High Protein Food List | Tips On How To Increase Protein In Your Diet

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

A Note On Dairy Products

One of the primary benefits of dairy products is that they are a high protein food as well as a good source of calcium. This is a mineral needed for healthy bones, teeth, blood clotting and nerve function. Some examples of dairy products are milk, cheese, cream, butter and yoghurt. The downside of dairy products is the high level of saturated fat that whole milk products contain. To keep this to a minimum, always go for low fat versions of dairy products. Osteoporosis (weak bones) is a common ailment among post menopausal women, and is a result of bone loss that occurs with age. This process can be slowed down by strengthening the bones during the first 30 years of life through weight bearing exercise, and getting enough vitamin D and calcium.

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