Protein Goals for Eczema and TSW
When was the last time you tracked your protein intake? Chances are, you’re not eating enough protein! Let’s discuss why getting enough protein is so important when it comes to healing your skin.
In the US and Canada, the recommended daily allowance (or RDA) for protein is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight, which equals 0.36g of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is the minimum amount of protein you should be getting to meet your basic protein requirements. The point here is that this is the MINIMUM protein requirement for the average person. YOU are NOT the average person! Those of us suffering from inflammatory skin conditions are always flaking, bleeding, and oozing, right? Whenever we shed flakes or lose blood, we are losing protein. Collagen and keratin are two specific proteins that make up a major part of our skin. So ultimately, we must eat more protein to provide the amino acids (aka building blocks) for our body to repair the skin.
We recommend consuming a MINIMUM of 1.2g of protein per kg of ideal bodyweight, which is the same as 0.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
Many people we work with believe that they are eating enough protein but when they actually go to track it, we find out they are are eating less than this recommendation. You can track your protein intake for free by using cronometer.com or myfitnesspal.com.
Here are some tips to increase your protein intake.
Enjoy high protein snacks throughout the day. Examples of snacks include nuts, seeds, eggs, and Greek yogurt. Just make sure you are not sensitive to these foods first!
Focus on making protein the center of your meals. For example, if you are having spaghetti, don’t just have pasta with sauce. Make the meatballs or whatever protein source the center of your meal and have the pasta and sauce in smaller amounts.
Aim for 30g of protein per meal. This way, if you eat 3 meals per day you will be pretty much guaranteed to hit your daily protein requirements, depending on your weight of course.
Consider adding a protein powder to your daily life. A scoop of protein powder can be an easy way to get 20-25g of protein in.
Find protein sources that you enjoy. If you don’t like meat, go for plant sources of protein. The key is to find protein sources that you enjoy.
Good luck! I know it is tough work but you must be willing to put in the work to heal your skin. It’s all about the longterm battle! You can do this!
