Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I know that some of you might not like my question, but I am short on money and due to my food sensitivities I can only eat certain kind of protein that is very expensive where I live.

Please do not suggest any cheap sources of protein. I am not going to eat them anyway. All I want to know if what is the minimal amount of protein required for a person.

Would it be okay if I eat protein only once per day nutritionally wise?

Thank you!!!!

flag	asked Jul 9 at 14:27 VB 12.4k●1●7●40

	Out of curiosity, what's the one kind of protein you can eat? – trjones Jul 9 at 14:36
	By experimenting, this is what I can eat:1. beef liver (with onions) 2. salmon sashimi (raw salmon) - I cannot eat cooked? Isn't it funny? 3. occasionally baked halibut. – VB Jul 9 at 14:54
	I think the 50g a day is about right. Give or take. Do you eat any veggies? They have protein too and you can count that. You can't just be eating liver and raw salmon can you? – Shari Bambino Jul 10 at 1:47

Blossom1 · Answer 1 · 2012-07-09 14:36:23Z UTC

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0.8 g protein/kg body weight is generally accepted as adequate to meet most people's protein needs.

Depending on how much you weigh and how big your appetite is, you can probably consume that much at one sitting.

If you don't mind, what source are you getting your protein from?

answered Jul 9 at 14:36

Blossom1
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So far I can only handle two things: salmon sashimi and beef liver. Occasionally halibut. Nothing else. I can eat a lot of protein, but I don't have the budget for it, so I need to limit the amount. – VB Jul 9 at 14:52

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Gotcha. I was disappointed when my local Whole Foods stopped selling grassfed (or any) beef liver - it was very inexpensive. – Blossom1 Jul 9 at 15:02

I buy beef liver from the farmer's market. You would think that them cows are made of gold - the prices are ridiculous! But I cannot buy liver at a regular store - it smells awful! – VB Jul 9 at 18:38

Dave S. · Answer 2 · 2012-07-09 14:36:24Z UTC

Even Dean Ornish's diet has 10% of maintenance calories as protein. I would put the low end number at 10-15%, which would perhaps be in the range of 50-75 grams of protein per day (assuming 2000 calories).

You don't even have to have protein every day as long as you average enough. Don't forget the protein content of foods that are not the usual suspects. An avocado has 9 grams! Okay, maybe not a good example in your financial situation...

Potato Avenger · Answer 3 · 2012-07-09 14:46:59Z UTC

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Eating protein only once or twice per day is fine. I think the minimum dietary requirement for protein is 5% -ish of total intake assuming isocaloric conditions. I think I have a link, I'll go search for it. (If I can find it, I'll post it in the comments for this answer.)

Update: I think I'm deriving the 5% number from the minimum amount of protein required to build muscle in a hypercaloric situation. In isocaloric situations, women and men require approximately 8-9% and 9-10% of total intake respectively. I've also found sources suggesting 0.8g/kg of body weight, which translates to approximately 9% in me personally.

Good luck.

edited Jul 9 at 14:46

answered Jul 9 at 14:35

Potato Avenger
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Can't find the actual paper, but after a bit of searching, I'm seeing 8-9% of calories in isocaloric conditions. I think my 5% number may have been derived from the minimum necessary to build muscle in hypercaloric situations. – Potato Avenger Jul 9 at 14:39

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"... it would increase the minimum needed protein caloric share from 8% to about 9% for average adult female, and from 9% to 10%, or so, for adult male." - healthknot.com/amino_acids.html quick note: I didn't check this website's sources in depth. – Potato Avenger Jul 9 at 14:41

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Also, just found another website that suggest minimum of 0.8g/kg of bodyweight. I ran those numbers on myself and that translates to about 9%. (I'm male.) I think that's a safe assumption. – Potato Avenger Jul 9 at 14:44

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Should be okay, just try to be aware of any strrength loss. That would indicate pillaging of the muscles for protein. Also get enough carbs to avoid gluconeogenesis. Maybe go over Paul Jaminet's numbers. – Dave S. Jul 9 at 16:32

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To quote the Jaminets: "By weight, the diet should be about 2/3 plant foods, 1/3 animal foods. By calories, daily carbohydrate intake should be 400-600 calories, primarily from starches; don’t count vegetables as calorie sources. Protein should be a modest fraction of daily calories — 200-400 calories — but eat to taste. Fats should supply most (50-70%) daily calories." 200 grams of salmon is 40g protein or 160 calories - a little less than what they recommend, but maybe close enough. The higher end of carbs would avoid any protein getting converted to glucose, I would think. – Dave S. Jul 9 at 16:36

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Chinaeskimo · Answer 4 · 2012-07-09 19:06:18Z UTC

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I think it depends on how long you plan to go low protein. Would this be for a month, a year? I applaud you for not compromising and eating low cost/low quality.

answered Jul 9 at 19:06

Chinaeskimo
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	I don't know. Till I feel better? That's my plan for now! – VB Jul 9 at 19:53
	Thank you so much for being so supportive! My Gosh - people around you must be very lucky! – VB Jul 9 at 19:55

What is the minimum amount of protein I can have per day/week?

4 Answers