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Abby's Magazine - Volume 6 Issue 1 | Page 37 legumes, and nuts. When selec ng animal-based protein, be sure to opt for organically raised, grass-fed or pastured meats, eggs, and dairy, to avoid poten al health complica ons caused by gene cally engineered animal feed and pes cides. Most Americans eat far too much protein, so be mindful of the amount! I believe it is the rare person who really needs more than one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. Those that are aggressively exercising or compe ng and pregnant women should have about 25 percent more, but most people rarely need more than 40-70 grams of protein a day. To determine your lean body mass, find out your percent body fat and subtract from 100. This means that if you have 20 percent body fat, you have 80 percent lean body mass. Just mul ply that by your current weight to get your lean body mass in pounds or kilos. To determine whether you're ge ng too much protein, simply calculate your lean body mass as described above, then write down everything you're ea ng for a few days, and calculate the amount of daily protein from all sources. Again, you're aiming for one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, which would place most people in the range of 40 to 70 grams of protein per day. If you're currently averaging a lot more than that, adjust downward accordingly. You could use the chart below or simply Google the food you want to know and you will quickly find the grams of protein in the food. As much high-quality healthy fat as you want (saturated and monounsaturated). For op mal health, most people need upwards of 50-85 percent of their daily calories in the form of healthy fats. Good sources include coconut and coconut oil, avocados, bu er, nuts, and animal fats. (Remember, fat is high in calories while being small in terms of volume. So when you look at your plate, the largest por on would be vegetables.) •As many non-starchy vegetables as you want •Exercise regularly and intensely. Studies have shown that exercise, even without weight loss, increases insulin sensi vity. High intensity interval training (HIIT), which is a central component of my Peak Fitness program, has been shown to improve insulin sensi vity by as much as 24 percent in just four weeks. •Improve your omega-3 to omega-6 ra o. Today's Western diet has far too many processed and damaged omega-6 fats, and is far too li le omega-3 fats. The main sources of omega-6 fats are corn, soy, canola, safflower, peanut, and sunflower oil (the first two of which are typically gene cally engineered as well, which further complicates ma ers). Our bodies evolved for an op mal 1:1 ra o of omega-6 to omega-3. However, our ra o has deteriorated to between 20:1 and 50:1 in favor of omega-6. This lopsided ra o has seriously adverse health consequences. To remedy this, reduce your consump on of vegetable oils (this means not cooking with them, and avoiding processed foods), and increase your intake of animal-based omega-3, such as krill oil. Vegetable-based omega-3 is also found in walnut oil, and it's good to include these in your diet as well. Just know they cannot take the place of animal- based omega-3s. •Maintain op mal vitamin D levels year-round. New evidence strongly supports the no on that vitamin D is highly beneficial not only for type 1 diabetes as men oned before, but also in type 2 diabetes. Take oral supplementa on with regular vitamin D monitoring, to confirm that you are taking enough vitamin D to get your blood levels into the therapeu c range of 50-70 ng/ml. Also please note that if you take supplemental vitamin D, you create an increased demand for vitamin K2. Red meat, pork, poultry and seafood average 6-9 grams of protein per ounce. An ideal amount for most people would be a 3 ounce serving of meat or seafood (not 9 or 12 ounce steaks!), which will provide about 18-27 grams of protein. Seeds and nuts contain on average 4-8 grams of protein per quarter cup. Cooked beans average about 7-8 grams per half cup. Eggs contain about 6-8 grams of protein per egg. So an omelet made from two eggs would give you about 12-16 grams of protein. If you add cheese, you need to calculate that protein in as well (check the label of your cheese). Cooked grains average 5-7 grams per cup. Most vegetables contain about 1-2 grams of protein per ounce.