What Food Is High In Protein?
High protein food should be part of every meal in a healthy diet. Protein is important as it provides the amino acids or building blocks for healthy growth and function of the body. Some amino acids can be produced by your body. Others need to come from your diet. These are called essential amino acids. The constant process of repair and renewal of body tissues requires protein, which must be eaten daily, as the body cannot store it. Animal products and dairy products contain complete proteins with all the essential amino acids your body needs. However, it’s best to get your protein from a variety of sources.
Why You Should Eat Food High In Protein At Each Meal
Eating high protein food at each meal has many benefits. One of the main ones is that it slows the movement of food from the stomach to the intestine, making you feel full for longer. As a result you will eat less. Food with high protein therefore can help you lose weight and also increase your muscle mass. Protein also boosts your metabolic rate helping you burn up more calories. The official recommended dietary allowance for how much protein you should eat per day is 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight. This equates to about 56g per day for men and 46g per day for woman. However, research is still ongoing in the area and there are other factors that affect this such as how active the person is, their age and so on.
High Protein Food List
What Percentage Of Calories From Protein Should Your Daily Diet Have?
Calories in a healthy diet should be balanced between healthy fats, proteins and carbohydrates, including all groups in the healthy food pyramid. If you were following the RDA guideline, then your calories from protein would work out to be around 25% of your daily calories. However, for an optimal diet where you’re trying to lose weight this level is not sufficient and should be increased to at least 35%. This chart below shows what percentage of your calories should come from each food group.
Tips For Including Foods High In Protein In Your Diet
- Eat a variety of vegetables, nuts, lentils and whole grains. This will increase the amount of high protein food in your diet..
- Have 2 fish meals a week, especially salmon, as this is a high protein food.
- Substitute lean white meat for red and fatty meats. Avoid processed meats as they can increase the risk of cancer
- Substitute low fat dairy products in place of whole milk product
- Cut back on refined carbohydrates and increase protein intake to help feel fuller, and fight heart disease
- Replace egg yolks with egg whites when you can