How to Count Protein in Foods
- 1). Become aware of the foods that contain protein. Proteins are found in meats, fish and dairy. They are also found in some grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Consume more of these food items if you are not currently eating enough protein.
- 2). Figure out the amount of protein you need to consume. The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein is about 10 to 15 percent of total calorie intake.
- 3). Learn how to find out the amount of protein in your foods. Look at a food nutrition label. This will list protein amount per serving in grams. To figure out how many calories of protein in that food, multiply the amount of grams of protein by four. You can then figure out what percentage of the total calorie count is the protein.
- 4). Keep a reference list of the amount of protein in foods when you do not have access to a label. For instance, it is helpful to know that one ounce of meat, fish, or poultry has seven grams of protein, or that bread usually has three grams of protein. A good basic list that you put on an index card in your wallet can be helpful. You can find the information online and continually update this list as you obtain new information.
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