Why You Need a High-Protein Diet
Protein is an important macromolecule you need to eat every day. Macromolecules are large, complex molecules in your body. You should be eating a high-protein diet.
Protein helps keep your cells functioning properly. It helps create and maintain every single cell in our bodies.
Eating enough protein helps you live a longer, healthier life.
You need to get enough protein so that your body functions properly. There are six main processes that your body uses protein for. These functions are:
Resistance training is any training aimed to build muscular strength, including weightlifting, calisthenics, etc. High-protein diets prevent muscle loss during weight loss.
Protein also helps build bone strength. High-protein diets help lower the risk of osteoporosis and fractures as you get older.
During resistance training, your body creates micro-tears in your muscles, which are then repaired with protein molecules, building new muscle tissue in the process.
As you can see, protein is an important molecule for your body.
So, how much protein do you need to eat each day?
According to the National Institutes of Health, you should eat 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day if you are sedentary.
If you do resistance training, workout, or have a physically demanding job then you will need double the recommended amount of protein each day, which is 7 grams per pound.
Studies also suggest that if you are resistance training you may need to eat more than 1 gram per pound of bodyweight each day.
Since there is disagreement on how much protein you need, aim for a range of protein intake. If you are resistance training, aim for a range between 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day.
To calculate the amount of protein you need each day, multiply the grams of protein recommended in this section by your current body weight. If you aren’t active, multiply your body weight by 0.36. If you are active, multiply your body weight by 0.7 or 1.0 if you want to get more protein in each day.
How do you know how much protein is in your food?
If you are going to monitor your protein intake each day, then it is important to know how much protein is actually in the food you are eating.
Most packaged foods have nutrition labels on the packaging. Skim down the label until you find the word “protein”. The label will list the amount of protein in grams per serving size, which is also listed on the nutrition label.
You can then write down the amount of protein in the food, and multiply it by the number of servings you had.
For foods that don’t have a nutritional label, a quick internet search can help you find the amount of protein in the food you are eating.
You can also look up the protein amount in a food database online for free. A few databases to use are MyFitnessPal, CalorieKing, and MyFoodData.
You don’t need to be precise when calculating your daily protein intake. Simply get in the ballpark of 0.36 grams per pound if you live a sedentary lifestyle, or 0.7–1.0 grams per pound if you are active.
High-protein diets are safe. There is no evidence supporting the claim that high-protein diets cause kidney damage.
High-protein diets help reduce the risk of numerous health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more.
One final benefit of high-protein diets…
High-protein diets increase satiety, which is the feeling of being full. Satiety reduces your cravings and snacking.
This helps when losing weight especially because it reduces your desire to eat.
Protein is an important macromolecule you need to include in your diet every day. High-protein diets provide many benefits for active and non-active people alike.
References:
https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/why-is-protein-important-in-your-diet https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6 Protein Calculator: How Much Protein Do I Need? (bodybuilding.com) Protein Intake — How Much Protein Should You Eat per Day? (healthline.com) https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ https://www.calorieking.com/us/en/ https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-facts
Originally published at https://cambillings.com on January 24, 2022.
