Protein molecules make up the building blocks of your body and are required for nearly all its everyday functions. This includes your bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, ligaments, and blood. It is essential that we are consuming enough of the right protein every day to
keep our bodies healthy. So how much protein do you need? Well that depends on the amount of activity you are doing. The average person needs approximately their body weight in grams of protein; for example, if you weigh 70kg then ideally you would be consuming around 70grams of protein a day minimum. This can vary dramatically depending on your lifestyle, amount of exercise you do and your personal goals. For instance, someone who goes to the gym 4-5 times a week and is looking to lose weight would, therefore, need to consume more protein. Just to give you an idea: “I exercise at the gym 5-6 days a week and I do weight training and a bit of cardio, I am trying to lose body fat while maintaining my muscle mass, so I need to consume 175 grams of protein a day” What does protein do for your body? - Improves your general health dramatically - Speeds up metabolism - Keeps your organs healthy - Is essential for fat burning - Repairs muscles - Ensures muscle mass does not break down as you age - Keeps you satiated (fuller) for longer - Helps with brain health, memory - Balances out blood sugar levels - Improves overall energy and mood As much as protein is essential to your health, having the wrong types of protein can actually be detrimental to your health and damage your bodily functions. Make sure you are consuming the right proteins, whether you are having plant based (tempeh, beans, nuts, seeds) or not (chicken, beef, eggs, dairy), look for quality organic proteins such as grass-fed beef, organic free-range chickens and eggs or organic tempeh etc. If you don’t opt for
quality goods, then they can be filled with added hormones, anti-biotics, steroids, and other chemicals that can be very dangerous for your health. A lot of people have misconceptions on maintaining a high protein diet, they think it will make you look bulky and put on weight but in actual fact it will do the opposite. Having a quality high protein diet and being physically active is, without question, going to help improve your overall health and reduce body fat. So, don’t be scared of a High protein diet, you never know, the results might pleasantly surprise you! “If you want something you have never had, you have to do something you have never done” – Unknown.
