Daily protein intake is important in the diet when losing weight as it limits the breakdown of muscle used for energy upon cutting calories. Good quality protein intake also aids growth and maintenance of other body tissue such as hair, nails, skin and smooth muscles as well as in the build up of antibodies to fight infection.
The diet should comprise around 20 percent protein. The protein intake does not need to be too high as the energy needs always come first, this is predominantly supplied by carbohydrates and fats. If however you plan to lose weight with anaerobic exercise protein intake may need to be increased.
All foods contain some protein but many foods like those of plant origin lack certain amino acids. Some amino acids are essential to health as they cannot be produced by the body so must be provided in the diet.
It does not mean however that we will we suffer if we don't eat high quality protein foods everyday. Health can still be maintained if a few items from the list below are consumed a few times each week.
Foods that provide good quality protein are:
EGGS
MEAT
FISH
POULTRY
MILK
CHEESE
Other good sources include:
NUTS
SEEDS
PEAS
BEANS
LENTILS
TOFU
YEAST
SOY PRODUCTS
Less good sources include:
many vegetables
many fruits
PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS
It has been estimated that we need about 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you would like to roughly work out your own protein requirement first find out your weight in kilograms then multiply it by 0.75.
The figure would only be an approximate value and most people will find they regularly consume more than they require.
VEGETARIANS
As most good protein sources come from animal products what some vegetarians do is combine plants foods to gain all the essential amino acids. This can also be good for people trying to lose weight as animal /protein foods do tend to have a high fat /calorie content and plant foods tend to be lower in fat.
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