Tip of the Week: Protein is essential for building, and rebuilding, the body. But while too little can be a bad thing, so can too much. The trick is finding the right amount for you.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients (the others being carbohydrates and fat) that make up the bulk of your daily diet. Protein can be found in every cell in your body, including bone, blood, hair, skin, nails and muscles, and is used by the body to build and repair tissue. Notably, protein is recruited by the body to help repair muscles after they're broken down during exercise.

Obviously, extra protein is needed in the diet to help foster this repair. However, the amount isn't as much as some would have you believe. Even if you're an extremely avid trainer who gets to the gym five or six days per week, you don't need more than one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight — less if your exercise intensity is low to moderate.

To figure how much you need, start with a baseline of 0.5 gram per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight. If you exercise moderately, two to three days per week, increase that amount by 25 percent. If you're a hard, regular trainer, add 50 percent — and you should have more than enough protein to keep your body stocked with the nutrient it needs to continuing its never-ending cycle of growth and repair.

Q: It seems that more and more restaurants are offering egg white omelets as an alternative to regular ones. I know that egg yolks have fat and cholesterol, but they make omelets taste so much better. Is it OK to include one yolk in with the whites?

A: Egg yolks have gotten a bad rap in recent years, undeservedly so. For years, so-called nutrition experts have warned against eating egg yolks for their cholesterol content. They contend that by consuming the cholesterol in egg yolks, a person will raise their serum cholesterol levels and increase their risk for arteriosclerosis.

While yolks do contain cholesterol, research has found that unless you have a predisposition for high cholesterol levels, eating a yolk or two a day will not adversely affect you. Quite the opposite, egg yolks are chock full of vitamins, minerals and all-important essential fatty acids. In fact, nutritionally speaking, egg yolks are far more valuable than are whites. If I had to choose one over the other, I'd go with yolks most every time.

So the next time you order an omelet, leave the yolks in — or if you're trying to keep your fat intake down, ask the waiter if they can include on or two in your three-egg omelet. Not only will it taste better, but it will provide you with a much healthier meal.

Q: Do all of those ab machines I see on late-night TV really work? It seems like every week there's a new one on the market. I would like to get something to help work my abs at home, but I don't know if I should believe the pitchmen and women, or just stick with sit-ups.

A: Half a lifetime ago, when I was one of the only manufacturers of exercise equipment, some accused me of being overzealous in bringing new products to the market. I'll tell you, though, I didn't come close to the onslaught of new fitness devices we see flooding the market today.

There are literally dozens of ab-training accessories available now, from straps to rollers to sliders and benches. The truth is, most of them do work, to varying degrees. You see, it's not that hard to stimulate the abdominal region. Any time you bend or twist your body in any direction, your abdominals are coming into play. So anything that causes you to do this will work your abs.

The bigger question, then, is: Do you need them? After all, you can get a very good workout doing crunches on your floor, twists with a broomstick and bicycle kicks for the lower abdominals. For some, the ease and comfort provided by equipment makes them more likely to exercise, in which case they're a good thing. For many others, though, the purchase is just a way to convince themselves that they're doing something good. Then the equipment sits in a closet until it ends up in a yard sale.

What's most important is that you commit yourself to exercising regularly, ab exerciser or no.

Joe Weider is the co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders, creator of the Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia bodybuilding contests, and publisher of numerous fitness magazines. To find out more about Joe Weider, write to him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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