Being on a diet is one of the effective ways to lose weight and improve your health. However, you may usually get hungry if you are on a diet. Therefore, it is necessary for you to choose wise diet plans, and high-protein ones are recommended.
Why high-protein diet plans are good?
One of the reasons why high-protein foods are beneficial for weight loss is that it can help you control your hunger. Even though both protein and carbon-dehydrates contain similar number of calories, it takes longer time for foods rich in protein to be digested. So high-protein foods can make you feel fuller and hence you eat less in general.
Another benefit of protein is that it is essential for muscle building. Muscle production requires several types of amino acids that only come from protein. Without these amino acids, our body cannot make muscle tissues and can probably suffer from malnutrition.
How much protein should you eat?
Despite the merits protein has, there are risks to eat too much. It can increase the burden of your liver and kidney and sometimes bring them problems. It is suggested that, if your liver and kidney cannot function well, you check with your doctor before you go on a high-protein diet.
In fact, there is a recommended amount of protein intake (for average healthy adults). It varies on the basis of the physical activities you take every day. 0.5-0.7 grams of protein per pound of your body weight every day would be enough if you do not do much exercise. If you doing some forms of exercise regularly for body improvement, 0.7-1 grams per pound of body weight every day would be good. And if you are building muscle and losing fat, you are supposed to take in 1-1.2 (for female)/1.5 (for male) grams of protein per pound of body weight every day.
What are the high-protein foods recommended?
Here is a list of high-protein foods that are recommended for you. The list displays the benefits of each item and how much protein it contains.
Egg white
Egg white is a good source of protein. It contains relatively low fat yet make you feel full. That means it can effectively tame your appetite and help you eat less. Every 100 grams of egg white contain around 11 grams of protein.
Milk
In addition to protein, milk also has calcium that can accelerate the fat consumption of your body. However, you should choose low- or non-fat milk to avoid taking in too much fat. Every 100 grams of milk contain 3.37 grams of protein.
Skinless chicken breast
Skinless chicken breast has low fat and abundant protein and unsaturated fatty acids. It can give you the feeling of fullness and speed up the burning of your own fat. 100 grams of skinless chicken breast contain 30.5-32 grams (depending on how you cook it) of protein.
Fish meat
Fish meat, especially salmon and trout, is a well-known high-protein food. It is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for your health. 100 grams of fish meat have around 18-26 grams (depending on type of fish and method of cooking) of protein
Soybeans
Beans can give you not only protein but fiber and antioxidants as well. It can improve your digestion and help you lose weight. There are 36 grams of protein in every 100 grams of mature raw soybeans.
Lean meat
Meat does not necessarily make you put on weight if you eat it properly. Lean meat is an ideal source of protein and can also bring about the feeling of fullness. The amount of protein in lean meat varies with the types of meat and the ways of cooking. But it is approximately 26 to 28 grams per 100 grams.
Nuts
Nuts are the food you cannot miss when you are trying to lose weight. They are abundant in protein and can lengthen the time when you feel full. There are 14 to 25 grams (depending on type) of protein in every 100 grams of nuts.
Good high-protein foods include but are not limited to those mentioned above. You can have your own choices, but please remember your diet plan should include a rich variety of food (but not necessary a rich quantity). Every type of foods is processed in your body differently and can provide different substances all essential for your health. So sticking to one or two is not a wise choice.
What else should you eat?
Apart from protein, you should also take in some carbon-dehydrates and healthy fat for the sake of health keeping. The foods above contain carbs and fat. Yet you can still have some more by adding other types to your diet plan.
For carbs, fruits and vegetables are always the top choices.
In fact, whole grains are also strongly recommended.
To gain healthy fat, you can eat olives,
And avocados.
In all
To go on a healthy high-protein diet, you need to pick up what and how many you eat on the basis of calculation of the protein you need. You need to have a reasonable diet plan — eat neither too much nor too little. Combine the plan with habits of healthy living, and you will finally lose your weight and greatly improve your health in the near future.
