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Pod Wisdom: How One Simple Calculation Can Transform Your Family's Health

In episode 13, Justin and Franziska talked about the benefit of a high-protein approach to eating: it reduces hunger and allows us to listen to our bodies and eat until we're full. We have better weight management and metabolic health without restricting the amount we eat.

The key to a high-protein way of eating is finding out what the protein-per-calorie ratio is in the foods and meals we eat. This might sound daunting, but it's actually really easy!  

Protein-per-calorie calculation

It's a simple two-step process (#3 is the result of the calculation). You can do this by using the nutrition label on packages (or a nutrition site like this for whole foods):

  1. Multiply grams of protein per serving by 4 (the number of calories in a gram of protein is 4)
  2. Then divide by the total calories per serving
  3. The result is your protein-per-calorie


Here's an example using one hardboiled egg:

  1. 6 grams of protein x 4 = 24
  2. 24 divided by 70 (the total calories in a hardboiled egg)
  3. Protein-per-calorie = 0.34


What is the protein-per-calorie number that we should be shooting for?

Franziska and other experts recommend between 0.30 and 0.40. This makes whole foods like hard boiled eggs (0.34), hamburger patties (0.43), and salmon (0.46) great options.

We can use this range to look not just at single foods, but also meals. What about the difference between a Starbucks egg & sausage sandwich and Starbucks egg bites?

  1. 18 grams of protein x 4 = 72
  2. 72 divided by 480 (total calories) = 0.15
  3. Protein-per-calorie ratio = 0.15 (not great)
  1. 12 grams of protein x 4 = 48
  2. 48 divided by 170 = 0.28
  3. Protein per calorie = 0.28 (pretty good!)

Check out these high-protein products we recently reviewed!

Pod Wisdom: How One Simple Calculation Can Transform Your Family's Health

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Pod Wisdom: How One Simple Calculation Can Transform Your Family's Health

In episode 13 of The Family Thrive Podcast, Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE talks about the health benefits of eating a high-protein diet (less hunger, easier weight management, better metabolic health). Here's an easy shift!

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In episode 13, Justin and Franziska talked about the benefit of a high-protein approach to eating: it reduces hunger and allows us to listen to our bodies and eat until we're full. We have better weight management and metabolic health without restricting the amount we eat.

The key to a high-protein way of eating is finding out what the protein-per-calorie ratio is in the foods and meals we eat. This might sound daunting, but it's actually really easy!  

Protein-per-calorie calculation

It's a simple two-step process (#3 is the result of the calculation). You can do this by using the nutrition label on packages (or a nutrition site like this for whole foods):

  1. Multiply grams of protein per serving by 4 (the number of calories in a gram of protein is 4)
  2. Then divide by the total calories per serving
  3. The result is your protein-per-calorie


Here's an example using one hardboiled egg:

  1. 6 grams of protein x 4 = 24
  2. 24 divided by 70 (the total calories in a hardboiled egg)
  3. Protein-per-calorie = 0.34


What is the protein-per-calorie number that we should be shooting for?

Franziska and other experts recommend between 0.30 and 0.40. This makes whole foods like hard boiled eggs (0.34), hamburger patties (0.43), and salmon (0.46) great options.

We can use this range to look not just at single foods, but also meals. What about the difference between a Starbucks egg & sausage sandwich and Starbucks egg bites?

  1. 18 grams of protein x 4 = 72
  2. 72 divided by 480 (total calories) = 0.15
  3. Protein-per-calorie ratio = 0.15 (not great)
  1. 12 grams of protein x 4 = 48
  2. 48 divided by 170 = 0.28
  3. Protein per calorie = 0.28 (pretty good!)

Check out these high-protein products we recently reviewed!

In episode 13, Justin and Franziska talked about the benefit of a high-protein approach to eating: it reduces hunger and allows us to listen to our bodies and eat until we're full. We have better weight management and metabolic health without restricting the amount we eat.

The key to a high-protein way of eating is finding out what the protein-per-calorie ratio is in the foods and meals we eat. This might sound daunting, but it's actually really easy!  

Protein-per-calorie calculation

It's a simple two-step process (#3 is the result of the calculation). You can do this by using the nutrition label on packages (or a nutrition site like this for whole foods):

  1. Multiply grams of protein per serving by 4 (the number of calories in a gram of protein is 4)
  2. Then divide by the total calories per serving
  3. The result is your protein-per-calorie


Here's an example using one hardboiled egg:

  1. 6 grams of protein x 4 = 24
  2. 24 divided by 70 (the total calories in a hardboiled egg)
  3. Protein-per-calorie = 0.34


What is the protein-per-calorie number that we should be shooting for?

Franziska and other experts recommend between 0.30 and 0.40. This makes whole foods like hard boiled eggs (0.34), hamburger patties (0.43), and salmon (0.46) great options.

We can use this range to look not just at single foods, but also meals. What about the difference between a Starbucks egg & sausage sandwich and Starbucks egg bites?

  1. 18 grams of protein x 4 = 72
  2. 72 divided by 480 (total calories) = 0.15
  3. Protein-per-calorie ratio = 0.15 (not great)
  1. 12 grams of protein x 4 = 48
  2. 48 divided by 170 = 0.28
  3. Protein per calorie = 0.28 (pretty good!)

Check out these high-protein products we recently reviewed!

In episode 13, Justin and Franziska talked about the benefit of a high-protein approach to eating: it reduces hunger and allows us to listen to our bodies and eat until we're full. We have better weight management and metabolic health without restricting the amount we eat.

The key to a high-protein way of eating is finding out what the protein-per-calorie ratio is in the foods and meals we eat. This might sound daunting, but it's actually really easy!  

Protein-per-calorie calculation

It's a simple two-step process (#3 is the result of the calculation). You can do this by using the nutrition label on packages (or a nutrition site like this for whole foods):

  1. Multiply grams of protein per serving by 4 (the number of calories in a gram of protein is 4)
  2. Then divide by the total calories per serving
  3. The result is your protein-per-calorie


Here's an example using one hardboiled egg:

  1. 6 grams of protein x 4 = 24
  2. 24 divided by 70 (the total calories in a hardboiled egg)
  3. Protein-per-calorie = 0.34


What is the protein-per-calorie number that we should be shooting for?

Franziska and other experts recommend between 0.30 and 0.40. This makes whole foods like hard boiled eggs (0.34), hamburger patties (0.43), and salmon (0.46) great options.

We can use this range to look not just at single foods, but also meals. What about the difference between a Starbucks egg & sausage sandwich and Starbucks egg bites?

  1. 18 grams of protein x 4 = 72
  2. 72 divided by 480 (total calories) = 0.15
  3. Protein-per-calorie ratio = 0.15 (not great)
  1. 12 grams of protein x 4 = 48
  2. 48 divided by 170 = 0.28
  3. Protein per calorie = 0.28 (pretty good!)

Check out these high-protein products we recently reviewed!

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