IS PROTEIN IMPORTANT?

A protein is a naturally occurring, extremely complex substance that consists of amino acid residues joined by peptide bonds. Proteins are present in all living organisms and include many essential biological compounds such as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies.

Now that the science part is out and done with, why is it important?

Because without protein, you’ll die. There is no such thing as essential carbs, but protein and fats are essential to the living cell.

There is an area of your brain called the hypothalamus which regulates your weight.

A higher protein intake actually increases levels of the satiety (appetite-reducing) hormones GLP-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin, while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

By replacing carbs and fat with protein, you reduce the hunger hormone and boost several satiety hormones.

This leads to a major reduction in hunger and is the main reason protein helps you lose weight. It can make you eat fewer calories automatically.

In a nutshell, protein is more satiating than carbs or fat.

How? Why? I need to explain something called the THERMIC EFFECT of food.

To put it in layman’s terms, the thermic effect is the process where energy is needed to digest and metabolize food.

Although not all sources agree on the exact figures, it is clear that protein has a much higher thermic effect (20-30%) compared to carbs (5-10%) and fat (0-3%)

If we go with a thermic effect of 30% for protein, this means that 100 calories of protein only end up as 70 usable calories.

Which means… It plays a very important role if you’re DIETING for fat loss.

What kills progress is hunger. This brings me back to the original point. Remember where I said protein is more satiating?

There we go. Also, do remember that there is a difference between FAT loss and WEIGHT loss. You want the majority of your bodyweight loss to be fat, not precious lean muscle tissue. Protein has a sparing effect.

Calories go down, protein should be considered a macronutrient priority to bump up.

So next time you’re considering a snack to satisfy your hunger cravings, consider something with a higher protein ratio vs something sugary which does nothing much for appetite suppression.