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Many studies have discovered the role that protein has in muscle growth. Other studies have tried to discover the role protein has in losing fat. Scientists do know that eating lean protein foods can... |
Many studies have discovered the role that protein has in muscle growth. Other studies have tried to discover the role protein has in losing fat. Scientists do know that eating lean protein foods can help to regulate the body composition because it decreases appetite. A 2003 study that was reported in the Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition And Metabolic Care journal showed that the consumption of protein makes you feel fuller than when you eat carbohydrates or foods containing fat. Eating lean protein can also help you to burn fat and keep the fat off because of the thermic effect of food.
When individuals make small changes in their diet such as replacing just 30 grams of fat with 30 grams of protein each day they will see a decrease in appetite, a decrease in body fat and they will be able to keep the fat off.
Protein is an essential nutrient but too much protein is not necessary for weight loss. The Zone diet supplies almost double the amount of protein that the American Dietetic Association recommends. The Atkins and Protein Power diets are more than double the amount of protein needed for a healthy diet.
There are really two kinds of dietary protein, complete and incomplete. Animal and soy proteins are what we call “complete” proteins because they have all of the nine essential amino acids. Plant products that include the vegetables, nuts and legumes that we eat are called “incomplete” proteins because they do not have one or more of the essential amino acids. Protein functions to help curb your appetite and in turn you lose weight. Protein has an important role in your body besides curbing your appetite. They provide structural features of body tissue and also serve as immune-system antibodies and signaling molecules. Proteins can also help regulate sleep, assist in digestion and ovulation. These functions require complete proteins. Sources of animal protein are higher in fat so that makes them not necessarily better than plant proteins. Go for the lean animal proteins such as lean beef, seafood, pork tenderloin, and breast meat of poultry, nonfat milk and egg whites. Plant proteins contain disease-fighting phytochemicals are cholesterol-free and do not contain any saturated fat so for these reasons plant proteins are healthy for you.
The more active you are the more protein you need. A mildly active person who only exercises three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes each session probably won’t need more than the recommended amount of protein (0.4 grams per pound of ideal body weight). Someone who is moderately active (exercises four to six days a week for 30 to 60 minutes each session) should eat between 0.6 and 0.7 grams per pound of ideal body weight. Someone who is highly active (exercising daily for an hour or more) should consume 0.9 to 1 gram of fat per pound of ideal body weight. Individuals recovering from a serious illness or those who are exercising at higher altitudes may need this higher level of protein too.
There are negative consequences to eating more protein than your body requires such as putting on extra fat because that extra protein will cause your body to store the extras, causing you to gain weight. If you eat extra protein instead of eating vegetables and fruits your body won’t get other essential vitamins and minerals that it needs. Eating too much protein can also cause you to become dehydrated as it takes your body longer to eliminate all of that extra protein.