The Magic of Protein

Whenever I hold weight-loss challenges, or am asked about weight-loss, I stress the importance of protein. We often associate protein with body building and building muscle. When I tell people to increase their protein intake, they often freak out thinking they will get bulky. Protein does more than just build muscles. As we talked about in the previous post, protein is an essential nutrient that does many things for your body.

Protein helps build and repair muscle tissues. Yes, you can use protein as a means of body building, however, just consuming large quantities of protein is not going to necessarily make you bulk up. You'd have to also do specific body building workouts in addition to your protein intake. So, just to reiterate, consuming a lot of protein DOES NOT mean bulk and muscle mass.

Although protein is good for building and repairing tissues, it can be good for weight-loss. I consider protein the magic nutrient. Nutritionists suggest that we should consume 10-35% of your caloric intake. If you take a look at your daily diet, you probably aren't getting your suggested protein amount.

Lack of protein, or getting enough protein can be one of the reasons you may not feel full during the day and amount to snacking all day.  Protein plays a vital role in managing hunger and blood sugar levels. When protein is absorbed it sends a signal to the brain to decrease your hunger. It also keeps your blood sugar at a consistent level. Sending this complex nutrient into the blood helps stabilize your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is stabilized, you don't feel hungry.

Now that you know the magic of protein, it's important to know what types of protein to consume. Healthy proteins are low in saturated fats. These include: soybeans, nuts and whole grains. These proteins provide adequate protein without much saturated fats and with other nutrients. Eggs, and lean meats are also a great source of protein, however they do contain some fats. It's important to watch your intake of these proteins because although you may be getting a good amount of protein, the saturated fats that come with it may not help you lose your weight and can become a danger to your body in general.

Remember, increase in protein does not equal increase in bulk muscle mass. Increase in protein means efficiency for your body in building and repairing tissues, stabilizing blood sugar and decreasing hunger. Proteins low in saturated fats can help assist you in your weight-loss journey and can keep your body healthy and high functioning.