| 5 ways to make protein benefit You |  |
2003 © by Lee Cummings
Leeman@LC-Nutrition.com
Imagine this ... What if you could -
Increase the rate of your metabolism.
Burn more stored body fat.
Maintain more muscle mass by eating protein rich foods.
Calculate the correct amount of protein needed for your body.
Learn about the best food sources of protein.
As you are looking for ideas, here is proven nutrition information
about how protein can
benefit you.
1. Are you aware that protein increases the
rate of metabolism of your body because it is
Thermogenic? - because it takes more calories
to process protein rich foods and nutritional supplements.
"Thermogenic" refers to the normal
Thermogenesis process your body goes through
in digesting and using the food you eat and
the burning of calories and fat from that
food. i.e. - producing energy from the food
you eat.
The body requires more calories to process or
digest protein than it does to digest fat or
carbohydrates.
Thus your metabolism is raised by consuming
protein rich foods.
Here is a good resource for more information about Thermogenesis:
http://www.mpcoffee.com/thermogenesis.htm
2. Increase the rate at which your fat cells
are able to burn stored fat!
You'll probably disagree with this,
however...
Soy protein also contributes to the body's
ability to burn fat because as you eat more
protein your metabolism is raised and it
enables your body to burn stored fat instead
of storing more fat.
Dr. Robert Atkins - author of the Atkins
diet, as well as Dr.'s Michael Eades and Mary
Dan Eades - authors of the "Protein Power"
books, all talk about the proven power of
protein and the importance of soy protein in
particular.
More about soy protein in a little bit...
3. Maintain muscle mass by eating plenty of
protein rich foods.
Realize that by eating more protein rich
foods, you will maintain muscle mass and more
muscle mass means you will:
. raise your metabolism
. burn more fat
Understand that your muscle tissue needs
protein to maintain itself and when your body
does not get enough protein, one of the first
places it will get protein is from your
muscle tissue.
Let's also remember that one of the most
important muscles in the body is your heart.
You don't want to damage that muscle do you?
Remember, muscle is protein and protein is
Thermogenic -
When you do not eat enough or get enough
nutrition, the body goes into a "starvation
mode" and it will hang on to what it's got.
That means it will hang onto fat stores as
long as it can.
Since the body does not know when it will get
more food or nutrition it is going to hang on
to all the fat it has and begin to burn the
protein found in your muscle tissue.
Eating less is not the best way to go because
it starts to LOWER your metabolism and take
away your ability to burn stored fat.
4. Are you feeling hungry when changing your
eating habits to a more healthy lifestyle?
Maybe you are not getting enough Protein. You
might be wondering just how much protein do I
need?
Dr.'s recommend that you get nearly your body
weight in grams of Protein.
The average woman needs about 100 grams of
protein every day. The average man needs
about 150 grams of protein every day.
This is an average person who is moderately
active. The more active you are the more
protein you will need for your active
lifestyle.
This is especially important if you are a
person who works out several times a week.
Protein and calorie intake are a concern when
you are an active person who burns many
calories (and potentially muscle) during a
workout session.
Because it may be difficult to get enough
protein without over eating, here are some
suggestions to increase your protein intake
while on your program.
Have you ever considered integrating a high
protein (and preferably low carb) meal
replacement shake into your daily diet?
Whether you need to lose weight or not,
nearly everyone can use more nutrition and
protein in their daily diet.
Depending on your favorite shake mix, it
could be anywhere from 9 to 18 grams of
protein per shake and it will be loaded
with vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Here is a suggested "Power Protein Shake"
recipe:
Add 1/2 cup cold water and 3 Tbls of a High
Protein low carb shake mix, to a blender.
Using the lowest speed blend the water and
shake mixes together.
Then add 3 ice cubes, a banana or your
favorite fruit and blend on a high speed for
a special "Power Protein shake"!
More protein, fewer carbohydrates and
calories than a regular shake mix made with
milk or soy beverage are the benefits of the
"Power Shake".
The "Power Shake" also helps to keep you
feeling fuller and satisfied the during the
day and will help you eat less while
maintaining the benefits of a protein shake!
Another way to give your body more protein is
to eat a High Protein Low Carb power bar
which may have 8 - 15 grams of hunger
fighting protein. These power bars always
make a great snack.
Use this in combination with the Shake mix
and your normal meal(s) to get all the
protein your body needs each day!
5. Do you know what one of the best sources
of protein is? Many people say beef or meat
in general.
These are great sources of protein, however
are you aware that one of the best sources of
protein is Soy Protein?
We won't have the time to go into all the
benefits of soy protein here, however there
are some important points to highlight.
Plant-based Proteins, like those found in
soy, have been proven to help lower LDL (bad)
cholesterol and elevate good HDL cholesterol.
This contributes to less build up of bad
cholesterol and helps prevent heart disease
and clogged arteries.
This in turn helps prevent heart attacks and
strokes.
Products which contain soy protein may be
able to carry the FDA approved "Heart Smart"
symbol which means -
"Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol
that include 25 grams of soy protein a day
may reduce the risk of heart disease"
Animal Proteins vs. Plant-based Proteins -
Animal Proteins like meat and dairy, can be
loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol.
This type of protein can elevate the LDL
(bad) Cholesterol when it remains in your
diet for long periods of time.
Over the years, high LDL cholesterol in the
blood combined with elevated homocysteine
levels can lead to heart disease and clogged
arteries. This in turn can lead to heart
attacks and stroke.
So, try to replace high fat animal proteins
with better cuts of meat - preferrably grass
fed beef and plant-based proteins like soy.
Also, replacing saturated fats with
unsaturated fats like those in olive oil will
help you avoid the negative health effects
associated with high LDL cholesterol and
saturated fats.
I know that reading this article has inspired
you to take action.
When you follow these 5 tips, you may find
that you can give your metabolism a boost and
burn more stored fat because protein is
thermogenic.
And because of this fact you can maintain
more of your muscle mass by burning the
protein you take in from food and supplements
instead of burning the protein of your
muscles.
Finally you will do your body well by taking
in more high quality animal based protein and
especially more soy protein which is good for
your heart and circulatory system.
=============================================
Lee Cummings has been helping people solve
problems and feel better with proven
nutrition for over 4 years.
For a Free Report mailto:report@lc-nutrition.com
Discover proven nutrition information visit:
http://www.LC-Nutrition.com
=============================================
|
|
