Protein is the superfood when it comes to weightloss.
The benfits of Protein:
- It fills you up and keeps you from getting hungry in between meals, so you’ll eat less
- Its highly thermic, which means your body actually uses calories to digest it – eg. if you ate 100 calories of chicken, 30 calories would be used to digest it, so effectively you’ve only consumed 70 calories.
- It helps your muscles repair and grow as protein is the building blocks for muscle
- It slows the rate at which sugar hits your bloodstream, which is impotant for weightloss as it lowers the GI of a meal or snack
What does protein do in the body?
Protein has numerous roles in the body including growth and repair of muscle and tissue as well as supplying enzymes, hormones and essential amino acids. Lack of protein can lead to muscle wasting, lethargy and malnutrition.
How much protein do we need?
We need approximately 1 gram of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day eg 60 kg female would require 1 gram x 60 = 60 grams of protein per day. A higher requirement is needed for the young, athletes and in some illnesses.
What are the best sources of protein:
- Animal Products - Chicken, Lean Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Pork, Fish, Eggs (chicken breast & fish are best as they have the least fat)
- Protein Powders and bars
- Tofu
- Dairy – Milk, yoghurt, cheese
- Nuts & Seeds
- Beans & Lentils - chickpeas, baked beans, kidney beans etc
