Recent research has demonstrated that eating a high protein diet can help you lose weight because high protein foods satiate hunger better than carbs or fats can.
What Research Shows About High Protein Foods
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the participants reported less hunger, higher satisfaction as well as weight loss when the fat content in their diets was reduced to 20% and proteins were increased to 30%. Each participant consumed 441 calories less per day when they were put on a high protein diet and kept a check on their calorie intake.
The Journal of Nutrition also published a study that demonstrated that a high protein diet, when combined with regular exercise, not only led to fat and weight loss, it also improved the fat levels in the blood. The researchers believed that high protein foods helped people regulate their appetites and their calorie intake better.
Research has still not been able to tell us exactly how protein works to regulate appetite but high protein and moderate card diets, along with regular exercise, have been linked to a decrease in blood fats and more lean tissue. Fat is burned for fuel by the body without the dieter having to deal with constant hunger.
Some researchers have proposed that high-protein foods decrease the brain’s receptivity to appetite-stimulating hormones. However, the American Dietetic Association recommends that experts should wait for further research before making widespread recommendations and the inclusion of protein in one’s diet.
What Does High Protein Mean?
Protein is an essential component of our body. Our cells, muscles and bones all contain protein. This is why proteins are essential to our diet at all stages of life. We need protein to grow and develop optimally and to build our immune system. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) of the Institute of Health, healthy adults can consume anywhere between 10% and 35% of their total calorie intake as protein. This means that in an average 1,800 calorie diet, one could include anywhere between 45 gm and 218 gm of protein each day.
One the other hand, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) suggests that men should have 56 gm of protein a day and women should have 46 gm. This should not be difficult for most people, especially in America. What is difficult is achieving the upper limit of 35% of the calories.