and it is also a truly natural gold-standard source of protein. Some people suggest drinking whey protein in the morning to combat catabolism from sleep, but I prefer to incorporate eggs into my breakfast. Why?

• One egg contains more than 6 grams of high quality protein containing all the essential amino acids our body needs to build and maintain muscle mass.
• I need my breakfast to keep me full longer than 2 hours. Egg protein take longer to absorb than whey protein. Eggs also contain several B vitamins required for energy production (good way to start your day full of energy).
• I don’t want to drink protein powders all day.
• Eggs is one of the best fat burning foods.

You shouldn’t eat more than 1 egg per day because of its cholesterol content. The good news is that cholesterol is only found in the egg yolk. So my optimal breakfast would contain, 1 whole egg (with yolk) + 1 egg without yolk, giving me ~10g of egg protein to start my day. I opt for 1 whole egg because the B vitamins and other useful nutrients are only found in the yolk.

Conclusion

Smart protein consumption is crucial to fitness success. I guarantee that if you follow this protein consumption plan, you will notice results quicker from your exercises. You will not be as sore during workouts, allowing you to workout longer. You will be sore less often, allowing you to exercise more often. You can even tweak your protein consumption (add more nutrients) to make them act like protein diet shakes and replace meals. Also, retaining more muscle mass will help you will lose fat quicker. As a bonus, check out my post on the best protein powder and optimize your protein consumption today!