IN A RECENT COLUMN for Florida Today, Health First's Kelly Fernandez-Rojas, a registered dietitian and certified Bariatric Counselor with NewFit Surgical Weight Loss, argued that people who are restricting their calories – and even those who are not – should be more mindful of meeting their necessary protein intake. And proteins, she says, do not have to come from meats. Tofu, quinoa, broccoli, nuts and many other plant-based edibles contain sufficient protein to meet an active lifestyle.

Kelly Fernandez-Rojas has a message for readers who want to calorie restrict and hit the gym or the pavement in aerobically intense workouts – feeding a body is necessary when increasing a body’s output.

Read Kelly Fernandez-Rojas' column in Florida Today by clicking HERE.

“Most Americans don’t get enough protein in their diets. They actually get too much fat. For those who are calorie-restricting, protein is so, so important. Most people will cut protein in order to add a little more carbs to their meals or snacks.”

Fernandez-Rojas has worked with obese clients and competitive athletes, and in a fitness column that published May 7 in Florida Today, she considers three common narratives people bring to her, beginning with people who have sustained significant weight-loss and who now want to put in intense workouts in the gym.

Health First is bringing experts in strength training, fitness, nutrition and neurology to Florida Today readers in a regular monthly column.

Fernandez-Rojas is a registered dietitian and certified Bariatric Counselor with Health First’s NewFit Surgical Weight Loss. She has built meal plans for obese patients as well as competitive athletes.

READ an earlier column in Florida Today examining the belief that weightlifting is for younger bodies when it may be the exact opposite – strength training can help slow the loss of muscle tissue that happens naturally as we all age.