When it comes to losing weight, you need a lot of protein in your system. Protein is one of the most important nutrients you need if you’re looking to get more fit. A high-protein intake can positively affect your body in many ways.

Your weight is regulated by a part of your brain known as the hypothalamus. A lot of the hormones that the hypothalamus receives are in response to feeding. When you consume high amounts of protein, it increases the levels of the appetite-reducing hormones like GLP-1, peptide YY and cholecystokinin. At the same time, a high-protein diet also reduces the levels of ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger.

Protein also helps you burn calories, since your body needs to use up its stored calories to digest and metabolize protein. Not only that, but a high-protein intake can actually speed up your metabolism, making you burn more calories even when you’re sleeping. Studies have shown that a high-protein intake helps your body burn an extra 80 to 100 calories per day.

These are just some of the great benefits of a high-protein diet. Consuming a lot of protein can also reduce your appetite, tone down your cravings and prevent metabolic slowdown.

Consuming high-protein foods

To fully take advantage of the benefits of a high-protein diet, you must start eating high-protein foods. Here are excellent examples:

1. Peas, lentils and beans — Beans, peas and lentils are a great source of protein and other essential nutrients like potassium and dietary fiber.
2. Eggs — Consuming just the egg white of one large egg can give you around 3.6 g worth of protein with only 17 calories.
3. Poultry and seafood — If you want some meat in your system, look no further than chicken, turkey and different kinds of fish such as cod and tuna. These can provide around 18 to 27 grams of protein for every three-ounce serving. Most poultry and seafood products also have a lot of essential nutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

While it’s important to consume foods with high amounts of protein, you must remember that you still need to focus on proper nutrition. Eating greasy fried chicken with the skin will counteract any benefits you can get from consuming the protein-rich chicken meat.

A high-protein diet can make you watch what you eat

If you don’t keep an eye on your nutrition while doing your high-protein diet, it can lead to complications. The amount of nutrients you consume can be so restricted that it can lead to nutritional deficiencies. You can lack fiber or other essential nutrients, making your high-protein diet worse for your body. Your body also converts the excess protein in your system to glucose, increasing your blood sugar levels. This makes a high-protein diet difficult to handle for diabetics. Furthermore, a high-protein diet can increase your risk of heart disease and kidney complications, so be sure to consult with your natural health practitioner if you want to do this diet.

However, if done right, your high-protein diet can lead to you becoming even healthier than before. If you start planning your meals around the amount of protein that you need to consume. You might find that you’ll start consciously consuming less unhealthy foods and making way for tuna and legumes. You can also add some more fruits and grains to make sure that your high-protein diet is still well-rounded.

Sources include:

Healthline.com

LiveStrong.com

VeryWellFit.com