Proteins !!!!!

I suggest a daily intake of 20 percent lean protein. Good sources of protein are chicken breasts, all types of fish, beef with a low fat content (in moderation), and soy products. Protein is a stabilizing food that assists in insulin management, as well as serves other vital roles in normal body function. Because protein is not stored, a person requires three balanced meals and two or three snacks that include protein per day to suppress their hunger and mobilize their body fat for burning during physical exercise. A good protein to ingest as a snack would be soy-based foods such as Personal Edge soy protein powder, which you can find in many health food stores or General Nutrition Center stores in your area. Research has shown the greatest benefits occur from ingesting at least 20 to 25 grams per day. I suggest adding your soy powder to low-fat milk or unsweetened fruit juice and having it as a midmorning and midafternoon snack.
Soy products have always been a part of my nutrition programs because of their many benefits. Research studies have shown that an overabundance of the amino acid lysine increases the level of bad cholesterol in the body, while the amino acid arginine decreases it. Compared to animal protein, soy has a more favorable ratio of arginine to lysine. This lower ratio decreases the body’s production of insulin and increases its production of glucagon. What this means is that eating soy every day helps you to shift your metabolism from fat storage to fat mobilization.
Soy products also help to lower the risk of coronary disease. And when used in conjunction with a properly balanced nutrition and aerobic exercise program, they are an important tool for lowering your body fat and cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that soy foods also lower the risk of hormone-related cancers.
In addition to soy-based powders, there are many delicious soy food products available, including soy burgers and hot dogs, many delicious varieties of tofu, soy cheeses, and soy milk. Soy products can be a nutritional mainstay for vegetarians faced by the challenge of getting sufficient protein in their daily diet.
When choosing other protein sources, always choose lean meats and low-fat dairy. First-choice protein sources include skim milk; fatfree cheese and cottage cheese; yogurt made from skim milk; 95 percent lean ground beef, turkey, or encased meats (e.g., sausage and bologna); white-meat, skinless chicken; white-meat tuna in water; egg whites; and nonfried fish and seafood.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating fish daily decreases insulin levels, increases glucose production, lowers triglyceride (bad fat) production, and increases the level of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. For this reason, it is important to eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackeral, and halibut at least twice a week.
The current RDA recommendation for protein is 0.8 grams per kilograms of body weight, but this does not provide enough for the dietary needs of individuals involved in regular exercise. Dr. E. C. Henley, who designed the food program in this chapter, suggests 60 to 100 grams of protein daily. If you want to know how many grams of protein are in a food source such as packaged meats or fish, nut butters, or soy products, simply read the label.
Getting your proper daily protein allotment is important for another reason. Based on a study of men between the ages of forty and seventy published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, a diet with adequate amounts of protein helps stop the decrease in testosterone levels that many men experience as they age. The article goes on to say, “Diets low in protein lead to increases in sex hormone-binding globulin in older men, potentially reducing the availability of testosterone and causing loss of muscle mass, red cell mass and bone density.”