Why you need protein in your life

Dieting doesn’t have to be all about calorie counting and feeling famished; believe it or not, adding more of a certain type of food can actually help you lose weight, so here’s why you need protein in your life.

Nutritionists such as Shona Wilkinson now believe that adding more protein to your diet can help stave off hunger, leaving you fuller for longer and less likely to snack. Proteins are digested more slowly than carbs, and stay in the stomach for longer. It can also help you to digest carbohydrates when eaten together as a meal. That means that you will not only have your energy released more even during the day but also it will stop you from having sugar cravings.’ explains Shona Wilkinson, head nutritionist at nutricentre.com. Protein can also help build or maintain muscle growth and mass, meaning it’s a must have for aspiring athletes and gym lovers.

Nutritionist Cassandra Barns says, ‘This simply means having more toned silhouette and also maintaining a healthy metabolism as muscle burns more energy than fat!’ Protein also contains lots of amino acids, which can keep your metabolism up and boost your energy levels. According to Wilkinson, it is also said to ‘produce the “happy hormone”, which can stop you craving comfort foods.’

Pro maths

So, what exactly do we need to eat to pack all this amazing protein in? Luckily for us there are tons of different foods that contain protein. The best source of protein comes in the form of lean meat, fish, eggs, cheese and yoghurt. There are all sorts of ways of getting protein if you’re a vegetarian or vegan too. Nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas and lentils, although they don’t contain as much, are great foods to eat to get your protein levels up. ‘On average, a woman needs 1g of protein per kilo body weight per day. This means that a woman weighing 60kg needs at least 60g of protein, which is equivalent to two chicken breasts, four eggs or three cups of cooked lentils.

If you eat meat or fish and other animal foods once or twice a day, you’re probably getting enough but if you’re vegetarian or vegan then you’ll need to keep an eye on how much protein you’re getting,’ explains Barns. It’s not only what you get you protein from that’s important, it’s when you consume it too. Dr Marilyn Glenville’s advice is to try to have 15-20g protein per meal or snack as this can help to ‘control your appetite and balance your energy levels’. If you’re struggling to add that extra bit of protein in your diet, Dr Glenville’s advice is to ‘try to add chickpeas or lentils to your soup, pumpkin seeds to yoghurt or spreading almond butter on your toast instead of jam.’

Another option is to investigate the world of protein shakes and powders to boost your protein levels and balance out your diet. So, rather than restricting your diet in order to lose weight, it really is about a good amount of all the right things.