The Power of Protein

Protein is the superfood when it comes to weight loss. The benefits of Protein:

• It fills you up and keeps you from getting hungry in between meals, so you’ll eat less
• It’s highly thermic, which means your body actually uses calories to digest it – e.g., 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 important for weight loss as it lowers the GI of a meal or snack

What does protein do in the body?

Protein plays various parts in the body including development and fix of muscle and tissue along with providing compounds, chemicals and fundamental amino acids. Absence of protein can prompt muscle squandering, laziness and unhealthiness.

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:

1. Animal Products – Chicken, Lean Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Pork, Fish, Eggs (chicken breast & fish are best as they have the least fat)
2. Protein Powders and bars
3. Tofu
4. Dairy – Milk, yoghurt, cheese
5. Nuts & Seeds
6. Beans & Lentils – chickpeas, baked beans, kidney beans etc.