Protein Power
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2021

Protein Power

Among the many important nutrients we get from a healthy, diversified diet is protein. Here are a few things you might not know about this essential piece of the nutrition puzzle.

  1. Protein is best known for building muscle, but it is important for building all over your body, including your bones. Protein can even help prevent osteoporosis and broken bones.
  2. Your organs could not function without protein. The essential nutrient builds organs and helps them run smoothly. It also helps move nutrients—like vitamins, minerals, sugars, cholesterol, and oxygen—throughout the body. It also helps store surpluses of iron for later use.
  3. Protein is an important building block for the components that make up the immune system too. The amino acids that make up protein are used to make T cells, B cells, and antibodies that alert the body to intruders and kill them off before they can cause an infection.  And when you get a cut or a scrape, protein is there to support immune function, manage inflammation, and heal the wound by creating new tissue.
  4. Getting enough protein helps you look and feel your best too. It is a building block of healthy hair and nails.
  5. Is there anything protein can’t do? Well, protein is your body’s least favorite choice for making energy. It uses sugars (carbohydrates) first and fats second before finally moving on to protein.
  6. Lean meats and fish are great sources of protein, including turkey, chicken, tuna, and sardines. Eggs, yogurt (especially Greek- and skyr-style yogurts), and cottage cheese offer lots of protein too. But meat and dairy are not the only places you can get protein. There are so many wonderful plant-based sources too. Lentils, avocados, nuts, beans, tempeh, snap peas, and mushrooms are good sources. And studies about protein from plants show that it can help lower blood pressure. It can also decrease your LDL, or bad cholesterol levels, which lowers your risk of heart disease.
  7. Surprisingly, several grain, or carbohydrate-rich foods are also pretty high in protein, including oats (5 g per cup), baked potato (8 g each), sweet corn (4 g per ear), and Quinoa (8 g per cup).   
  8. And protein is so satisfying! Protein takes longer to break down in your stomach, so making protein a part of each meal will leave you feeling fuller longer than meals without protein.
  9. Most people should get at least 10% of their daily calories from protein. That’s about 56 grams for a man (based on 2,000 calories a day) and 46 grams for a woman (1,800 calories a day).
  10. Protein and unhealthy fats are linked in many of our favorite foods, like red meat and cheese, so it is wise to use caution when portioning these foods. Embracing protein in its high-fat or processed forms can be linked to adverse outcomes, like cancer, high cholesterol, kidney stones, weight gain, and constipation.

Now that you understand all that protein can do for you, it’s time to explore some new recipes with these protein-rich ingredients. Cheers!

Kristin Irace, RD, is a registered dietitian with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington.

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Moving Forward Safely

One of the most frustrating and anxiety-producing traits of our COVID –19 pandemic is how much uncertainty is involved in all aspects of this disease. Symptoms caused by the Coronavirus, age groups affected, the usefulness of medications, anticipated death rate, and the timeline for development of a vaccine are examples of information that sometimes change on a weekly basis.

Vermonters have done a great job of limiting the spread of the virus and protecting our most vulnerable neighbors by following the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order over the past few months. Now, we've all been directed to wear masks in public. Both Bennington and Wilmington's Select Boards have passed local mandates requiring masks in public places. Thanks to these efforts—along with distancing, handwashing, and other factors—Vermont is among the states with the fewest number of infections. Continuing each of these important infection-prevention strategies is crucial to returning to a more normal way of life.

As we open up and begin to re-connect, we fully expect to see a rise in COVID –19 cases in Vermont. Thankfully, we have had time to prepare for this increase. We also have adequate PPE, and increased testing will help us gather crucial information for stemming the spread with less disruption to our normal lives.

More than ever, I find it helpful to focus on what we have learned and how it can help us move forward safely. Here is some of what we have learned so far: Most large hospitals, often treating over 1000 COVID patients daily, effectively protected their workers by obsessively following the rules of screening, hygiene, distancing, and masking. Each of these components is designed to work together; Each alone has its inherent limits.

  • Absent quick testing at the workplace, the best screening is asking employees if they have COVID-like symptoms (fever, chills, new cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste or smell) and to stay home if they do.
  • Washing our hands (or using sanitizer) after touching well-handled items or visiting populated areas. Washing your hands 10 times daily is not too often.
  • Though an uncovered sneeze or cough can travel farther, 6 feet distancing continues to be the sweet spot for safety.
  • Masks (double layer cotton and surgical) are effective to prevent spreading of large and some small droplets containing virus. They also seem to give some minimal protection to those wearing a mask. Since possibly 40 percent of transmission happens when we do not have symptoms, we wear our masks to protect others and to suppress overall infection rate. They also help many people (not all) to avoid touching their face. The downside is a warm chin; the upside is you may be protecting someone from a significant illness. Masks are not a symbol of government intrusion. Masks are simply a tool to protect others and show empathy.

It is difficult to predict how many COVID-19 infections will occur in our communities in the coming months. What I am certain of is that our choices, on where we go and what we do, often affect the safety of those around us. As we learn to live with this virus in our community, following the recommendation above will help us all.

Marie George, MD, is SVMC’s infectious disease specialist.

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