Protein, up close

Let’s take a closer look at what the protein is good for and how it works in our bodies.

Often you might come across questions like “What protein is best? Do I need protein to lose weight? What’s protein good for? How much protein do I need to eat a day?”. We’ll take a closer look at what the protein is good for and how it works in our bodies.

What is protein and what does it do?

Protein is one of the important macronutrients. We also include carbohydrates and fats among these. Protein, composed of amino acids, serves not only as an energy source but also as a basic building block for our bodies. It is vital for cell renewal, our immunity system, and other essential functions. There are several hundred types of protein, but the human body only needs 20 of them. Half can be self-generated, half must be derived from food. The functioning of macronutrients can be compared to building a house, where the protein is actually a building material, and carbohydrates and fats are the builders.

We would not be able to function without protein. The main job of protein is to build, maintain, and rebuild our bodies. That regards the brain, the bones, the organs, the muscles, hair, and nails. It also makes us feel full for longer. The energy from the protein is released slower than, say, from carbohydrates.

How much protein does your body need?

Depending on height, weight, age, physical activity, and other conditions such as pregnancy or illness, each person needs different amounts of protein. The recommended amount is 1 gram of protein per 1 kilogram of your weight.

So a healthy woman that weighs 70 kilograms needs roughly 70 grams of protein per day. If you’re more active and you exercise regularly, you need a little more protein. But it is pointless and inefficient to binge on massive amounts of protein. Moreover, it may be at the expense of other macronutrients. Going back to the building a house analogy, you can’t build a house fast nor well with a lot of materials and a small number of builders.

How to add protein to your food?

Generally speaking, your body uses animal proteins, that is, those proteins coming from meat, eggs, or curd cheese, better than the plant proteins (like tofu or tempeh). Vegetables and fruit give you nearly no proteins at all. Protein drinks are the easiest way to give your body the proteins it needs. You don’t have to worry about much when consuming them. Just check the label of contents – and pay extra attention to the number of carbohydrates which protein cocktails are often sweetened with. Here, too, the fewer carbohydrates the better. Protein drinks are also better digestible than meat. When eating meat, your body has to process fat on top of processing the protein. In addition, the cocktails combine different sources of protein so that your body can benefit from it as much as possible.

Protein and weight loss

The lack of protein, especially when losing weight, causes a loss of muscle mass and thus slows down the metabolism. The weight reduction is then significantly slower. The more muscle mass you have, the better the weight loss will go. Muscles burn energy even when you’re not playing sports. If you’re on a diet and you don’t have enough protein, you’ll feel tired, and feel like you have no energy. And when you’re done dieting, the kilos will creep up a lot faster.

When talking about proteins that help you lose weight, we mean high-quality proteins. We do not mean sausages, melted cheeses, and other foods that contain too many unsuitable ingredients. High-quality proteins can be found in lean meat, for example. Chicken, rabbit, turkey, fish (look out for fatty types here, cod or trout are ideal) are all sources of high-quality protein. You can also find them in dairy products such as kefir, yogurts, low-fat cheeses, curd cheeses, and eggs are also suitable. As we’ve written, proteins can also be found in plant products. Soya, peas, beans, seeds, or nuts are great sources of quality protein.

Protein diets are a great help during weight reduction. You will have your protein diet plan ready in advance, so you won’t have to look for the right foods to eat during the diet. The diet program, including all the meals you’ll need for the diet, will be delivered to your home, and all you’ll have to do is just to get started. A big advantage of this type of diet is that you can find a generous variety of protein foods in your diet – from previously mentioned protein cocktails to protein pastries, pasta, porridges, and soups, to protein omelets or chips, just to name a few.