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Sound Bites
July, 1996

by Dawn B. Olcott
Information on nutrition and health selected from a variety of publications for your enjoyment and edification.

How Much Protein?
There is much debate these days over how much protein a person should eat. High carbohydrate diets have been popular for low cholesterol and weight loss diets. Now, high protein diets are back. There are many arguments for and against each type. Meanwhile, until health professionals come up with clear evidence as to what is best, a diet that includes a balance of nutrients from a wide variety of fresh foods is a wise course.

So, how much protein do we need? According to the June 1996 Berkeley Wellness Letter, the current RDA for protein for adults works out to about 8% of daily calories. The RDA is based on 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram of body weight, with the recommendation that more protein should come from plant than animal sources. That works out to about 64 grams of protein for a 175 lb man and 47 grams of protein for a 130 lb woman. To determine your protein requirements, according to the RDA, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 and then multiply the answer by 0.8. (Note: If you are overweight or underweight you may need to adjust your answer by using a more ideal weight.)

How do you know how many grams of protein are contained in foods? For packaged foods, read the nutrition labels. Here are a few whole food sources of protein:

Meat, chicken, and fish: 6 to 8 grams/ounce
Milk: 8 grams/cup
Yogurt: 10 to 13 grams/cup
Eggs: 6 grams each
Processed grains: 1 slice of bread or 1/2 cup pasta, 3 grams
Whole grains: millet, 22.6 grams/1 cup, brown rice, 14.8 grams/1 cup
Beans: 7 grams/ 1/2 cup cooked
Nuts: 6 grams /ounce
Vegetables: broccoli and asparagus have 2 grams/ 1/2 cup

All numbers are from the June, 1996 Berkeley Wellness Letter, except for whole grains which are from the 3rd edition of the Nutrition Almanac.

Survey of American Eating Habits
The USDA conducts an ongoing survey of American eating habits. The last survey was compiled in 1994. The next one is due to be released in 1997. Here is some preliminary information that compares 1994 habits to current habits, from the June 1996 Berkeley Wellness Letter:

Change in daily calorie intake per person: up 6%
Change in daily fat intake: down 17%
Change in fruit consumption per person, mostly in the form of fruit juice: up 20%
Consumption of pizza and pasta dishes: up 115%
Consumption of snack foods, such as chips and pretzels: up 200%
Consumption of cold breakfast cereals: up 60%
Consumption of soft drinks: up 23%
Consumption of non-citrus juice-based drinks: up 300%
Milk consumption in kids under 5: down 16%
Mexican food: up 300%
Percentage of overweight Americans: up 35%

With Ripe Organic Oranges Color Doesn't Count
You may have noticed that organic California oranges are generally a bright orange and that organic Florida oranges are sometimes green. Both are ripe--the difference in color has to do with climate. In Florida, as the days grow longer and the night temperatures are warmer, oranges that were once orange turn back to green. California tends to be cooler in the evening and this causes the oranges to retain their orange color. The color does not affect how sweet and juicy the orange is inside. Sometimes the green ones are sweeter and juicer than those with more orange skin.

Nutrition Tip
Both pink and red grapefruit are fair sources of beta carotene, one grapefruit supplying between 5 and 12% of the RDA, dependent on size. White grapefruit has a negligible amount. Grapefruit is a good source of vitamin C, as is grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice is lacking the fiber present in the whole fruit, but an eight ounce glass made from concentrate supplies 139% of the RDA of vitamin C.

Dawn Olcott is Publications Coordinator at Harvest.