Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

And then you mentioned something interesting, the thermic effect of food, the energy expenditure component of protein.

This can vary, but if you dose protein right, that 30 or so gram amount per meal, the body will utilize 20% of that energy.

If it's 100 calories of dietary protein,

the body will have a net gain or so of 80 calories.

You lose 20% in the process of really what we believe is this machinery for muscle.

Really, it's a third, a third, a third.

The first thing that you eat is...

Dietary protein, third of your plate.

No less than 100 grams, ladies.

If you consume less than 100 grams of protein, you are doing yourself a disservice.

You will lose, in part, some of that thermic effect, which could be 20% of your total protein intake.

And that's substantial.

That's substantial.

The other third should be fruits and vegetables, fibrous carbs.

The final third should be starchy, sugary carbs if you're doing really training, exercise.

This is, again, what we started this conversation about is what do we think about muscle?

What is muscle's role in metabolic health and as the organ of longevity?

The problems come when we are overeating carbohydrates and not doing enough activity.

So we're feeding outside of the match for our muscle health.

Typically, I can say in Northern America, the average carbohydrate consumption is around 300 grams a day.