Diet Quotes

The first thing you need to know about protein is that the standard recommendations for daily consumption are a joke. Right now the US recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g/kg of body weight. This may reflect how much protein we need to stay alive, but it's a far cry from what we need to thrive. More than one study has found that elderly people consuming that RDA of protein (0.8g/kg/day) end up losing muscle mass, even in as short a period as 2 weeks. In my patients I typically set 1.6g/kg/day as the minimum, which is twice the RDA. The ideal amount can vary from person to person, but the data suggest that for active people with normal kidney function, one gram per pound of body weight per day (or 2.2g/kg/day) is a good place to start-nearly triple the minimal recommendation. [2023] - Peter Attia

Older people in particular should try to keep track of their lean mass, such as via a body-composition-measuring scale (or better yet, DEXA scan), and adjust their protein intake upwards if lean mass declines. For me and my patients, this works out to 4 servings of protein per day (each at ~0.25g/lb of body weight), with at least one of them being a whey protein shake (Typically, I'll consume a protein shake, a high-protein snack, and two protein meals). The overall quality of protein derived from plants is significantly lower than that from animal products. The same is true of protein supplements. Whey protein isolate (from dairy) is richer in available amino acids than soy protein isolate. [2023] - Peter Attia

We try to boost monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) closer to 50-55%, while cutting saturated fatty acids (SFA) down to 15-20% and adjusting total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to fill the gap. Putting all these changes into practice typically means eating more extra virgin olive oil (and high-MUFA vegetable oils) and avocados and nuts, cutting back on (but not necessarily eliminating) things like butter and lard, and reducing the omega-6-rich corn, soybean, and sunflower oils-while also looking for ways to increase high-omega-3 marine PUFAs from sources such as salmon and anchovies (or taking EPA and DHA supplements in capsule or oil form). [2023] - Peter Attia

While intermittent fasting and eating "windows" have become popular and even trendy in recent years, I've grown skeptical of their effectiveness. And frequent longer-term fasting has enough negatives attached to it that I'm reluctant to use it in all but the most metabolically sick patients. The jury is still out on the utility of infrequent (e.g. yearly) prolonged fasts. Overall, I've come to believe that fasting-based interventions must be utilized carefully and with precision. [2023] - Peter Attia

Three studies found no weight loss or cardiometabolic benefits on a 16/8 eating pattern (16 hours of fasting, 8 hours to eat). One other study did find that shifting the eating window to early in the day, from 8 am to 2 pm, actually did result in lower 24-hour glucose levels, reduced glucose excursions, and lower insulin levels compared to controls. So perhaps an early-day feeding window could be effective, but in my view 16 hours without food simply isn't long enough to activate autophagy or inhibit chronic mTOR elevation. Another drawback is that you're virtually guaranteed to miss your protein target with this approach. [2023] - Peter Attia

One small but revealing study found that subjects on an alternate-day fasting (ADF) diet did lose weight-but they also lost more lean mass (i.e. muscle) than subjects who simply ate 25% fewer calories every day. This study was limited because of its small size and short duration, but it suggests that fasting might cause some people, especially lean people, to lose too much muscle. On top of this, the ADF group had much lower activity levels during the study, which suggests that they were not feeling very good on the days they were not eating. [2023] - Peter Attia

If there is one type of food that I would eliminate from everyone's diet if I could, it would be fructose-sweetened drinks, including both sodas and fruit juices, which deliver too much fructose, too quickly, to a gut and liver that much prefer to process fructose slowly. Just eat fruit and let nature provide the right amount of fiber and water. [2023] - Peter Attia

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) has among its many actions, the ability to stabilize lymphatic vessels by protecting and enhancing the endothelial cells (the ones on the lining) of the lymph system. Another supplement that seems to help with protecting the various parts of the lymph system is Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), a rich source of resveratrol. Additionally, both pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa) and inmortal (Asclepias asperula) can help stimulate lymph drainage from the lungs. All these can be found on Amazon or in health food stores. [2021] - Gerald Lemole

Resveratrol-a polyphenol found in grapes and wines-has a protective effect when it comes to diseases of the brain, especially Alzheimer's, according to recent research. Pterostilbene-another polyphenol, similar to resveratrol, found in blueberries-is far better absorbed and three to four times better utilized than resveratrol. It supports a healthy lymphatic system by promoting healthy blood flow and circulation, nitric oxide synthesis, better control of blood pressure, and protecting the endothelial cells. [2021] - Gerald Lemole

Low-protein diets (less meat, fish, and eggs) extended lifespan by switching on the longevity pathway that protects DNA, cells, and tissues from the inevitable damage done during growth and reproduction. The longevity pathway is universal—from yeast cells to humans. Low protein needed to be combined with high carb (low-calorie vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains) to promote longest life. A low-protein, high-fat diet (fatty foods, such as butter, vegetable oils, or fried foods) didn’t yield the same longevity benefits as a low-protein, high-carb diet. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Health experts agree that industrial trans fats are the most toxic of all fats in our food supply, estimated by the World Health Organization to cause half a million deaths worldwide each year due to heart disease. And this is even though they are now banned in some high-income countries, led by Denmark in 2005, and followed by Iceland, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2018, the United States followed suit but only after some states, including New York, implemented their own bans. Trans fats are still a significant part of the food supply in many lower- and middle-income countries and even some richer ones.  [2020] - David Raubenheimer

If our food environment contains too little protein, we will overeat until we satisfy our protein appetite. If the proportion of protein is greater than our bodies require, the protein appetite will be satisfied sooner—when fewer total calories have been eaten. This does not mean that more protein is better—far from it. Organisms from yeast cells to flies, mice, and monkeys have evolved not to overconsume protein for good reasons, mainly this one: eating too much protein switches on biological processes that hasten aging and shorten lives. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Mary is 45 years old and should contain roughly 15% of total energy as protein. The Harris Benedict formula estimates metabolic rate. There are various online calculators to help do this, based on your weight, height, sex, age, and how active you are. Based on the formula, Mary needs 1,880 kcal per day. If she consumes that daily, she will neither gain nor lose weight. 15% of 1,880—the proportion recommended to come from protein—is 282 kcal. Because protein contains 4 kcal of energy per gram, this amounts to 70.5 grams of protein spread across the day. Once Mary reaches her older years, 65 and above, she will need to start increasing her protein intake a little, by around 25 grams per day, to a 20% protein diet. This is because the protein drain becomes more leaky with old age, and unless Mary increases her intake, she risks losing muscle mass. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Low-protein (9 percent), very high-fat (90 percent) keto diets are therapeutic in certain circumstances, such as for the treatment of epilepsy in children; and very low-carb, low-energy diets can help reverse the symptoms of type 2 diabetes; but neither is sustainable nor desirable for most of us as a regular diet. Even somewhat less extreme low-carb, high-fat diets have low compliance—most of us soon drift back to a more balanced mixture of macronutrients. The longest-lived, healthiest populations on the planet are those who consume a lower-protein, high-carb whole-food diet. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Estimate your protein target: 1) Estimate the daily energy (calorie) requirement for your age, sex, and level of activity. You can do this by using something called the Harris Benedict equation calculator, available online at numerous websites. 2) Estimate the portion of those calories that should come as protein (i.e., your protein intake target) by multiplying that value by: Child and adolescent: 0.15 (i.e., a 15% protein diet) / Young adult (18–30): 0.18 / Pregnant and breastfeeding: 0.20 / Mature adult (30s): 0.17 / Middle years (40–65): 0.15 / Older age (>65): 0.20 3) Divide that number by 4 to get the number of grams of protein per day you should eat. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

A practical way to identify an ultra-processed product is to check to see if its list of ingredients contains either food substances never or rarely used in kitchens (such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterified oils, and hydrolysed proteins), or classes of additives designed to make the final product palatable or more appealing (such as flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents). [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Choose high-protein foods from a variety of animal (poultry, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy) and/or plant (seeds, nuts, legumes) sources to both reach your intake target and ensure a balanced ratio of amino acids, which will satisfy the protein appetite most effectively. If you are vegetarian, which is no bad thing, you will need to make greater efforts to eat a variety of foods, given that single plant proteins tend to be less well balanced in their amino acid content than many animal-derived proteins. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Include lots of leafy greens, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, seeds, and whole grains to ensure fiber without calorie load. Beans, seeds, and pulses (e.g., butter beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils) also add fiber, protein, and healthy carbs. As a bonus, vitamins and minerals will come along for the ride, reducing the need for supplements. Be restrained when adding sugar and salt to food, and choose healthy added fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil.  [2020] - David Raubenheimer

Don’t obsess about counting calories—get your diet right, and your protein appetite will manage the calories for you. Accompany the high-protein foods with lots of vegetables and fruits, beans, and whole grains, which will contain good carbs and fats. That way you will also satisfy your appetites for all three macronutrients at the same time. Try adjusting up and down until you feel in control of your appetites—hungry by mealtimes and satisfied after and between meals. [2020] - David Raubenheimer

When exercising and building muscle mass, the science suggests that eating 20 to 30 grams of protein within a meal best activates the cellular machinery for building new muscle proteins. That is the optimal dose of protein to kick-start muscle synthesis into action. The machinery involved in protein synthesis is the growth pathway which, as an inevitable by-product, also produces cellular garbage and causes damage to cells and DNA. A meal containing 20 to 30 grams of protein will switch on protein synthesis for around 2 hours, limiting the side effects of protein synthesis to those periods within the day. [2020] - David Raubenheimer