If you are trying to lose weight then there are many benefits of eating protein based foods. This article will look at the benefits of increasing the amount of protein in your diet, and how this can affect your weight loss goals.
Harmful effect of a lack of Protein
Not eating enough protein can have a number of side effects on your body. In order to preserve your bodily functions and tissue your body requires protein, if you aren’t getting enough in your diet your body will take it from skeletal muscles. This protein insufficiency can result in muscle wasting over time.
A lack of protein can cause an increased appetite and an increased calorie intake in your diet.
When protein levels are inadequate your body will encourage you to eat to fill this need, which can often lead to people eating the wrong kinds of foods. To kill this hunger people often turn to sugary or fatty foods, and a lot of discipline can disappear in order to fulfil this urgent need for food.
This is one of the main causes of weight gain. A diet rich in protein is going to reduce feelings of hunger and make you feel full for longer, reducing any temptation to reach for high calorie foods.
If your diet lacks enough protein resulting in muscle loss, then your metabolism is likely going to suffer and slow down. When your metabolism slows, your body burns fat at a slower rate and therefore if your activity levels and diet remain unchanged you will naturally gain body fat.
Snacks and Weight Gain
One of the major causes of weight gain is due to what people eat between meals to satisfy hunger and give them energy. Whether you eat enough protein in your meals or not, if you’re snacking on snacks that contain high amounts of calories, fat or sugar then you’re making the chances of weight gain increase.
Many people snack on biscuits, cakes or anything that comes to mind to satisfy a craving that comes about because of a lack of protein. One major benefit of protein is that is reduces your cravings, and sustains your for longer periods of time, whereas sugary snacks just increase your blood sugar levels making your crash and feel hungry in a shorter space of time.
By snacking on protein bars you can boost your body’s level of protein without consuming high amounts of sugar or fat, as they are designed to be healthy snacks as well as nutrition to assist your training.
So How Does Protein Help You Lose Weight?
As mentioned, a diet high in protein will help boost your metabolism. So your body can burn calories while you sleep, and also while you’re sat at your desk during the day. Therefore, by increasing protein in your diet your body will help burn more body fat than if you had a diet low in protein.
This is a problem many people face especially as we age. Once we get into our 30’s our metabolism drops partly due to the body producing less growth hormones. So exercise and including protein in your diet is essential as you age to help boost your metabolism.
A diet high in protein will lead to reduced appetite and cravings. By increasing the amount of protein in your diet, you’re likely to feel full for longer which will prevent you craving unhealthy, sugary foods. One of the main reasons people lose weight is because of hunger and satisfying that need by eating food that is high in calories and sugar which leads to weight gain.
If you’re looking to lose weight or reduce your level of body fat, there are many benefits to eating protein which can help you achieve these goals. However, any weight loss goal should involve a balanced healthy diet where your body gets a range of different nutrients that help the body function.
Sources of Protein
The main sources of protein you can get in your diet are:
- Meats – chicken, beef, pork, turkey etc
- Fish – salmon, tuna, mackerel, haddock
- Eggs
- Legumes – kidney beans, chickpeas, letils
- Quinoa
- Cheese
There are many sources of protein so you shouldn’t struggle to find something you enjoy eating that will go nicely in your diet. If you’re a vegetarian there are still good ways to increase your level of protein. Quinoa, cheese and legumes are all great ingredients you can use to increase your level of protein.
If you want to increase the protein in your diet but don’t eat meat, you can buy plant based protein which is proven to be highly effective and supporting muscle growth. Read about Organifi Complete Protein here.
If you’re looking to lose weight or reduce your level of body fat, there are many benefits to eating protein which can help you achieve these goals. However, any weight loss goal should involve a balanced healthy diet where your body gets a range of different nutrients that help the body function.