How much protein do I need a day

How much protein is enough? 

Someone asked today about how much protein intake as they are starting their program. There is some validity to high protein intakes for muscle growth that these body builders talk up, but calories still trump protein overall when it comes to gaining muscle. Guys trying to bulk up muscle need to eat... and not just protein. Carbohydrates play just as big of a role, if not an even more important role in lean tissue gains – helping protein to be deposited into muscle cells instead of being burned for energy.

Think of Jamie Eason, perhaps the most visible female fitness model on earth if you look at how many magazine covers and advertisements she has been featured. She says, “If I want to grow more muscle, I just eat more carbs.” So don't get hung up on overdoing protein unless you have a lot of muscle mass to support. Women do require more carbs, even on a Ketogenic Paleo Vegetarian / Vegan diet plan. 

Here are and adaptation of Jamie's Gluten-Free Protein Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour or coconut flour (DO NOT use Almond Flour... I'll explain below) 
1/2 cup rolled quinoa (or shredded coconut flakes or gluten-free oats)
1 cup Protein Powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Himilayan salt
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (although I prefer using natural raw honey)
1 cup canned organic pure pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla flax or hemp milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
10 drops of Sweet Leaf stevia

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray a 9 X 13 glass Pyrex dish with non-stick coconut spray.
3. Stir together the dry ingredients including flour, quinoa, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the molasses, pumpkin, applesauce, almond milk, vanilla and stevia.
4. Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. The batter tends to be kind of thick by the end so stir hard. (If it’s too thick, you can add a splash more of the almond milk, but I didn’t need to.)
6. Spread batter evenly into the 9 X 13 dish and bake for about 20 minutes.

This is why you should never use almond flour. First off... it's very high in calories comparably. How many Paleo folks start using almond flour and start gaining weight? It's also really not healthy when used in baking. Almonds do contain high levels of polyunsaturated fats. The omega 6 in almonds stays protected from oxidation from it's surface skin and vitamin E. Now go ahead and grind them up and you remove that protective shell and increase the surface area exponentially, which makes the nut oxidize. Not take your flour and stick it into a nice hot oven, baking usually at 350 F or more for an hour, or maybe more.

Can you say "rancid PUFA's". Take my advice and use the homemade gluten-free oat flour or coconut flour instead. (or even sweet potato flour) and you'll be happier and healthier for it.

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