Scientifically Backed Reasons You Need More Protein
“Protein is important” is all that most people preach and are concerned with. However, Carbs and fat are equally important. They affect the body differently and add their own unique health benefits to the body. However, fats and carbs have compromised effects on the health when you consume them to a particular point. Despite the fact that protein helps prevent deficiencies and certain health conditions when you consume sufficient amounts, some people would still not get enough protein for their body to function properly. Although most people consume protein-rich foods regularly to prevent deficiencies, some people, due to one factor or the other, would need protein even much more than some other group of people.
The major health benefit of protein backed by science is the improvement of metabolic health and the prevention of unnecessary weight gain.
More reasons why you should eat more protein than you already are packed in this article. Read on and find out what the regular and sufficient consumption of protein-rich foods will do for you if you are committed enough to the course of eating it.
Protein Regulates Appetite and Manages Hunger Level
All nutrients, including carbs, protein, and fats, are essential and have unique ways of affecting the body positively. However, research has shown that of all the three aforementioned nutrients, protein provides the highest feeling of satisfaction. That is, it makes you feel more full even after eating less food, compared to carbs and fat.
This is a result of proteins’ ability to reduce the hormone in your body that generates hunger. This hormone is known as ghrelin. Protein reduces the hormone and boosts another hormone known as a peptide, a hormone that gives you the feeling of fullness.
Appetite, when unbridled, can make you overeat, thereby causing you to gain unnecessary weight. One natural way to regulate your food consumption and control your appetite is by consuming protein. It reduces the impact of hunger and boosts the feeling of fullness.
Research showed that women who ate more protein-rich foods experienced a decrease in the rate at which they ate daily. It also helped them consume over 440 fewer calories daily, even without intentionally restricting any food.
If you wish to regulate your food intake, lose weight, reduce belly fat or beat down your hunger levels, then you need to try consuming more protein-rich foods. Replace some carbs and fat with protein by eating 1 spoon of rice and 3 spoons of beans with enough fish and meat.
Protein Boosts Muscle Strength and Mass
Protein is a body-building nutrient. It builds the muscle and the body as a whole. Consuming protein-rich foods helps improve your muscle strength and mass. It also helps protect your muscles from damage and unnecessary sores when you engage in strenuous physical activities. In other words, if you are bodily active or engage in different sports and physical activities, protein is the best nutrient you need to preserve your muscle health.
According to research, more protein consumption can also help prevent the loss of muscles when you are on a weight loss diet or regimen.
Protein is a Great Choice for Your Bones
However, there is a myth that says protein does not contribute positively to bone health. But thank goodness it is a myth. The reason for this conclusion is, protein consumption has the tendency of depositing acids in the body, thereby causing calcium to leave the bone and combat the acid.
Contrary to this, research has shown that eating protein, especially animal protein, over a long period of time can significantly boost bone health. In fact, more studies showed that people who consume enough protein would have lower risks of bone and muscle decline as they ate, with a reduced risk of developing negative bone health conditions like fracture and osteoporosis, usually associated with old age. This health benefit is very essential for everyone, especially women in their menopausal stage, who are the risk of developing osteoporosis at that stage of their lives, even as they grow older.
Protein Beats Down Cravings for Late-Night Eating and Snacking
Experts have explained the difference between food hunger and food cravings. To them, the best way of describing food cravings is the process of rewarding the brain for what it has made you imagine that you want and not satisfying the body with nutrients and energy-giving foods.
Cravings can e difficult to manage and control, such that before you know it, you are back at eating those junky foods. One of the best first steps towards controlling food cravings is by preventing it from happening at all, and preventing it from happening at all means upping your protein game.
Research showed that eating enough protein can reduce your craving by a whopping 60% and beat down your late-night food cravings by over 50%. More research and survey on high school overweight girls showed that eating more protein reduced their craving for junk.
All these benefits are courtesy of protein’s ability to regulate the dopamine hormone that controls late-night eating and cravings.
Protein Boosts Metabolism and Burning of Fat
Eating high amounts of protein can give your metabolic health a boost and also help you burn calories faster than you can imagine. Research has proven that you can burn up to 85 to 100 calories daily if you consume sufficient amounts of protein. Other researches have shown that you may even be able to burn more calories than 100 per day. In this new group of studies, you can burn up to 260 more calories daily, which is equivalent to the effect you would get from a moderate-intensity exercise daily.
Protein Reduced Blood Pressure
One of the preeminent reasons for death in the world today after heart disease and cancer is high blood pressure. This is most common among adults. High blood pressure is a long chain that triggers other health conditions like stroke, heart attack, and fatal kidney diseases.
Fortunately, studies have linked the lowering of blood pressure with higher protein consumption. Recent research showed that protein can regulate or reduce your systolic blood pressure, eliminate triglycerides and bad cholesterol from the body.
Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight
Due to its ability to reduce cravings, hunger, appetite calorie intake, as well as its ability to boost metabolism in the body, people consume protein to help them maintain a healthy weight and lose weight faster, even without restricting their diets.
Research showed that women who consumed up to 30% calories from protein experienced a weight loss figure of up to 5 kg after 10 weeks. Also, protein can aid with fat loss when you are on intentional restrictions of certain foods for weight loss.
It is one thing to lose weight and another thing to maintain weight loss. Protein functions effectively in both climes.
Brings no Harm to the Kidneys
If you have healthy kidneys, consuming protein cannot harm your kidneys, as most people wrongly believe. However, it is true that staying away from protein if you have any kidney problems is a great decision. However, protein may harm people with kidney diseases, yes, but at the same time, it has zero harmful effects on people without kidney diseases. This fact has been backed by science time and time again.
Having no effect on the kidney is enough proof that you can go ahead and consume as much protein as you desire, as this can help you prevent numerous health conditions, regulate your weight and maintain it and also help your body build up and strengthen its vital tissues and organs.
Protein Repairs the Body After Injury
Protein is a body-building nutrient. It builds the muscles, bones, and tissues of the body and keeps them strong enough to combat injuries. However, when the body gets injured, protein plays a vital role in ensuring that the body heals up speedily.
Including foods with higher protein contents in your diet can help your body repair injured tissues, bones, and muscles.
In conclusion, protein is an essential nutrient the body needs to grow and develop healthily. Consuming protein from protein-rich foods is one thing, but consuming sufficient and higher protein contents is another thing. Try the latter and let your body thank you.
