Protein is a crucial nutrient that plays a vital role in maintaining and enhancing our overall health. Whether you’re an athlete looking to build muscle, someone aiming for weight management, or simply interested in optimizing your nutrition, increasing your protein can benefit you in some pretty amazing ways.
The Ever-Growing Importance of Protein
We’ve known for decades that protein is a critical part of our diet. This is because proteins actually serve as the major building blocks of your body, which uses them in everything from building muscles, organs, and skin to hormones and neurotransmitters.
Proteins are also considered essential nutrients from a scientific point of view because they contain amino acids that your body needs but can’t manufacture on its own. They are “essential” in this sense because we must obtain them from our diets.
Adequate protein intake significantly helps with hunger and metabolism. Protein increases the production of peptide YY (PYY), a gut hormone that makes you feel full and satiated. Additionally, eating a high amount of protein can decrease your levels of ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” and increase your metabolic rate.
Three Ways to Get More Protein in Your Diet
Getting more protein in your diet isn’t hard if you have a plan. Here are six ways to increase your daily protein intake that are simple to incorporate into your routine and diet.
The best way to eat more protein is to make sure it’s on your plate! A good goal to shoot for is to consume at least 20–30 grams of protein at each meal.
Start with protein. When you eat a meal, eat the protein portion first, especially before any starchy foods. Consuming food in this order can help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.
Replace Standard American breakfast alternatives with a savory breakfast or protein-rich breakfast. Many of the breakfast foods in the Standard American Diet (aka, the SAD diet) are low in protein (and generally lacking in many other nutrients). Even an option like oatmeal, which does have some protein, has much less than an egg (Check out this recipe for high protein oats) . Getting enough protein doesn’t just mean eating eggs or beef, however. You can also get protein from sweeter-tasting sources, like shakes and smoothies, when you add protein powder.
However you choose to go about it, I encourage you to find ways to add more protein to your diet. The benefits are many, and they are especially important as you age. Protein helps maintain muscle mass, can help with weight loss, and has essential nutrients your body needs to be at its best.
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