Heather Jemelka
Nutrition Therapy Project
5.9.16
Are You Meeting Your Bodies Protein Requirements?
Learning Objective:
Give participants the ability to develop their own plan for assuring the appropriate intake of protein on a daily basis; Ensure that participants understand what a serving of protein looks like, how much they need specifically and where to find protein sources.
Outline:
This presentation would be directed towards women, specifically women who strength train on a regular basis. The amount of protein a woman should be consuming per day is going to be discussed based on their body weight and type. We will go over what they believe they should be consuming, what they are consuming, and the difference between these numbers and where it should actually be. The action of protein in the body will also be briefly touched, so that participants are aware of the value of getting enough protein. Real life examples would be included and discussed, such as the following:
The group would discuss this topic and hopefully come to the conclusion that her protein intake may be responsible. For a woman who is undergoing a strength training program, 1.6-1.7grams of protein per kilogram is recommended. A woman who trains for aerobic endurance would require around 1.2-1.4 g/kg. An inactive person would only require around .8 grams of protein per kilogram in bodyweight. In order to determine a person's weight in kilograms, we simply divide the number in pounds by 2.2.
132lbs/2.2 = 60kg
Once we have our number in kilograms, we can then determine our appropriate daily amount of protein. Again, this depends on what type of activity a person is doing regularly just as much as their current weight. Using our example above, we know that she requires around 1.6-1.7g/kg of bodyweight. We can now simply multiply our 60kg by this number.
60x1.6 = 96g
60x1.7 = 102g
It is now clear that our individual was not getting near enough protein in her daily diet to maintain an optimal amount of muscle. Depending on the preference of the woman, she can go with the higher limit of 102 grams of protein or the lower limit of 96 grams of protein per day.
Following the calculation information, a wide range of foods that are high in protein would be demonstrated to the group, using visual aides. The serving size of protein and how to determine the amount of protein in the food you are eating would be covered as well. For example, a fist size portion of chicken is around 3 ounces of meat, which is typically around 21-26 grams of protein. Using this information and handouts with protein amount information, I would handout an array of fake foods, for example a plastic chicken, and some real foods, like nut packages, for the participants to come together in groups and create a full days amount of protein for our woman example. Rewards of protein snacks would be given out to those who planned the day appropriately.
Learning Outcome Evaluation:
Evaluation of their knowledge would be to simply have them write their weight, activity level and what they believe their protein intake should be with that information in mind, prior to any information on the topic provided. This would be done in a non-threatening way and submitted anonymously. Following the lesson, I would have them write this information again, using the lesson knowledge. I would also have them include whether they feel they are prepared to consume the correct amount of daily protein following this course.