Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats are the three micronutrients – in other words, we need a lot of them daily for our body to function well. From Wikipedia we learn the following: “The word protein comes from the Greek word πρώτα (“prota”), meaning “of primary importance.”

I suggest that the balance should be in or around 30% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates and up to 30% Good Fats. This is where I find a lot of people get the balance wrong and err far too high on the Carbs and too little Protein. The result of this is many people gaining weight due to over-dependence of starchy carbs and not enough protein. Many people will also lose muscle by not feeding the body with enough protein.

The benefits of eating protein are many. Some of the key benefits are:

Protein will:

– help to satisfy you

-help to balance your blood sugars

-help to build lean muscle and reduce body fat

-help to speed up metabolism as muscle burns more calories than fat

-help to shape and tone

-help the quality of your bone, muscle cartilage, skin, blood, hair, nails

So as you can see, eating sufficient protein is essential for your overall health but also the key to helping you to lose weight in the correct way without ending up with excess flabby skin!

So the next question is what type of protein?

Again, I would recommend that about 50% of your protein intake should be plant based. Sources such as lentils, beans, chick peas, soy beans etc are good, and also vegetarian foods such as tofu.

When you do consume animal protein eat lots of fish – 3 times per week and primarily the white meats such as chicken and turkey.

There are lots of good apps such as myfitnesspal or ichange to track your overall food intake and they will give you charts with the percentages of various foods to judge whether you have the balance right. This is a great way to go but if you find you don’t manage to complete them every day fill out a paper food diary and look back over it at the end of the day. If you bite, you write! This will really help to keep you focussed on your goals. I am really happy to take a look at your food diary if you want to send it to me – I can review it and give you some feedback!

If you’re struggling to get the balance right why not try some of our amazing protein foods which have the % of 30,40,30 just right.

http://margaretbrightling.hblf.net/weight/?t=protein

Or why not have a Free Wellness Evaluation – just click on the link on my home page www.margaretbrightling.com and complete the form.

I hope you found this blog helpful.

 

 

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