Myths and facts about proteins in the slimming diet

There are a lot of myths about the amount of proteins in the diet. Some people are convinced that every slimming diet should include a lot of proteins. Others, on the other hand, don’t recommend increasing the amount of proteins because it can be bad for health. So how it really is?

Why do we need proteins?

Proteins are a component of food necessary for life. They are a building material for our muscles, bones, blood and body tissues. You can not replace them by other nutrients. Protein particles are built from 20 various amino acids, 8 out of them were declared necessary for human organism. They are called indispensable amino acids - they have to be provided to organism with food because organism is not able to synthesize it by itself.

Amino acids included in proteins are co-responsible for formation of immune system which strengthens and protects the organism from microorganisms causing diseases. They are also playing a big role in removing toxins from our organism and fixing damaged tissues (they accelerate wounds healing and regeneration of the skin).

Good proteins are only in meat?

Because organism can’t store amino acids, products rich in proteins have to be consumed every day.

The main source of proteins in the slimming diet should be lean meat (beef, poultry), fish, eggs and low-fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt etc.).

Proteins of animal origin are considered high-quality because they provide sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids.

Vegetable sources of proteins such as legumes, cereals, nuts or seeds consumed one at a time don’t provide all necessary amino acids. Each of these products lack one or more amino acids. But if vegetable proteins will be properly selected together in one meal (for example groats and beans) it will provide you all eight essential amino acids.

How much protein do you need while dieting?

To lose extra kilograms successfully and safely you should eat about 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body mass. Providing too small amount of proteins to organism causes metabolism reduction and muscle tissue loss. Recommended protein intake is easy to provide to organism.

It’s enough to eat small piece of meat, dairy product, fish, legumes or eggs in three meals.

Because of the fact that protein is filling and at the same time it increases the pace of metabolism it’s worth to eat proteins products at the evening when metabolism slows down. A salad with chicken or egg for supper will be a great choice for you.

Enough is enough

But you shouldn't forget that too much protein is damaging for your organism because it burdens kidneys and liver. This problem affects particularly animal proteins which cause acidification during burning in organism. Excess of proteins have also influence on the level of calcium in organism and as a result - decalcification of bones and teeth. Lately doctors started to recognise the connection between excessive intake of animal proteins and increase of cancer and heart diseases.

So if you’re tempted by a trendy high protein diet, think twice if it’s really worth risking your health...

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.