If you donât eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, you may not be getting all the micronutrients your body needs. In fact, Americans tend to eat foods that are high in calories and low in micronutrients.These foods often also contain added sugar, sodium (salt), saturated fat or trans fat.f you donât eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, you may not be getting all the micronutrients your body needs. In fact, Americans tend to eat foods that are high in calories and low in micronutrients.
If you DO workout and you DO have some type of diet or fitness related goal (like building muscle, losing fat, etc.), you should eat between 0.8-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. This is what most consider to be the ideal protein intake range for healthy adults who exercise regularly and are trying to improve their body in some way.
But if youâre not a boxer trying to go pro, how much do you need to stay fit or lose weight? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your activity level. Men who work out for 45 minutes three to five days a week need about 0.45 gram per pound; women with the same activity level need 0.35 gram per pound. So an 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day. For a 140-pound woman, that translates to nearly 50 grams of protein daily. Now, for the fun part: eating! The fewer calories you consume, the greater the proportion of calories that should come from protein, says Donald Layman, PhD, a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois.