Ever wonder if you could Eat your way to Good health, Great energy, & Manage your weight?

The power of protein

The Power of Protein craze has created many new diet companies and muscle-building products. Protein's importance goes far beyond weight management and building lean muscle.

Ever wonder why you are so tired? Or not sleeping? Or waking up exhausted? Why are you in constant pain? Or are you hungry and eating all the time? Why does your skin and hair look dull?

Could it be a lack of good protein in your diet?

Protein, as part of a healthy diet, can help control hunger and build lean muscle. It isn't easy to digest, so we feel satisfied for longer. Protein produces “feel-full” chemicals. It also helps build and maintain muscle because it contains 22 amino acids, the Building Blocks of Life, which are a significant component of muscle tissue and organs.

Protein has many more benefits. It produces fat-metabolising chemicals (i.e. Burns Fat) and thus creates more energy and can combat tiredness. Protein is vital in many other bodily processes, such as digestion and transportation of nutrients & oxygen in the blood. This is necessary for antibody production to fight infection. Collagen is a protein vital for our hair and skin's strength, elasticity, and composition.

So, does this make protein an essential part of our diet?

Our bodies do not make protein, so we must replenish our protein levels through our daily diet. The protein we eat is stored in muscles and organs during waking hours. During our recommended 7-8 hours of sleep at night, we repair and rebuild our bodies by creating new cells and tissue and improving hormone and enzyme production. To regenerate our bodies this way, we use up all the protein consumed that day and awaken each morning protein-depleted. Therefore, the first meal of the day (within 30 minutes of getting out of bed) is the most important meal of our day.

How protein affects your weight

If you starve yourself or crash diet, you will eat too few good calories. This causes you to burn protein for energy. Starvation or nutrient deprivation will allow you to lose weight, but you will also become exhausted and unwell. When you return to eating your regular diet, you will regain weight or, worse still, gain even more weight than you did before. At a minimum, the lack of protein will also lead to skin problems and/or a tired and unhealthy appearance. A worse case of protein deprivation could cause the degradation of body organs and ill health.

High-protein diets have become very popular due to their ability to help manage hunger. When protein is absorbed, it sends a signal to the brain to decrease your appetite. Another benefit of protein is that it maintains muscle mass, which is known to increase metabolism. Muscle mass decreases if we neglect exercise as we age, so staying fit is key to burning fat by keeping your metabolism high.

How much protein should you eat each day?

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) suggests guideline-recommended daily allowances (RDA) for infants to over 65-year-old males and females. For example, the RDA of protein for a newborn baby (0-3 months) is 12.5 g/d, and the average 18-64-year-old female needs 0.75g/kg of body weight per day.

So, what protein should you eat?

Protein also leads to a much slower rise and fall of blood sugar and insulin, so you avoid the “sugar highs and lows” you might experience after eating sweets without adequate protein. Certain foods, however, provide a healthier resource for protein than others, so consider the source of protein.

A healthy daily diet will consist of complete protein (animal sources) and incomplete proteins (plant sources). We must combine plant and animal proteins during the same day to provide our bodies with a complete makeup of proteins, i.e. 22 amino acids. Too much animal protein has health risks because excess is stored in the body as toxins and fats (such as cholesterol). Overeating animal protein results in the body taking in excess saturated fat and possibly losing excessive amounts of the mineral calcium, which is critical in building strong bones and teeth. Therefore, limit animal proteins to a main meal in the day. Good sources of complete (animal) proteins include eggs, turkey, chicken, fish, other seafood or whey (such as yoghurt, cottage cheese, etc).

Soy protein is an excellent protein-rich plant material that does not contain fat or cholesterol. As part of a diet low in saturated fat, soy can help maintain cholesterol levels. It can also sustain energy levels and help keep you feeling fuller for longer. Good examples are tofu, Quorn, soy Beans, and soy Milk. Soybeans, nuts, and whole grains also provide protein (without much saturated fat) and offer plenty of healthy fibre and micronutrients.

Now you can begin your journey to eating your way to wellness, increased energy, a peaceful sleep, healthy skin and nails and/or the perfect shape.