Here's Why You Should Have High Protein Foods In Every Meal...

There are several reasons why you should have high protein foods with every meal, especially if you want to burn fat and lose weight. In this article we will cover some of the most important reasons to do so.

Protein is one of the macronutrients. The others are carbohydrate and fat. Macronutrients are nutrients that are required by the body in relatively large amounts compared to other nutrients. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are nutrients required by the body in small amounts. These include, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (nutrients from plants).

It is essential that you consume a wide variety of foods every day in order to provide your body with a sufficient amount of nutrients so it functions at optimal levels.

Protein is the most important macronutrient to consume as the origin of its name suggests, 'Proteus', which means: 'of primary importance.' Protein is required for a countless number of essential functions in the body including, tissue construction, building cells, forming antibodies, creating enzymes and hormones, building genetic codes and carrying oxygen. It is a component of every cell and makes up over half of the dry weight of our body.

Therefore, it simply makes sense to consume an adequate amount of protein every day. Also, since the body is a dynamic structure, meaning that it is constantly building up and breaking down body tissues, it is strongly recommended to have a portion of protein with every meal. It is not necessary to have an enormous amount of protein with every meal, just enough to supply the body with the amino acids (building blocks of protein) it needs in order to perform the essential functions. It is also worthwhile getting your protein requirements from a range of different sources because they all have different amino acid profiles.

Here's a list of high protein foods:

Lean red meat

Chicken breast

Turkey

Tuna

Salmon

Egg whites

Skim cottage cheese

Tofu

Almonds

Protein powder (whey protein powder is the best)

Here are the reasons why high protein foods are beneficial from a fat-burning/ weight-loss perspective:

Speeds up your metabolism
High protein foods require a greater amount of energy to be used up when they are being digested, absorbed and utilised by the body compared to carbohydrate and fat. This means that your body's metabolism will speed up every time you have it and this may assist your fat-burning/ weight-loss efforts.

Increases satiety
High protein foods make you feel more satisfied after a meal because they stimulate the release of cholecytokinin (CCK) from the stomach. CCK is a hormone that induces feelings of satisfaction following a meal. A greater level of satiety after a meal means that you are more likely to eat less. This will assist your weight-loss efforts.

Helps maintain your muscle mass
Regular consumption of high protein foods, i.e. a small portion with every meal, provides your body with a continuous supply of amino acids, which it can then use to re-build body tissues including muscle. Since muscle is one of the most metabolically-active tissues in the body, maintaining or even better still, increasing your muscle mass, will help to keep your metabolism elevated and this will support your fat-burning/ weight-loss efforts.

If you miss a meal or have a meal that doesn't contain any high protein foods, your body will go into a catabolic state (negative nitrogen balance), which means it will break down muscle and other lean tissues sources. This will have a negative impact on your metabolism.

Promotes glucagon release
Glucagon is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It promotes the release of glucose from the liver into the blood stream, which helps to maintain blood sugar levels. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels will help to keep your appetite in check and this means you will be less likely to binge or be tempted to eat the wrong foods.

Glucagon also mobilises fat from the fat stores, which may then be used by the body as a fuel source.

As you can see, high protein foods are so important to include as a part of every meal, especially if you want to lose weight. So, in order to get maximum benefit from consuming protein, plan and prepare all of your meals in advance, which is one of the fat-loss secrets.

When you're going through this process, select one or perhaps a few of the sources of protein from the above list of high protein foods and ensure they are a part of every meal. Keep in mind that you don't have to have large quantities, you just need to provide your body with a continuous supply of amino acids so they can be used for all of the functions mentioned here.

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