Protein - Why It Is An Important Nutrient
Why Are You In Need Of Protein?
Protein is one of the building blocks of your body. Protein can help you with your weight loss and muscle building journey. It's important to understand this nutrient isn't only for buff guys who spend hours a day at the gym. Protein is something anyone who cares about fitness should get throughout the day.
A common misconception is protein only matters if you're trying to build muscle. Protein is actually just as important for losing weight. One reason protein is so useful during this process is because it makes you feel full. Eating a meal that includes an ample amount of protein is going to stay with you longer than a meal that's almost all refined carbs.
Another reason protein is useful for losing weight is because muscle helps to burn fat. Stories on the Internet have blown the fat burning capabilities of muscle out of proportion. While muscles can never magically melt fat, building muscles on your body can have a great impact on your metabolism.
Skip the Shakes
When you think protein, you likely think protein shakes. Protein shakes costs at around $10 at smoothie bars to those guys who walks around carrying a powder in a jug and mixing it with water. While the fitness industry makes a ton of money selling protein power, you don't have to drink shakes to benefit from protein.
The first reason to skip the shakes is they don't leave you as full as eating protein from a natural source. Slamming down protein with lukewarm water obviously isn't going to do anything for your appetite. But even going all out with a protein shake that includes milk, banana slices, peanut butter and blended oats isn't going to keep you feeling full for long.
Another reason protein shakes aren't as great as marketing makes them sound is because they can cause your diet to become lopsided. Settling for multiple shakes a day means you're going to get plenty of protein but not much else. No one ever has salad or mixed veggies on the side combined with their protein shake. Choosing natural sources of protein will have you choose from a wider variety of quality foods.
Don't Stress About Cramming Down Protein
The marketing of protein shakes is all about getting down tons of protein a day. The truth is you don't need this much protein. There's no reason to stress out about exactly how many grams of protein you get at each meal.
Eating six times a day is ideal for losing weight and building muscle. This isn't as complicated as it sounds. Three times can be smaller meals, while the other three can be more along the lines of snacks.
Shoot for 20 to 30 grams of protein for your three smaller meals. The other three times you eat can be 5 to 15 grams of protein. It's also not a problem if you get more protein during your snacks. The point is you will fully benefit from taking in reasonable amounts of protein throughout the day.
Zach Hunt is a fitness expert owner of Physzique, a personal fitness coaching company in Spokane, WA helping people to look and feel great. Go here: http://www.spokanefitnesscoach.com/spokane-wpblog/2008/11/23/bootcamp-spokane-whip-body-shape-part-1-2/ to find out more. Or you can go here for more great fitness tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfoOAj4h1tk