John
New Member
Posts:4
 |
| 08 Nov 2010 09:30 PM |
|
I've been checking the protein amount in chicken breast from various sources.
I've found that 120g (~4 blocks) has 37g of protein. This is a whole block higher that what is recommended (28g), right? Am I actually consuming 5 blocks every time I eat 4 ounces of chicken. It is important to me because chicken breast is my primary protein source and this can come to an extra 3 blocks of protein/day.
Also, some sources list chicken breast for have far less protein when it is in 'deli' form. Why is this? Unprocessed chicken is chicken whether it's deli-sliced or not, right?
Thanks for any help.
|
|
|
|
|
Sue
Posts:14659
|
| 09 Nov 2010 07:25 AM |
|
Try this source John: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/Deli-style chicken usually has water or broth added, so when compared to unprocessed chicken, ounce for ounce, deli-style chicken contains less protein. ____________________________________________
sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate
Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!
View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0 |
|
Sue Knorr
Lost 100 lbs 18 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.
Consultant of Zone Labs
|
|
|
John
Veteran Member
Posts:2198
|
| 09 Nov 2010 08:24 AM |
|
Here is another good link to bookmark for food composition - includes in terms of Zone Blocks as well. . http://www.formulazone.com/Help.asp...D=MDSearch |
|
~john --> Happily married 26 years --> 07 Feb 1986
<>< <>< <>< <>< PTL Col 3:23-24 ><> ><> ><> ><>
Live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate. |
|
|
cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
|
| 09 Nov 2010 09:30 AM |
|
Just FYI, deli meats are generally not a good source for protein. Chemicals, additives, etc. I know they are easy, but just think of what it is doing to your body. Try to shoot for meats without additives. Sometimes not easy, but better in the long run. An alternative is to shop for brands that have no nitrites/nitrates (Hormel has a line of deli meat that isn't too bad). |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
John
Veteran Member
Posts:2198
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:44 AM |
|
We try to cook extra meat at dinner - now that there are only three of us and not six of us (with formerly 3 growing teen appetites - now adults on their own!) So, it is doable to have left over (unless they stop by for a free meal ha-ha). So I have the left over as my Protein the next day for the mid-day meal. Does cut down on cost of buying luncheon meats and let alone the additional chemicals.
|
|
~john --> Happily married 26 years --> 07 Feb 1986
<>< <>< <>< <>< PTL Col 3:23-24 ><> ><> ><> ><>
Live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate. |
|
|
cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:56 AM |
|
I purchase cuts of chicken breast when they are on sale, and I just toss the breasts into a pot of boiling water (sometimes throw in some broth for seasoning). After they are cooked through, I store a few in the fridge for a quick/easy salad, and if I have a bunch left over, they go into the freezer for future meals.
I am with you on cooking additional protein with dinner meals, I did that last night, had an extra portion of protein left over which is now incorporated into my lunch for today. |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
John
New Member
Posts:4
|
| 09 Nov 2010 07:46 PM |
|
Thanks for the help everyone. So what is your gold standard for 100g of cooked chicken breast?
I've seen readings from 20-30g / 100g
|
|
|
|
|
cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
|
| 09 Nov 2010 08:41 PM |
|
I use nutritiondata.com, and 100g of raw chicken breast, bone and skin removed, is 23g protein and only 1g of fat (so basically when I use it, I double my fat block). FYI, I measure it raw so that I know what I have prior to cooking. |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
John
New Member
Posts:4
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:16 PM |
|
Now I see where I'm messing up. It's with the raw vs. the cooked chicken. The cooked chicken is lighter and more protein dense. That's why it has more protein per gram. Thanks. That clears things up.
|
|
|
|
|
cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:24 PM |
|
LOL, glad I was able to help you out... didn't realize that was the question, but glad I answered it! |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
Sue
Posts:14659
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:25 PM |
|
Hi John,
For a clasic Zone meal, I simply take an amount of chicken breast approximately the size and thickness of the palm of my hand, without weighing. If you prefer to weight it, I'd say stick with the amounts on the Zone Food Block list, 1 oz uncooked = 1 P block.
____________________________________________
sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate
Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!
View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/
View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0 |
|
Sue Knorr
Lost 100 lbs 18 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.
Consultant of Zone Labs
|
|
|
John
New Member
Posts:4
|
| 09 Nov 2010 10:56 PM |
|
I'm just starting out again (I was on The Zone years ago), so I want to try to get all my measurements exact. Cron-o-meter is great for this BTW. I know The Zone is not about counting calories, but using cronometer revealed that I have been keeping in the zone but eating way too many calories (over 2000). Thus, now I'm trying to fine tune my protein blocks, i.e. eat fewer blocks and fewer calories. I'm a big enough guy (160LBM), but 18-20 blocks is too much and I'm not losing weight. |
|
|
|
|
Tech Support
Advanced Member
Posts:731
|
|
cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
|
| 10 Nov 2010 01:54 PM |
|
I can understand your frustration over following the Zone and not losing! Been there! I find that counting blocks helps me to keep my calories in check. The plate method (or hand/eye) has never been effective enough for me, as I tend to over-estimate amounts, and then soon I have twice as much protein on my plate as I need. Same with fats, it is easy to overdose a "splash" of olive oil!
Depending on what you are comfortable using, there are many websites that you can use to determine portion sizes for raw vs. cooked foods. I think it is fine to use them for reference to correct portion sizes. The food block guide on this site is a general reference, but for meats it can vary, and so I use either the nutrition label on the product, or one of the websites. |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
John
Veteran Member
Posts:2198
|
| 10 Nov 2010 02:05 PM |
|
Lately I noticed that I felt I was adding too much additional (but healthy) Fat.
I went back to using Spark People, with a great Meal Planner feature that allows one to enter (track) food: Protein, Carbs, and Fats (Default values, I added Fiber to Nutrients tracked so I can manually subtract from Carbs to get Net Carbs.) I entered yesterday's meals at the end of the day and found I had eaten too much fat, as I suspected.
.
Though I work out and I am in mostly maintenance mode, my fat intake was nearly about right for that - but too much to lose the last 3 pounds I want to lose. So, by tracking it in Spark people, again, I was able to see where it was coming from and the tweak I needed. Its a great tool to go back to every now and then, even after doing Zone for nearly 6 years.
.
I now download (export) each day from Spark People into Excel, where I also have the formula loaded to subtract Fiber from Carbs to get net Carbs. |
|
~john --> Happily married 26 years --> 07 Feb 1986
<>< <>< <>< <>< PTL Col 3:23-24 ><> ><> ><> ><>
Live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate. |
|
|