Protein is an essential nutrient the human body requires. It plays a role in maintaining healthy organ tissue, skin, bones and muscles. Protein is also important to blood and hormones. Protein sources vary but may include fish, dairy, nuts, seeds and meat. Eating a diet rich in protein may assist you in feeling fuller longer and promote weight loss.
How It Works
Diet plans high in protein are typically lower in carbohydrates. Different versions of these diets exist, but most focus on eating high-protein foods, such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs, and limiting starchy foods, like breads, pastas and some vegetables. Supporters of this diet method believe that boosting protein consumption and limiting carbohydrate consumption result in lower insulin levels, which forces the body to use stored fat for energy. This results in weight loss.
Benefits
Losing weight has many health benefits, including assistance controlling blood pressure and blood sugar imbalances. You can also prevent weight-related health issues, like cancer, heart disease and arthritis. MayoClinic.comPlan recommends consuming 10 to 35 percent of total calories from protein sources. For example, consume 50 to 175 g of protein daily for a diet that contains 2,000 calories.
Considerations
Choose foods carefully if you follow a high-protein diet. Common versions of this diet promote eating red meat and full-fat dairy products. A diet rich in these foods may increase your risk for heart disease. Choose lean or low-fat versions of protein to decrease your health risk.
Misconceptions
Some people forget about the role of exercise in weight loss. When combined with a high-protein diet, exercise can assist in burning more calories and losing weight quicker. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of activity each week. Choose activities that burn the most calories, such as jumping rope, which burns 730 calories in an hour, or tennis, which burns 584 calories an hour, according to MayoClinic.com.
Warnings
Talk with your doctor before starting a high-protein diet. If you have serious health issues that affect the liver or kidney, a high-protein diet can make your condition worse. Eating large amounts of protein with these conditions makes it more difficult for the body to get rid of waste products of protein metabolism, according to MayoClinic.com.
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