The importance of protein in your diet
The cells in the human body carry protein. The structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. Protein in your diet repairs cells and helps make new ones. In digestion, the amino acids of the protein are broken down, and the body needs large amounts of those amino acids to maintain good health. In weight loss, 25-35% of calories need to be protein. A high protein intake has a multitude of benefits for the body, including:
Reduces appetite
A higher protein intake increases levels of the satiety (appetite-reducing) hormones GLP-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. This leads to a significant reduction in hunger, incidentally leading to the consumption of fewer calories. In a study, when people ate 30% of their calories, it caused their calorie intake by 441 calories a day, and if continued for the week, it would cause a loss of one pound per week.
Increase muscle mass and strength
Protein is the building block of your muscles; consequently, eating appropriate amounts of protein will help maintain muscle mass and encourage muscle growth with the combination of strength training. When you exercise and lift weights, you produce tiny micro-tears in your muscles. When you eat protein, your body breaks it down and uses those amino acids to repair the tears. They surround and fill the tear and make it bigger and stronger.
Good for Bones
Protein maintains not only muscle mass but bone mass as well. Eating protein will lower the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Protein makes up approximately 50% of the volume of your bones and one-third of its mass. Protein is particularly important for women, as the risk of osteoporosis is more significant following menopause. A multitude of studies indicates that a high protein diet plan positively affects bone mineral density.
Reduces cravings
Eating more protein can lead to significant reductions in cravings and the desire to snack late at night. These changes should make it much easier to stick to a healthy diet. A study in overweight men showed that increasing protein to 25% of their calories lessened cravings by 60%. Likewise, a study in overweight adolescent girls found that eating a high-protein breakfast reduced cravings as well.
Boost metabolism and fat burning
The body uses calories to digest food and utilize the nutrients in the food. The process is called the thermic effect of food. Protein has the highest thermic effect on food, 20-35%, compared to carbs and fat’s thermic effect, 5-15%. A diet plan with a high protein intake will burn approximately 80-100 extra calories a day, with a possible high of 260 when overfeeding.
Lowers blood pressure
In a review of 40 controlled trials, increased protein reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number of a reading) by 1.76 mm Hg on average and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a reading) by 1.15 mm Hg.
Maintain weight loss
Without the burden of calorie counting, weight loss can occur just by following a high protein plan. A study found that women who ate 30% of the calories, not restricting their diet, had lost 11 pounds in three months. If your goal is to maintain, increasing protein, as found in a study, from 15- 18% will reduce weight gain by 50%.
There are many high-protein foods you can eat to boost your protein intake. The list might include eggs, chicken breast, broccoli, oats, and greek yogurt. To achieve results, it is recommended to use a nutrition tracker in the beginning to make sure that you are getting enough. The Keto diets, now gaining in popularity, are also a great way to eat a high protein diet and enhance weight loss and weight management.
