Protein is one of the most important nutrients for your body. You absolutely cannot function properly without consuming protein. It is needed to build and repair cells, making it an essential factor for proper growth and development. Not only does protein actually help your body run properly, it is also an essential component for proper weight loss. Consuming protein helps to boost your metabolism, helps you feel satiated for longer periods of time, and gives you energy to live an active lifestyle.
Recently, protein rich diets have increased in popularity, largely due to the fact that they are great at helping people lose weight quickly and effectively. But as important as protein is for your body’s ability to function in the day to day, a high protein diet is not something that should be adopted without proper understanding of how it works.
Generally speaking, protein can be broken down into two classifications: plant protein and animal protein. Plant based protein includes foods such as, lentils, beans, tofu, mushrooms, etc. Animal protein comes from the flesh of animals, such as, chicken, beef, fish, whole eggs, and dairy products, etc. Animal based protein has more nutrients than plant based protein, which typically is missing one or more of the essential amino acids that make up protein.
If you adopt a high protein diet, you have to make sure that you are getting a mixture of protein and consuming dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Some of the more popular high protein diets tend to discourage food group diversity and emphasize eating as much protein as possible. But if you exclude dietary fiber from your diet, you will suffer, because dietary fiber protects your digestive system and guarantees healthy bowel movements. It’s ok to attempt to lose weight via a high protein diet. Just make sure that you are doing so safely.
