HI! Well, I'm not Cathe, but I have such an interest in nutrition I couldn't resist replying. I have worked with a nutritionist and done a lot of reseach, and I just wanted to say that I hope you don't get sucked into a high protein diet. Yes, protein is essential for building muscle and repairing tissues, but carbs and fat are just as important! The majority of your calories should come from carbohydrates, like fruits and veggies, whole grain breads and cereals (brown rice, oats, whole wheat, etc)... carbs should be roughly 55-60% of your total calories. Protein (lean meats, fish, poultry, low fat dairy, etc) should be 15-20% of calories. Fat (focus on the monounsaturated kinds, found in nuts, avocados, olives, olive and canola oil) should be no more than 30% of daily calories... many experts suggest that fat make up no more than 20% of calories, but studies on people who follow a mediterranian type diet (where as much as 35% of cals come from fat, mainly monounsaturated!) show that a diet higher in monounsaturated fat is NOT harmful to your health, since monounsaturated fat works to lower bad cholesterol levels. If you want to stay really lean, I would say that fat should be 25% of total calories. Going any lower than 20% could show up in your looks, with dull dry hair, skin, and nails. Don't get too caught up on following exact percentages, and some days you will eat more carbs, other days your diet will be higher in protein, etc. Variety is key, and it's what you eat over a period of time that matters, so don't kick yourself in the butt for indulging every so often! I hope my advice helps, and good luck! I'm also anxious to see what Cathe says about this. :0)
