Protein is an important nutrient. It helps to build and maintain muscles and bones. It also is an important building block of hormones. And if you are trying to lose weight, you don’t want to skimp on protein since it can help with weight loss in several different ways.
Decreases Appetite And Increases Satiety
Eating more protein helps to keep you feeling full for longer. It also decreases your appetite. People who eat more protein have been shown to automatically drop their calorie intake and are less likely to succumb to cravings.
Protein Helps to Balance Hormones
Hormones play a big role in your ability to lose weight. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are used to make hormones. This means your body needs protein to keep your hormones in balance. This includes hormones related to hunger and satiety like leptin and ghrelin, but also insulin and reproductive hormones.
Digesting Protein Burns More Calories and Increases Metabolism
Part of the calories you burn each day comes from digesting food. Protein takes more calories to digest than carbohydrates or fats. This means that you burn more calories, even when you are sleeping.
Protein Helps to Reduce Cravings
Eating more protein means your blood sugar is better controlled. This can help you to have fewer cravings. Breakfast is the most important meal to add more protein when it comes to reducing cravings throughout the day.
Protein Slows Loss of Muscle and Helps to Build Muscle
One of the dangers of losing weight is a loss of muscle along with fat. This can slow your weight loss efforts and make maintenance harder. But if you keep protein levels high you are less likely to lose muscle when losing weight.
If you add exercise like strength training to your weight loss plan, then you’ll want to make sure you have enough protein in your diet. This will help you to build more muscle, helping to increase your metabolism.
Choosing The Best Protein Sources
Protein should come from animal sources or whole soy sources. Absorption from other plant sources is low so they should not be counted as a protein. Make sure the animal source is lean, grass fed, pasture raised, wild caught, free range, or organic. Avoid fatty protein sources.
Organic, non GMO soy should be chosen.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
How much protein you need depends on several factors. It depends on your muscle mass, your age and how much exercise you get.
If you have a lot of muscle it will take more protein to maintain that
The more you exercise, the more protein you need to help repair muscles and other tissue after exercise
Older adults need more protein to help prevent lower bone density and muscle loss
In addition to this, your body can’t store protein, so it’s important for protein to be included in meals throughout the day.
Are Their Risks Of Getting Too Much Protein?
It is possible to get too much protein. But, first let’s address a couple of myths you may have heard about eating too much protein.
Myth 1: Too much protein is hard on the kidneys. For people with healthy kidney function this is not true. However, very high protein diets can contribute to kidney stones.
Myth 2: Too much protein lowers bone density. A very high protein diet can contribute to calcium being excreted in the urine, but this does not seem to contribute to lower bone density. Getting enough protein in your diet is actually necessary for healthy bones.
Some of the risks of eating too much protein are:
Not getting enough fibre to support health
Eating too much fat if you rely on high fat sources of protein
Risk of getting kidney stones
Dehydration because protein requires more water in the digestion process.
And make sure to spread your protein throughout the day. Your body can only use so much protein at a time and excess is used for
Ways to add protein to your diet
Protein from animal sources are absorbed better than plant sources so you’ll want to try to add these as much as possible. Here are some ways to add protein:
Add chicken or fish to salads and soups to increase protein content
Batch cook some higher protein foods so you have them on hand
Choose canned fish for a quick protein option
Replace breakfast cereals and baked goods with eggs, lean meat, smoothies with added protein
Choose higher protein carbohydrates like legumes
How I can help
I provide custom weight loss programs that meet your needs. My programs are personally handcrafted to you, your body and your lifestyle and include just the right amount of nutrients to keep you feeling satisfied, but still support weight loss. Book a free call to find out how I can help.
Warm wishes,
Vicki Witt | Clinical Nutritionist | Holistic Coach | Reiki Master | Certified LEAP allergy therapist Over 25 years of successfully helping you achieve optimal health and weight loss 🍏| www.vickiwittweightloss.com
About Vicki:
Vicki Witt is a Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Reiki Master. She has been practicing over 25 years and specializes in holistically customizing diet and lifestyle plans to each individual for weight loss and hormonal control. Her clientele often report they feel the best they have ever felt and wish they had started sooner. One of the USA and Australia's top Nutritionists, she has won multiple awards for her services in the industry.
Certified and Registered Nutritionist
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