Is lack of protein inflaming your body and sabotaging your weight loss?

Protein, protein protein, it gets boring right? 🙄

However it is actually a really important topic and something I used to overlook completely. For a good 10 years I swayed between being a vegan and vegetarian, terrified that if ate meat it would kill me. However, I was getting more and more signals that my body wasn’t happy and life was throwing me signs to eat more protein and consequently eat more meat. 

When I look back at photos of my body when I was plant based, which by the way is a diet that I am not attacking, I definitely had much less muscle definition, I did not have a defined waist and overall I just looked more inflamed.  

I lived a super active lifestyle, rock-climbing, hiking etc while I was plant based and in reflection I definitely wasn’t getting near the amount of protein that my body required for healing, strength and a strong immune system as I was still battling a pretty hefty skin problem but that’s a topic for another day. 

Since introducing meat and becoming more aware of my protein intake, and lowering my starches and sugars, I noticed an almost immediate change in my body shape. My waist became more defined, I lost my love handles, my belly flattened and my muscles became more defined, in a sense I was just more toned. 

So with this, I thought I would educate others on the importance of having enough protein and why it is so important especially as we get older. 

The benefits of more protein: 💪

Having higher protein meals will help you massively throughout your transformation.

The benefits include; not being hungry, you have heaps of energy and sugar cravings stop on their own. Protein is obviously not the only macronutrient required to make us feel our best but it certainly does help.

Ensuring that you have enough protein in your diet is very important as it significantly increases your self -esteem, confidence and of course helps to boost your mojo (which I’m all about 😁). Here are some more wonderful benefits.

1️⃣

Firstly, protein is essential for your muscle repair and growth, which improves your physical strength and stamina, making you feel more capable and energetic. It's like the building blocks of life, providing essential nutrients that your body needs to function at its best. 

2️⃣

Additionally, protein-rich foods helps to keep you feeling full and satisfied, reducing  cravings and helping you maintain a healthy weight as it reduces the need to snack. As you begin to feel stronger and lighter, it boosts your confidence and self-esteem. 

3️⃣

High protein meals increases Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1(GLP - ) which is our full hormone. Its produced when food enters the intestines to tell our brain we are full. 

4️⃣

Protein stimulates dopamine and starts your day balanced instead of with increased cravings throughout the day. 

What if we don't get enough? 😬

Lack of protein can contribute to inflammation in your body. Protein is essential for many bodily functions, including the repair and maintenance of your tissues, the production of enzymes and hormones, and the support of the immune system. When your body doesn't get enough protein, several issues can arise that may lead to inflammation:

1. Problems with your immune system: Proteins are crucial for the production of antibodies and other components of the immune system. A deficiency can weaken the immune response, making the body more susceptible to infections and inflammation.
2. Muscle and tissue repair: Protein is necessary for the repair and regeneration of tissues. Without adequate protein, the body may struggle to repair damage and maintain healthy tissues, leading to inflammation as a response to injury or stress.
3. Nutrient deficiencies: Protein deficiency can lead to overall malnutrition, which can cause deficiencies in other nutrients that play a role in controlling inflammation, such as essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
4. Increased stress hormones: A lack of protein can lead to an imbalance in hormones, including an increase in stress hormones like cortisol, which can contribute weight gain and inflammation.

   5. Gut health: Protein is important for maintaining the health of the gut lining. A deficiency can lead to a compromised gut barrier, increasing the risk of inflammation and conditions like leaky gut syndrome. 

Lack of protein can also increases the release of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) which is a hormone produced in the brain and nervous system that stimulates our appetite for carbohydrates.

How much should we eat? 🧐

It's idea to have 3 serves of protein per day. If you feel hungry 45 mins to 1 hour after your meal, you may want to check your protein intake. 30g per meal is ideal but you can work up to this.

Remember that 200g of chicken does not mean 200g of protein, if you wanted to check out the amount of protein in a certain amount of food you can use apps like calorie king etc.

What's the best type of protein? 🤔

When we eat protein the body breaks it down in amino acids, which enable our muscles and other tissues to build and stay strong. However, our bodies can produce only thirteen out of the twenty two amino acids that make up proteins. The nine amino acids that our bodies can’t manufacture are known as “essential amino acids” and we need to get them from foods. 

For example - fish, beef, pork, chicken and eggs are all examples of animal-based complete proteins meaning they contain all of the nine essential amino acids. Complete plant based proteins include quinoa, hemp, soy (always buy organic) and buckwheat. However, (and this is where I got stuck being a plant based) is that these plant based foods that contain all of the 9 essential amino acids are mostly made up of carbohydrates, meaning they can cause a big spike in your blood sugar level ☹️

For example, to get 8g of protein from quinoa (which is about 1 cup) your body needs to process roughly 40 grams of carbohydrate. To get 17 grams of protein from buckwheat (which is about 3 cups) your body needs to process around 100g of carbohydrates, which yep you guessed it, causes a really big spike in your blood sugar level which can impact your energy levels, your mental clarity and can cause cravings and weight gain 😩

Let's go!

Making sure you get enough protein is super important because it helps your body make feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals are like mood boosters that can make you feel happier, less stressed, and more motivated. Therefore, when you have enough protein in your diet, it can help you feel physically and mentally strong, lose weight, energised, and ready to tackle anything life throws your way. So, adding protein to your meals can really amp up your mojo and make life more enjoyable!

If you would love more information about your body type and how much protein your body requires book your free 20 min health reset today.

Much love,

Your friend and Nutritionist,

Kate x