Why protein is important? Protein Foods, Functions and Weight Loss

Indian diets are often blamed for being protein deficient. Adding more protein rich food to your diet will go a long way in  better energy, improved athletic performance and weight loss too.

Low protein and Carbohydrate diet is  also  the main cause of  fat gain, low metabolic rate and lifestyle diseases. Dals, eggs,  fish, chicken, lentils, sprouts, grains, Paneer, Tofu, Soyabeans are some Protein rich foods. One has also seen a trend of Protein Shakes and   Bars used by people to complete their protein intake.

What is Protein?

Protein comes from the Greek word proteos, meaning “primary” or “first place.”

 As per Medline Plus, Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein.

Protein is a critical component to help in the smooth functioning of the body, and is responsible for hormonal balance, and cell repair and maintenance.

Protein rich diets are particularly helpful for women, since they help them lose weight while retaining lean muscle mass. They help to decrease hunger, increase satiety it isn’t necessary that one diet will work for everyone; it varies from person-to-person.

What can you eat on this diet?

Various factors, including your age, sex, body size and activity levels. This diet recommends people to get more than 20 per cent of their total calories from proteins. When it comes to weight loss, reducing the number of calories is a given, but that doesn’t mean depriving your body of certain nutrients. Your body must receive a healthy balance of fat, carbohydrates and protein. Moreover, the amount of protein you should eat is linked.

Healthy protein intake

The official recommended daily allowance (RDA) for healthy adults is a minimum of 0.8 g/kg/day. But remember, Protein lacks dietary fibre, and that can also cause problems like constipation and other health issues. In fact, dietary fibre is essential to maintain the health of your colon, and reduces inflammation in the body.

Too much protein can increase health complications

Proteins are harmless if your kidneys are healthy. Kidneys flush out unwanted substances out of the bloodsteam through urine. Sometimes the kidneys need to flush out metabolites of protein from the body.

If you already suffer from some kidney ailment  then do not go on a protein rich diet.  The body converts excess protein to glucose, which could cause a rise in blood sugar levels in those who have diabetes.