The human body is an exceptionally versatile organism that is capable of thriving under incredible conditions and adapting to various diets. This has been shown when comparing traditional diets from all over the world where people with wildly different access to fats, carbs and proteins were nonetheless ALL shown to have populations of relatively healthy people with little disease associated with nutrition.

We are incredible at adapting to diets with either a high percentage of fats or carbs because we use these macronutrients as fuel sources. But protein is a little different.

We store fats and carbs in the liver, in muscle/adipose tissue for fuel to be used at a later date. So fluctuating between high fat-low carb days and high carb-low fat days makes us metabolically flexible, insulin sensitive, and can have a net positive effect on body composition (more on this in a future series). Whereas protein isn’t quite stored in the same way, nor is it as easily converted into a fuel source. Meaning we need to consume it at regular intervals, and in the same amounts, everyday.

And this is where the magic happens. Consuming protein at regular intervals throughout the day has been shown to increase the mobilization and use of stored fat as a fuel source. And on top of building and preserving muscle tissue, regular consumption of protein is also a key player in improving satiety. The result of which is perhaps the most exceptionally simple and often overlooked aspects of weight loss, which is that satisfaction from quality protein sources leads to less consumption overall. Not to mention the fact that protein has a thermogenic effect on the body giving us a higher metabolic rate leading to greater fat loss. BOOM!

It cannot be overstated. Eating an adequate amount of protein at every meal is necessary to improve your health and body composition. Whether the goal is weight loss, appetite regulation or muscle building, adequate protein consumption is a must!

Something to remember:

Eat a high quality protein source with every meal

Meat, chicken, fish, seafood, lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, etc. You’ve got tons of options. Choose 2-3 that you like and add them to the food prep menu. Cook them in abundance so that you always have a high quality snack on hand when you need it. A drumstick (or two) always does the trick for me. If that’s not your bag a classic chickpea salad is an excellent go to (recipe below). Whatever you like.

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-protein

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14238/chickpea-salad-with-red-onion-and-tomato/