Food Sources For Your Protein Diet Plan
High Protein Foods Will Help You to Lose Weight More Effectively
High protein foods should be a priority instead of carbohydrates. This goes against Conventional Wisdom which says that protein is not as important as carbohydrates.
Most diet gurus claim a carbohydrate-based diet. Overall, if you burn more calories than you consume, then you will lose weight. A trained dietician will most likely recommend that you take around 10-15% of calories from protein, 60% from carbohydrates and slightly under 30% for fat. Barry Sear’s “zone” diet also claims that carbohydrates are more important, taking up 40% of calorie intake, followed by 30% each of protein and fat.
Those who go by a protein diet plan will defy such Conventional Wisdom and instead, claim that high protein foods are the key to weight loss. One who consumes 1000 calories from high protein foods is not the same as one who consumes 1000 calories from foods with high carbohydrates. The body uses 1 calorie of protein differently than 1 calorie of carbohydrate or 1 calorie of fat. High protein foods are preferred if one wants to lose weight and build muscle.
How can high protein foods help you to lose weight?
Consuming high protein foods are better than a carbohydrate-based diet if one wants to effectively lose weight, because the body is supposed to derive energy from fats instead. If there is enough glycogen (or stored glucose) in the body and the body gets most of its energy effectively from fats, protein will always be the first to be used in repairing or building cells and enzymes. High protein foods contribute to the building of muscles, and with a good composition of muscle the body will be able to burn fat more efficiently. In fact one should consuming more high protein foods and less of carbohydrates.
If you stick to a good protein diet plan and let high protein foods be the priority at every meal, you will realize that you do not really need as much calories everyday after all.
You may also find yourself consuming less calories from high protein foods than a carbohydrate-based diet, without even trying so hard to count calorie-intake at every meal!
What are considered high protein foods?
High protein foods are mostly meat, but this does not mean that a good protein diet plan should only consist of meat. There are also other types of high protein foods that belong in other food categories where you are also able to intake other important nutrients such as good fat and some carbohydrates.
Remember that in order to lose weight, high protein foods are always the priority because they will help your body to restore itself more efficiently, and burn fat quickly. High protein foods are also found is a large assortment of food categories including dairy, grains and even beans.
Most high protein foods are obvious, but remember that it is the quality of these foods that will determine your success in weight loss. If the body takes in good quality high protein foods, it will be in a better state to repair and rebuild itself. Good quality high protein foods will thus contribute to weight loss.
Some of the following high protein foods are usually lean meat, contain good fats and calcium that make them ideal protein diet plan foods.
High Protein Foods to include in your protein diet plan:
Rule of thumb: An ounce of meat or fish has about 7 grams of protein
Chicken:
◦ Chicken Breast – 3.5 oz., 30 grams of protein
◦ Chicken thigh – average size, 10 grams
◦ Chicken drumstick – 11 grams
◦ Chicken wing – 6 grams
◦ Cooked meat – 4 oz, 35 grams
Beef:
• Hamburger patty – 4 oz, 28 grams
• Steak – 6 oz, 42 grams
Pork:
• Pork chop – average, 22 grams
• Pork loin or tenderloin – 4 oz, 29 grams
• Ham – 3oz, 19 grams
• Ground pound – 1 oz, 5 grams
• Bacon – 1 slice, 3 grams
• Back bacon – 1 slice, 5 grams
Fish:
• Tuna – 6 oz. can, 40 grams of protein
• Salmon – 3.5 oz., 27 grams of protein
Eggs and Dairy:
• Eggs – 1 large, 7 grams of protein
• Milk – 1 cup, 8 grams of protein (Go with 1% or skim)
• Cottage Cheese – 1/2 cup, 15 grams of protein
• Yogurt – 8-12 grams of protein per cup
• Soft cheese (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 1 oz, 6 grams
• Medium cheese (Cheddar, Swiss) – 1 oz, 7 grams
• Hard cheese (Parmesan) – 1 oz, 10 grams
Beans and Legumes:
• Tofu – 1 oz, 2.3 grams
• Soy milk – 1 cup, 6 to 10 grams
• Most cooked beans (black, pinto, lentils) – 1/2 cup, 7-10 grams protein
• Soy beans (cooked) – ½ cup, 14 grams protein
• Split peas (cooked) – ½ cup, 8 grams
Nuts and Seeds:
• Almonds – 1/4 cup, 8 grams
• Peanuts – 1/4 cup, 9 grams
• Peanut Butter – 2 Tablespoons, 8 grams of protein
• Cashews – 1/4 cup, 9 grams
• Pecans – 1/4 cup, 2.5 grams
• Sunflower seeds – 1/4 cup, 6 grams
• Pumpkin seeds – 1/4 cup, 8 grams
• Flax seeds – 1/4 cup, 8 grams
A variety of high protein foods should also be part of your protein diet plan as it also overcomes boredom from eating the same type of high protein foods over and over again.
You can easily prepare high protein foods anywhere you go
High protein diets to go! These make great snacks in between meals, on the go and when you miss the chance to cook a meal. Remember that keeping your body to burn fat actively is what you are attempting to do, so no starving yourself and eat the snacks if you feel like it.
High protein foods can easily be found at you local grocery and so stock up on these essentials needed to grow healthy lean muscles, quicker and bigger. There are many protein diet plans available on the Internet which consist of very simple recipes that you can put together quickly with high protein foods.
An example of a how to include high protein foods as your on-the-go snack is to have some yogurt with nuts and berries, or a chicken breast salad with hard boiled egg.
High protein foods are the key to building lean and strong muscles and because such a protein diet plan is so easy to follow, it should be the recommended approach to effective weight loss!
