Friday, January 2, 2009

Quality Protein Can Help You in Your Weight Loss Process

By Ricardo d Argence

Protein is one of the nutrients that is used in quite large quantities in the body. It is called a macronutrient and provides about 4 calories a gram to the body for its health. It is vital for the formation of the body's building blocks. Among the many jobs it does is the growth and upkeep of the muscles, skin, immune system and eyes, just to mention a few. Protein also helps in the body making enzymes and in maintaining the health of the blood.

Protein is not manufactured by the human body and so it is important to ensure that the daily diet contains sufficient quantities of it.

Any hope of building and maintaining strong muscles hinges upon sufficient protein in the diet. The more muscle mass you produce the more effectively your body burns fat also. Considering that your heart is a muscle, it can easily be negatively affected by a low or no protein diet.

An effective way to control your appetite, including cravings for foods that are not good for you, and to remain satisfied between meals is to consume protein with every meal. Protein takes more energy to digest than other nutrients. The temperature of the body increases slightly as proteins are metabolized.

These few degrees increase produces a thermogenic effect that in turn helps to burn fat calories more effectively. This can help you in your quest to lose weight. Also eating the correct amount of protein can keep you from eating in between meals and those types of food that add the weight on. Often times, it is found when you are craving sweets that you actually need protein, and if you eat the protein instead of the sweets the craving for the sweets goes away.

Deficiencies in protein often make for sweets being sought after so if you want to cut back on sugars, try increasing the amount of protein in your diet.

Some examples of quality protein are:

Tuna, Salmon, in fact all kinds of fish are great sources for lean protein as long as they are grilled, broiled, or baked. Low-fat cottage cheese is not great protein but also a source of dairy for your daily needs. Lean red meat consumed in moderation is a great source of quality protein. It also is great for the health of your blood.

Another ones are: skinless chicken breasts are much lower in fat than the dark meat on chicken. The skin with its high fat content should never be consumed. Tuna, Salmon, in fact all kinds of fish are great sources for lean protein as long as they are grilled, broiled, or baked. Avoid heavy breaded fried fish. Skinless turkey breasts are basically similar to the chicken mentioned here. - 16036

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