Proteins are made up of substances called amino acids -- 22 of which are considered vital for your health. Your body can make 14 of these amino acids, but the other eight, known as essential amino acids, must be obtained from what you eat. Proteins are found in all types of food, but only meat, eggs, cheese and other foods from animal sources contain complete proteins, meaning they provide the eight essential amino acids.

In my experience, most people don't eat enough protein. A person's required protein intake varies and depends on your sex, height, weight and exercise levels. Normal protein intake ranges from 20 to 50 grams at each meal.

Lesson 1: Look at the package.

If you are eating packaged foods, the number of grams of protein per serving is listed on the package. For whole foods, 3 ounces of most meats will provide about 20 to 25 grams of protein. A 4-ounce hamburger, which is processed,  has about 20 grams of protein while typical lunchmeats have about 5 grams per slice. One egg has about six grams of protein and a cup of milk (not typically recommended) has 8 grams.

Lesson 2: Eggs are an excellent source of protein.

• Go organic. Omega-3 eggs contain a 1:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio, while commercial eggs contain a 19:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio.

• Don't be afraid to eat eggs. You can easily eat one dozen eggs per week, as they will not cause your cholesterol to increase. Scientists have shown that infants who eat the adult equivalent of 40 eggs per week don't have problems.

• Avoid eating eggs daily. If you are cooking your eggs, it's important to avoid eating them daily because you may develop an allergy to them. You should not eat eggs more than five days a week if you prepare them conventionally. This will change as you advance in the program; you can tolerate eggs on a much more frequent basis if you consume them raw.

• You can use egg substitutes. You can increase your protein intake by using pasteurized egg whites or egg substitute products in this phase. However, while they are acceptable in this phase, these products are eliminated in the intermediate phase.

The best way to consume eggs is to not cook them at all, but this is an advanced technique.

Lesson 3: Restrict your intake of dairy products.

Pasteurized yogurt and cheese are allowed in this phase but are drastically reduced in the intermediate phase. If you have allergies, consider avoiding all dairy, or at the very least pasteurized milk. Raw milk would be far better. When eating yogurt, please pay special attention to the carbohydrate content as many contain added sweeteners, often in the form of either sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which dramatically increases the carbohydrate content. Also, low-fat dairy products are densely packed with carbohydrates and should be avoided.

Lesson 4: You can eat all meats in this phase.

All meats, including lunchmeats, are allowed in this phase. It would be wise to purchase lunchmeats that are preservative-free (nitrate free). You will move toward higher-quality protein sources in the intermediate phase of the program.

Lesson 5: Become aware of your soy intake.

All soy products are allowed in this phase, though soy is not a healthful food, despite popular belief. Among many other issues, it can weaken your immune system and impair thyroid function (input the term "soy" in our search engine to find dozens of articles on soy's health drawbacks). Soy products will be excluded in subsequent phases, with the exception of fermented soy products like tempeh, miso and natto.

Lesson 6: Think about your fish and seafood intake.

All fish and seafood products are allowed in this phase but are progressively eliminated in subsequent phases due to fish and seafood contamination with mercury and other toxins; sadly, seafood and fish, whether from the ocean, lakes and streams, or farm-raised, are all showing signs of such contamination. Therefore even otherwise healthy fish are now advised against and will be phased out in subsequent phases

Lesson 7: Watch your bean and legume intake.

If you do not have a problem with insulin, these foods are acceptable in this level. If you have high insulin levels, you will want to avoid beans until your levels have normalized. Because although they are complex carbohydrates, they can still contribute to raising your insulin. If you have achieved your ideal weight, you can introduce beans.

Symptoms of high insulin levels include:

• Excess weight
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure

Beans  are sources of good, but not complete, proteins. So you'll want to add some additional proteins to your dish if beans are your primary protein source at any meal.