Benefits of Protein and High Protein Diets

Although I’m not a huge fan of diet plans like Atkins or South Beach, a high protein diet does offer lots of benefits that cannot be overlooked – and lots of people have success with this type of eating plan. A diet that is high in protein ensures that your body gets the protein it needs, obviously. Protein is necessary for building muscles, which is, as you know, what you are aiming for when you lose fat. And when you build muscle, keep in mind that the body has to work harder to not only build muscle, but muscle also uses up more energy (calories).

Other tissues, like your hair, skin, bones, blood, and cartilage – basically all of the cells in your body, need protein. A diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates will force your body to burn fat (thus the theory behind Atkins), which puts the body into what is known as ketosis. Fat is melted away and broken down for energy. This is the biggest and most obvious benefit of a high protein diet plan.

But in lieu of eating cheese and meat, there are some great protein options that are not all that unhealthy. Soy milk (one cup equals seven grams of protein), oatmeal, brown rice, eggs, tofu, lentils, and muesli all are abundant sources of protein, and foods like broccoli and potatoes have some protein in them too. You can also add protein to your diet with low calorie protein powder that can be mixed into a healthy low calorie smoothie. There are also some great (and organic) peanut butters on the market. You may recall that I reviewed a delicious low calorie peanut butter (PB2) that can be tossed into the blender with your favorite smoothie or stirred into some plain, non-fat yogurt, which, by the way, can contain as much as twelve grams of protein per serving, depending on the brand you buy. And for snacking, crunchy foods like flax seeds, soy nuts, almonds, healthy nut mixes, and pumpkin seeds provide about eight grams of protein per quarter cup. Or, if you don't like nuts, you can snack on string cheese, or edamame.

Enjoy!
Juliet

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