We all know a little bit about protein from our schools. It helps you with your growth and is an important part of your diet, yet we still tend to underestimate its role. Most of us don’t keep track of the protein consumption and eat a lot one day and not at all on another.
When I started working out few years ago, I did not keep an eye on how much protein I was eating so I wasn’t eating enough of it most days. Because of that, it would take a long time for me to recover from my exercise, and my muscles would constantly be at sore.
After doing some research, I started keeping track of my protein intake which helped me to eat enough protein every day. I recovered quickly from my exercise, gained strength and grew my muscle size. I also learned to adjust my protein requirement based on my activity level.
What is protein?
Protein is a large molecule made up of amino acids that are essential for the growth, repair, and maintenance of tissues in the body. It is one of the three macronutrients; protein, carbohydrate, and fat; that we eat in our diet to get energy.
Because proteins are the building blocks of cells, tissues, and organs; they play a crucial role in many bodily functions such as muscle contraction, immune system response, and hormone production.
It is very important to eat enough protein every day as your body cannot produce it. The only way to make it available is through the food you eat.
The benefits of eating more protein
1. Increases satiety
Protein is very satiating and will keep you feeling full for longer. This means that you tend to eat fewer calories when you consume more protein. It is very hard to eat excessive amount of protein from your diet. That’s certainly not the case in terms of carbs and fat. You can easily overeat the carbs and fat without even realizing it.
Eat a protein full of breakfast to kick start your day.
2. Boosts metabolism and helps burn fat
Metabolism is the process by which the body converts the food we eat into energy and nutrients that can be used for various bodily functions, such as growth, repair, and maintenance. This process involves a series of chemical reactions that occur in cells and tissues throughout the body, which ultimately leads to the production of energy (in the form of ATP) and the elimination of waste products.
Metabolism is essential for maintaining normal bodily functions, regulating body temperature, and sustaining life. It can be influenced by various factors such as genetics, age, diet, exercise, and hormone levels.
When you eat more protein, body needs more energy to digest and metabolize protein than it does for other macronutrients like carbohydrates and fats. This increased metabolic rate can lead to burning more calories throughout the day.
3. Preserves muscle mass
As we age, there is a natural decline in muscle mass and strength due to a variety of factors including changes in hormonal levels, decreased physical activity, and poor nutrition.
Also, when you intentionally restrict your calorie intake, you can often lose muscle mass along with fat. Eating more protein can help preserve muscle mass while losing weight.
4. Lowers food cravings
High-protein diets have been shown to lower cravings and help people stay on track with their weight loss goals. In western lifestyle, we tend to eat out of crave than the actual hunger. Eating more protein helps you stop overeating.
5. Increases muscle mass and your overall strength
Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue. When you consume protein, it gets broken down into amino acids which are used to rebuild and strengthen your muscle fibers. These amino acids also help to stimulate the production of hormones such as growth hormone which further promote muscle growth and repair.
Additionally, protein helps to prevent muscle breakdown by providing a steady supply of amino acids for your muscles to use, especially during times of exercise or physical activity. By consuming adequate amounts of protein, you will be providing your muscles with the essential nutrients they need to grow and become stronger over time.
Eat sufficient amount of protein while being physically active and you will gain more strength overtime.
6. Helps you to get and stay fit
As you include more protein in your diet and do some physical exercise, you grow your muscle size. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, which means that it burns calories even when you’re resting. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day, even when you’re not exercising.
Muscle tissues also require more energy to maintain than fat tissue, which means that the more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain it. This can lead to an increase in your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest.
Together these two effects compound and result in greater fat loss.