The Power of Protein!

Why is Protein so important?? How much protein should I eat to lose weight?? What IS considered protein?? 

All of these questions about protein are questions we hear almost daily. I am here to answer them all and tell you what protein is all ABout!

The Importance of Protein


High protein foods take more work to metabolize, digest and use, therefore burning more calories WHILE processing them. They also take longer to leave your system making you feel fuller, sooner and leaving you satisfied for longer. Aside from just eating protein, if you are also following a workout program, your body will use the amino acids from the protein to help build lean muscle. This not only helps you get stronger, but also helps you burn calories even when you're not active. A diet high in protein and moderate on carbohydrates will help decrease blood fats.So overall, this helps to increase your metabolism so your body will burn calories to it's fullest potential at all times.

Just the Right Amount

The truth is, you can't make yourself a protein shake or eat a protein bar and think you're good to go for the day. Every meal should contain protein and daily you should consume between 0.5 and 1.0 grams of protein per lb of body weight. For example, if you weigh 120lbs, you should be consuming between 60-120g of protein per day. Breakfast, as we all know, is the most important meal of the day but even more importantly is consuming protein for breakfast. Overnight your body is running on empty and may start to draw from muscle tissue for fuel if you don't replenish your protein stores when you wake up. Eating protein first thing in the morning may also help regulate your hunger throughout the whole day.

So What Do I Eat?! 

When we think of protein we all think of meats. While meat IS a good source of protein, it's certainly not the ONLY source. Below are a list of great protein sources and how many grams of protein they each roughly contain:

• Egg  6-8g (depending on the size)
• 1 ounce of meat, fish,poultry  7g
• 1 glass of milk (8oz)  8g
• 4 ounces of low fat yogurt  4g
• 4 ounces of soy milk  5g
• 1 scoop of whey protein powder  25-30g
• 1 ounce of cheese  7g
• 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese  14g
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 8g
• 1 ounce of almonds (about 23)  6g
• 1/2 cup kidney or black beans 7g

So mix/match your proteins and have fun making new recipes and enjoying your new found energy (and body) that protein gives you!