Dried meat: Homemade beef jerky

var citeN=0; You can dry many types of meat, including beef, pork, goat, deer, and even some types of seafood, such as mussels. Drying meat tends to significantly increase the meat’s protein content per gram, often more than doubling it. It also helps preserve the meat, as bacteria need an aqueous environment to grow; adding salt helps further prevent bacterial growth. Dried meat preparation

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9 Causes Of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition of elevated blood pressure is chronically or more than 140/90 mmHg. This condition can be caused by various factors, even though you did not expect. Recently, a study published in the journal Circulation found that a diet containing high salt for several years is one of the factors that can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of high blood

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Natural Homemade Cough Syrup

It all started with research on a regular cough syrup you buy, it does not relieve cough. Then some people are looking for ways to make their own cough syrup using natural ingredients, and is not expected to contain chemicals. Indeed some cough syrup often contain antihistamines, which aims to reduce allergy symptoms of colds type. But antihistamines can make you drowsy, hallucinate, and chest

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No Electricity And No Kitchen...Is It Possible To Eat Out, Eat Healthy And Stay On A Budget?

I make no secrets about my feelings for fast food; the Golden Arches and the King in the Castle are no friends of mine. For 8 days we had no electricity and no kitchen. How can you get through that without eating pizza everyday and keeping your costs down? If you are resourceful you can get by.BREAKFASTI found myself in Dunkin Donuts most mornings getting a coffee with skim milk and an egg white

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New Graduate Library Assistant: Breyanna Davis

My name is Breyanna Davis and I am in my second semester at University of North Texas. I am pursuing a Masters in Library Science degree and I am interested in pursuing a career as a reference librarian and a as a library administrator. I have worked at a few academic libraries including Santa Monica College Library, Blagg-Huey Library at Texas Woman’s University, and University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. My favorite part of working in academic libraries is being able to assist students with research.

I graduated from Texas Woman’s University in 2014. I earned a Bachelor of General Studies with an emphasis on Business, Sociology, and Government. Some of my hobbies include music, reading, writing, modeling, and traveling.

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How Much Protein You REALLY Need

How much protein should I be eating every day?

This is a common question from athletes and really, protein is a huge topic in magazines, websites and newspapers. Protein has been attributed to promoting muscle growth and recovery, maintaining lean muscle mass during weight loss, reducing body fat gain in teens, and helping with blood sugar control.

With all these benefits, wouldn't it seem that more protein is better? 

Not necessarily...eating more protein won't magically make your muscles grow and you don't store the extra protein as amino acids to use later and you don't just "pee out" the extra protein you eat. Although many athletes like to focus on protein-rich foods and protein shakes/supplements, it's important to focus on building a balanced performance plate, where carbohydrates (think complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, fruit, starches) are making up the majority of your calories to fuel your muscles and protein is only ~25% of your plate. Because everyone's calorie needs are DIFFERENT, this "perfect amount" of protein is going to be different for everyone. A large male is going to need a lot more calories and a proportional increase in his protein needs compared with a lighter female.

Losing weight

You might have heard that a high protein diet helps you lose weight, but this may be because protein foods can help you feel less hungry if you're cutting calories in order to lose weight and because when you cut calories, you risk losing muscle in addition to body fat. Eating a slightly higher protein diet (~30% protein) can help you spare protein during weight loss.

Building muscle

When it comes to building muscle, you need to focus on several different components, not just protein intake.

Your strength training routine is important for muscle growth. A progressively difficult strength training routine allows your muscles to adapt to the new stressors you're putting them under by growing bigger and stronger.

You need to make sure you're meeting your weight maintenance calorie needs, plus extra calories to build muscle. 

You can estimate your maintenance calorie needs using different equations OR if you're serious about your training goals, you can get your resting energy expenditure tested. Knowing your  individual restring energy expenditure can help you individualize your performance diet by knowing exactly how many calories you SHOULD be eating during the day to support your performance.

Getting your resting energy expenditure tested is a quick and easy tool you can use to help you meet your goals.
Call the Sanford Sports Science Institute at (605) 312-7870 to make an appointment today!

 Many athletes aren't meeting their basic calorie needs to support performance or maintain weight, but may be drinking protein shakes, hoping they'll gain muscle, but that's just not how it works. You have to combine exercise and a balanced diet for muscle growth to occur. 

Protein needs based on your goals

Protein needs are slightly higher for people involved in exercise, for repairing the muscle damage from training and to build to muscle, and because in general, people who exercise have higher overall calorie needs. The recommended amount of protein for most adults (sedentary/currently not in training) is 0.8 g/kg (0.4 g/lb) body weight per day. 

This being said, most people can meet their protein needs through a real food diet and don't need extra protein or amino acid supplements. There hasn't been much research to support the claims made by supplement companies that they help you build muscle or "get lean" any better than real foods with protein.

Individual/Type of Athlete	Grams of protein per kg or lb. per day
Recreational exerciser, adult	1.1 - 1.6 g/kg (0.5-0.7 g/lb)
Endurance	1.3-1.6 g/kg (0.6-0.7 g/lb)
Strength (build muscle mass)	1.6-1.8 g/kg (0.7-0.8 g/lb)
Athlete restricting calories (weight loss)	1.8-2.0 g/kg (0.8-0.9 g/lb) *When you're cutting calories, you will lose fat, but you can also lose muscle, so protein intake is important to spare muscle protein. **The Profile weight loss plan is a personalized high protein plan that has helped many people lose weight and keep it off!

*Source: Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook 

A 130 lb. marathon running female would need between 78 and 91 grams of protein every day:

130 x 0.6 = 78 grams of protein/day

130 x 0.7 = 91 grams of protein/day

This breaks down to only about 26 grams of protein per meal, if she eats 3 meals a day (really, most people are eating pre- and/or post-workout snacks). Think about eating some protein at each meal and snack (beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, fish, meat, hummus, and milk).

Example of protein in meals:

Meal	Food	Grams of protein per meal
Breakfast	2 whole eggs, scrambled 1 handful of spinach ¼ cup part-skim mozzarella 1 banana	23 g
Snack	¼ cup almonds 1 apple	7 g
Lunch	4 cups of mixed greens Chopped bell peppers 1/2 cup black beans ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) 2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette	17 g
Snack	1 cup Greek yogurt 1 Tbsp honey ½ cup blueberries	22 g
Dinner	1 cup brown rice, cooked 4 oz. grilled chicken breast 1 cup steamed broccoli	40 g

Focus on balance

You can prevent muscle breakdown and maximize strength gains by optimizing your nutrition plan throughout the entire day. Instead of focusing on "protein, protein, protein," you should be providing your body with the "building blocks" it needs for muscle growth by eating a balanced meal or snack with protein and carbohydrates every 3-4 hours.You may have heard of the "window of opportunity" - eating a protein/carbohydrate-rich snack 30-60 minutes after your workout can aid in recovery and promote muscle repair.

If you're struggling in your workouts, check your carbohydrate intake - if you're cutting too many calories and carbohydrates out of your diet, your performance could suffer because you're not fueling your muscles with the carbohydrates needed to work hard.

The Forgotten R - REST

Don't forget how important REST can be in your performance plan. Without rest days, you aren't giving your body enough time to repair from your last workout. By fueling your body correctly and taking time to rest, your body will be able to recover properly and you will ultimately be able to meet your goals.

As with everything in life, meeting your goals takes time. Stray away from programs that promise quick results - you have to put in the work and the time to meet your performance goals.

You can make an appointment to get your resting energy expenditure tested or to speak with the sports nutritionist at the Sanford Sports Science Institute by calling (605) 312-7870. 

Related links:

Today's Dietitian || Athletes and Protein Intake

MyFitnessPal || Nutrition 101 - Protein

Science Daily || Protein-packed breakfast prevents body fat gain in overweight teens

Eat Right || Protein and the Athlete: How Much Do You Need?

Greatist || 31 Healthy and Portable High-Protein Snacks

Stack || The High Protein Food You're Not Eating Enough Of

Profile by Sanford || Grocery Store Picks

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Native American Heritage Month: Book Spotlight

The first book of its kind, Native Americans in the American Revolution: How the War Divided, Devastated, and Transformed the Early American Indian World gives an encompassing look at the various Native American tribes and their experiences during the war. The book focuses on the north, south, and west's experience both at the collapse of the British Indian Policy and the start of the Revolutionary War. Also included is a guide on the main Native American groups presented by region, a timeline of events, a brief introduction, and a concluding chapter dealing with the post-Revolutionary War period. This is an excellent read for anyone wishing to gain a more complete view of the American Revolution.

You can find this eBook and many more in the UNT Dallas Library Catalog.

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