High Protein Diets: Not Just for Bodybuilders

Increasing numbers of people are turning to high protein diets in an effort to lose weight. There is research that suggests that this type of diet can help you better control caloric intake and minimize your appetite. Diets that consist of over 50 percent protein are considered high protein diets.

By increasing your protein and lowering your carbs you are able to reduce fats absorbed in your blood stream. This also assists in maintaining lean tissue and burning that extra fat for fuel. Adding exercise to this practice increases your resulting weight loss. Another benefit to adapting this diet is that it allows you to not be plagued by constant hunger.

It has been said that protein takes longer for the body to break down leaving that full feeling in your stomach longer. But researchers don’t truly know how protein works to reduce your appetite. It is possible that the reason could be that the protein causes lower levels of Ghrelin, an appetite stimulating hormone to be received by the brain.

Some new research suggests that protein my satisfy hunger better than fats or carbs. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition did a study that put participants on a diet that was comprised of 50% carbs, they also reduced fat and increased protein. The results showed that participants lost weight, were more satisfied, and found themselves to be less hungry. In the Journal of Nutrition a study was done including exercise, and resulted in better blood fat levels as well as weight loss.

So how much protein do you need anyway? All stages of life require protein for growth, development and the immune system. The recommended intake is 10% to 35% of total caloric intake for average adults. Men are recommended about 10 grams more per day than women, and most Americans hit this benchmark without a problem. The struggle comes in with replacing protein with up to 35% of your calories. The only dangers fall with people who have kidney or liver disease, but other than that group of people there are essentially no dangers in increased protein intake.

High protein diets have been proven to assist in weight loss. If weight loss is your goal, most experts suggest around 120 grams of protein intake per day. The correct way to increase your protein is slowly. Take a week and break it down to a daily increase until you reach your desired daily intake.

However,  always check with your doctor before adding large amounts of anything to your regular diet.

The post High Protein Diets: Not Just for Bodybuilders appeared first on Nashua Nutrition Blog.

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