Your Health: Obsessed with protein - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

More and more foods are letting us know that they're packed with extra protein. But, do we need it? It seems to be our latest obsession as we try to make healthier food choices.

13abc's Susan Ross Wells talked recently to ProMedica Family Physician Dr. Steven Freeman about all this added protein in our diets. He says whey powder is a big one. 

"First of all its expensive second of all you have to take the time to mix it up or put it in whatever you're going to eat," says Dr. Freeman. "So why not just get it in the food? It's less expensive and it's combined with other food stuffs that provide additional nutrition." 

Dr. Freeman says for most people it's simple: 50, 30, 20. He says fifty percent of our diet is carbohydrates, 30 percent fats and 20 percent protein.

The doctor told us that most of us get the protein our bodies need through our normal diet. He says we also need to know that there may be some risks from some of these supplements. 

"These things are nutraceuticals that are not regulated necessarily by the FDA," he says. "So, is what they say is in there actually in there or is there something else in there that we should be concerned about? " 

A nutritionist with the National Institutes of Health says that lean meats, poultry, seafood and fat-free dairy products are all good sources of protein. One thing that Dr. Freeman says he would encourage is post-workout calories. He says the first 20 minutes to an hour after you workout those extra calories can provide some additional benefit rather than spreading those calories out over the course of that day.