The Powerhouse Of Protein

So it’s been a few days and I figured I’d better churn out something before my readers thought I’d fallen off the face of the earth 😉

Ah well, it’s been a busy weekend, and Mothers Day AND a celebration of my 32nd wedding anniversary to a really amazing dude who has loved and encouraged me, supported me in all my crazy adventures and has been an overall wonderful, awesome husband for over half my life now … 😛

But the weekend is over and I now… must make an attempt… at being productive…

I want to talk to you about some of the benefits of eating protein and having an adequate amount of it in your daily nutrition plan.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned these past few years on my own health and fitness journey, protein, is this cool, wonderful thing that seems to do lots of great things in my body. Through trial and error I’ve learned when I eat enough of it I don’t get hungry between meals, I’m less likely to want snacks, I feel “balanced” ( this means no crazy spikes of blood sugar that can give you those weird feelings or make you feel sluggish) it helps build my body and supplies me with energy. It’s how I learned that eating eggs and veggies does a much better job of keeping me feeling great, than a bowl of cereal.

One awesome thing about protein? eating an adequate amount of it in your daily diet will keep your blood sugar stable.

I think if I see one more ad for a “health” product that touts it “keeps your blood sugar levels steady” my eyes will simply roll out of my head.

You don’t need to spend an obscene amount of money on some drink or “health” product to keep your blood sugar levels steady through the day!  If you feed your body quality protein, in reasonable amounts, at each meal, you should have no problem with your blood sugar spiking giving you that “crashing” feeling or the need to have something to pick you up.

Eating an adequate amount of protein at each meal will also ward off hunger keeping you from feeling like you need to reach for snacks between meals.

Adequate protein will also support your metabolism and contributes toward weight loss and weight maintenance.

It’s best to eat small amounts of protein throughout the day instead of a very large serving only once or twice. This gives your body the right amount of protein it needs at any given time, since only so much can be utilized at once (the rest will be stored as fat or eliminated).

We all need a different level of protein based on our exact needs. For example, your body weight, gender, age, and level of activity or exercise all determine how much protein is best for you.

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

Do you also know that as you age you lose muscle? Along with doing strength training and weight bearing exercises, a daily diet with a good amount of healthy protein can help prevent age related muscle loss.

Can you see the importance of having adequate amounts of protein at each meal every day?

So how much is enough?  A simple formula is to take your body weight and multiple it by .5 the result is the amount of grams you should have each day.  A woman who weighs 150 pounds would aim for about 75 grams a day, balanced out between your meals.

Adequate protein can help with weight loss, help build muscles (with strength training) curb hunger which prevents snacking and overeating, and keep blood sugar levels steady.

Protein is seriously something you need to consider in your daily diet. What kind do you get? Is it adequate? Also, depending on your lifestyle and your physical activity, you might need a bit more than someone who isn’t as active.

What are good protein sources ?

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Greek yogurt ( one of my favorite) a cup of plain will give you 23 grams of quality protein! Cottage cheese is an excellent source as well, an dairy will offer protein to you. Just read your labels!

And let’s give some veggies a nod in the protein department… eat these to add more protein and lots of other good health benefits to your daily nutrition plan..

Peas, spinach, kale, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, artichokes, asparagus, and corn all offer protein benefits.

Protein is a nutritional powerhouse for health, wellness, over helping towards weight loss and maintaining weight.

Strive to make about 30% of each meal a good source of protein and see how you start feeling. With a good serving of protein you can minimize other things on your plate.

Do you struggle with feeling sluggish or are you “crashing”  mid-afternoon? Or do you feel like you get a sufficient supply of protein through out your day to keep you feeling energetic and balanced?

What are your favorite protein sources?