What Is The Best Protein For Weight Loss? Try These Foods!
I am sure you are already aware that eating adequate amounts of protein is important when it comes to losing excess body fat.
In case you don’t know, protein is regarded as the best macronutrient for fat loss because:
· It helps in keeping you full for longer periods of time.
· The body does not easily store protein as fat unlike dietary fats (and oils) and carbohydrates
· It helps your body in repairing and building lean muscle tissues, which also means you get to burn more calories even while resting.
But bear in mind, just like every other thing — too much of protein is NOT really a good thing.
So, How Much Protein Should You Be Consuming?
Your body has a limit on the quantity of protein that it can use daily. There have been different research studies to find the optimum amount of protein that your body needs. One of such studies carried out by Dr. Peter Lemon found out that athletes that usually require higher protein intake benefited from only 0.73 grams of protein for every pound of body weight on a daily basis.
The more common recommendation by nutritionists and doctors is usually 0.80 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. You don’t really need to consume massive amounts of protein if you are trying to lose weight.
And although eating too much protein isn’t really harmful if you have healthy kidneys, there is simply no need to. Forget the whole hype created by bodybuilding supplement companies that you need to consume lots of protein to lose body fat or build muscle; these companies are just trying to sell more supplements and protein powders.
If you are trying to lose your excess body fat, you can always aim for about 25 grams of protein per meal (it could be a little less or a little more).
The Quality Of Protein You Are Consuming Is Also Very Important
The type of protein you include in your daily diet is just as important for your fat loss success as the quantity of protein you are eating. Some foods contain high quality protein than others. You want to be eating lean, low-fat and low-cholesterol types of protein foods.
There isn’t one particular food that is the best protein for weight loss, there are actually a few foods that are good sources of protein and can help you in losing your excess body fat.
Here is a list of my best protein foods for weight loss and next time you are in the grocery store, make sure you pick a few of my suggestions.
#1 — Almonds
1 ounce of almond nuts contains 6.03 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 163.86 calories.
Almonds contain lots of the essential amino acid L-arginine, which helps you in burning more carbohydrates and fats when you are engaged in your cardio or weight training workouts — this is according to a study published by the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
There was a study done in 2014, where overweight and obese adults combined eating a little above a ¼ cup of almond nuts a day with a healthy calorie-restricted diet. The researchers found out that subjects that ate the almond nuts lost more weight (after only two weeks) than if they had substituted the almonds with safflower oil and carbohydrates
The researchers also found out that after a 24 weeks period, the group that ate the almond nuts on a daily basis achieved a 62% larger reduction in their Body Mass Index (BMI) and body weight.
If you want to get the best possible results, make sure you eat your daily serving of almonds before you engage in your exercise workout.
#2 — Lentils
1 cup of lentils contains 17.86 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 226 calories.
This legume is packed with proteins, in fact just a single cup of lentils gives you almost the same amount of protein as three eggs and you get less than 1 gram of dietary fat from it!
Lentils are also high in fiber, which means you feel full after eating them for longer periods of time. There are research studies that show that this legume actually speeds up your fat loss. Researchers in University of Navarra, Spain found that individuals that included four servings of lentils in their weekly diet lost a lot more body fat and improved their blood cholesterol level than the people that did not eat lentils.
You can eat lentils as a side dish or you can simmer them into any of your favorite soups and enjoy.
#3 — Grass-fed Beef
4 ounces strip steak of grass-fed beef contains 26 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 133 calories.
Although red meat has earned a bad reputation but grass-fed beef is a lot leaner and has lesser calories than the conventional beef. So, anytime you feel like having a home burger or steak, make sure you go for grass-fed. It might cost a little more than conventional meat, but it would help shrink your waistline.
With conventional beef, you get 16 grams of fat and 386 calories from a 7 ounce strip steak. But for grass fed beef, you get only 5 grams of fat and 234 calories from the same 7 ounces.
Also grass-fed beef has higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which has been discovered to help in reducing your risk of heart disease (according to a research study by Dr Penny M. Kris-Etherton of the Department of Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park).
#4 — Organic 2% Greek Yogurt
7 ounces of Organic 2% Greek yogurt contains 20.29 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 150 calories.
Yogurt is one food that should be one of your key arsenals in fat loss. A research study published in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed that the probiotics exactly like the type in delicious, creamy Greek yogurt help obese individuals lose almost two times more body fat than the individuals that did not take probiotics.
The two set of test subjects were both on a healthy low-calorie diet, but after a twelve week period, the set of subjects that were consuming probiotics lost about 9.7 pounds of fat on average, while the other group that did NOT consume probiotics lost just 5.7 pounds of body fat.
And an extra benefit for the probiotics test subjects was that they continued to lose body fat after an extra 12 weeks. So on average these individuals lost 11.5 pounds of body fat after 24 weeks… quite impressive!
As for the set of individuals that did not consume probiotic, they still maintained their initial 5.7 pounds fat loss, but they did not lose any more body fat. It seems the good bacteria in probiotics helps in boosting your body’s metabolism and strengthening your immune system. However, you still need to be selective about your sources of probiotics.
Organic 2% Greek yogurt is a good source of probiotics and proteins. Make sure you are reading the label of whatever brand of yogurt you want to buy. This is because a lot of yogurt are packed full of sugars that even exceed the amount of protein they contain.
#5 — Organic Eggs
1 medium size organic eggs contain 6 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 70 calories.
Eggs are the cheapest, most flexible and easiest way for you to increase your protein consumption. Asides from helping you increase your protein intake easily, each 70 calories egg contains an impressive 6 grams of muscle-building food (amino acids).
Eating eggs also helps in improving your health. They are packed full of antioxidants, iron and amino acids. Make sure you are eating both the yolks and the whites. Egg yolks contain a fat-melting nutrient — choline. So, eating the whole egg would help you in melting body fat.
Eggs are great for breakfast or lunch. And they would also help in maintaining your blood sugar levels and reducing your sugar cravings. This is important if you are really serious about losing body fat.
When next you are at the grocery shop, make sure that you look at the labels properly. Always go for organic eggs. The type that is USDA certified and do NOT contain hormones, vaccines and antibiotics.
The color of your eggs does not really matter. The color difference is based on the breed of chicken that produced the egg — they all contain the same amount of nutrients.
#6 — Spinach
Ahhh… remember Popeye’s source of super-human strength — spinach!
1 cup of cooked spinach contains 5.3 grams of protein, while supplying your body with just 41 calories!
Asides from being a good source of protein, spinach also contains antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and folate (which helps keep your heart healthy and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and stroke). Just a single cup of this vegetable has almost the same amount of protein as you would get in 1 boiled egg, while giving you almost half of the calories.
If you want to get the best nutritional benefits from spinach, make sure that you steam this vegetable instead of consuming it raw. Cooking your spinach this way helps preserve the vitamins and your body would be able to absorb the green calcium that it contains.
You can add spinach to your pasta dishes, omelets, soups, pizza toppings and vegetable stir-fries. Or you can just steam this veggie and then mix with some garlic, olive oil, pepper and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
#7 — Chia Seeds
1 ounce of dried chia seeds contains 5 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 134 calories!
Chia seed contain a lot more omega-3 fatty acid than the more popular flax seeds and they also contain antioxidant, zinc, magnesium, calcium and other essential nutrients.
One big indicator of a healthy balanced diet is that the ratio of omega-6 fatty to omega-3s should be closer to 4:1, but sadly for most people’s diet it is even above 20:1. And this contributes to inflammation, which can in turn cause weight gain.
There was a study conducted in 2005 at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and the researchers discovered that chia seeds help in reducing the fat cell (triacylglycerol) levels in the blood of rats, while at the same time increasing omega-3 and HDL cholesterol levels.
Although it might not be possible for you to eat a serving of salmon every day, you can always sprinkle some chia seeds on whatever meal you are having. Chia seeds have impressive amounts of omega-3s, so make sure you add them to your cereals, smoothies, pancakes, desserts and salad as an easy way to increase your protein intake.
#8 — Wild Salmon
3 ounce of wild salmon contains 21.65 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 155 calories.
Although salmon is a little bit high in calorie and fat, don’t let that deceive you — there are research studies that show that oily fish really does help you in losing excess body fat (they are one of the few fatty foods that helps you in losing weight).
There was a particular study where the partakers were partitioned into three groups of equal calorie-intake diet. There was the no seafood group, the lean white fish group and the wild salmon group.
All groups experienced some amounts of fat loss; however the wild salmon group had the lowest levels of fasting insulin and a very clear decrease in inflammation.
There was also another study published in the International Journal of Obesity that showed that eating just three 5 ounce servings of wild salmon every week for four weeks, while on a low-calorie diet resulted in about 2.2 pounds more fat loss than following an equal calorie diet without any fish in it.
When shopping for salmon, make sure you get the wild type, which is a lot leaner than the farmed variety which is fed on fishmeal. And also wild salmon has been shown to be considerably lesser in cancer-related Polychlorinated Biphenyls.
So, make sure you go wild — I mean with salmon. Take advantage of the extra health benefits that this protein-rich fish gives.
#9 — Chicken
3 ounce of cooked chicken breast contains 27.28 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 139 calories and just 3 grams of fat!
You can get close to half of your recommended daily protein from just 3 ounces of cooked chicken.
The problem that most men have with chicken breast is the taste which can be a little bland. Well, it doesn’t have to be so. By being a little resourceful, you can make chicken breast into a very delicious meal that you can eat after your cardio exercise or weight training sessions.
#10 — Beans
Ahh… my personal best protein for weight loss — beans!
½ cup of boiled beans contains 7.7 grams of protein, while supplying your body with 123 calories!
By eating beans, you are improving your heart health. Beans are packed full of proteins, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants all of which can help your muscles and brain.
And also beans digest slowly, so you would feel full for longer periods of time — this helps reduce your overall calorie-intake without feeling like you are starving. You can always go for pre-cooked beans varieties when next you are in the grocery store.
You can add beans to you salads, soups or you eat them with steamed vegetables or brown rice to make a healthy protein rich meal. Or you can have it as a snack by mixing it with corn and salsa and eat it with whole grain crackers as a replacement for your usual dip.
And there you have it — my best protein foods for weight loss.
So make sure you include more of these protein foods in your diet to give your fat loss efforts a big boost.
