There are many reasons I can list one why protein is a superior macronutrient for fat loss when compared to carbs and fats, but its’ also not as simple as just protein itself. It can get a little bit more complicated and in-depth, so for today, I am going to go over my top 3 reasons why protein is the most important macro and why it is extremely valuable for fat loss. Let’s dive in.
1) Nutrient Dense
- When many people think of meat and protein-type foods in general, they usually don’t think about all the different nutrients, vitamins and minerals that they contain. They probably mainly think about needing it for gaining muscle, which is real reason for consuming protein, but there are so many other valuable things in protein-based foods. They contain things such as creatine, B vitamins, folic acid, zinc, selenium, and the list goes on. In all honesty, beef might be the single most nutrient rich food on the planet. Organ meats are like natures multivitamin. The amount of different nutrients in liver, heart, and kidneys could replenish all nutrients in the body and top them off to 100%!
2) Muscle Building and Skin Improvement
- As we know, protein is the building block macro used to rebuild muscles for all kinds of reasons. In our world of fitness, it helps rebuild the tissue after a hard workout and makes all that hard work you put in show up on your body. As we exercise, our body breaks down muscle tissue. Then over the next 24 to 72 hours the body rebuilds that tissue into a stronger layer to protect against future damage. The body needs protein to be able to complete his rebuilding and recovery process.
- Another important component of the rebuild is continued shedding of our skin. Over our lifetime we lose layers of skin all the time. It’s not like a reptile where we shed big chunks but we lose little particles into the air all the time. We need collagen to help rebuild that skin. We get collagen from the connective tissues around the fat and the meat. This helps improve skin health and allows it to become healthier over time.
3) Satiating
- One thing that I find very important when I’m trying to eat a healthy diet for fat loss is feeling full. If you are always starving, it’s extremely hard to stick to a diet for a long period of time. Protein dense foods will fill you up faster so you eat less food in a sitting and they will keep you full longer so you eat less food in a day.
- I find most people under eat protein at a meal. They overeat carbs which makes them want more food later on, but if they just eat a larger amount of protein at each meal they would end up eating less food overall.
- Feeling full is a great. I’m not talking about unbuckle your pants kind of stuff, just feeling like you ate enough food so that you won’t worry about eating again until the next meal.
CALL TO ACTION
- When we talk about the most important foods, it comes down to what foods give me the most bang for my buck. Protein has the most bang for you buck overall, especially if you are getting your protein from meats. Ruminant meats are going to be king, which are animals that graze such as cows, lambs, bison, etc. But even pork and chicken has some value compared to carbs and crappy fats.
- Eat meat / protein first on your plate. Fill up a good portion of your plate with protein, such as 50%, eat it all first, then if you are still hungry eat the fruits, fats, then vegetables.
