Protein for Fat Loss

By Simon Dainton

Protein requires twice as much energy to process as fat and carbohydrates. Eating protein is like pouring lighter fuel onto your furnace! As the flame burns brighter, more calories will burn.

By protein I mean animal protein; lean meat, fish, dairy (cheese, milk, yoghurt, eggs), nuts and seeds. Your choices will vary from meal to meal, and protein should be the first ingredient that you think of. Everything else should be an accompaniment.

Exercise builds lean muscle, which will then require you to eat Protein regularly to help repair and strengthen your body after exercise. This goes for both women and men wanting to remain lean. Both camps may also benefit from supplementing their diets with a quality whey protein powder that you simply mix with milk, water or juice. This is an ideal solution to post-workout nutrition, when you may be racing back to the office or catching up with chores, without time to prepare a full meal. The market is flooded with poor quality choices, so choose a pure unflavoured protein option. Your trainer or local health food shop can advise you.

The more lean tissue you have, the higher your metabolism and the more fat you will burn - even at rest! It makes sense to think Protein. Eating a good source of protein at each meal will leave you feeling fuller for longer too, as it helps to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. This in turn will leave your body satisfied at mealtimes and less likely to snack poorly between meals. If you are serious about losing body fat and keeping it off, then Protein needs to play a bigger part in your daily diet.

Protein is the building block of your body, essential for the building and repair of tissue including the skin, internal organs and muscles. Without a good daily supply from animal and vegetable sources, your body is likely to be built on pretty shoddy foundations. 'You are what you eat'. Do yourself a favour and eat more protein.

MEAT: Quality will only ever be as good as the diet of the animal that it came from. Choose 'grass-fed' or at least 'free-range' meat. Processed meats - packet meat slices, cheaper sausages and salami - are poor excuses for meat. You get what you pay for. Processed meats contain all sorts of preservatives and additives, and some are not even 100% meat!

Eat a good mix of low-fat proteins such as chicken and turkey breast, and their darker meats. Enjoy organic beef and lamb in moderation. Aim to eat 1-2 meat servings each day.

EAT Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, Lean Pork, Ham, Pate, Beef / Chicken Liver, Beef, Bacon, Chicken, Duck, Kidney, Lamb, Pork Chop, Turkey, Veal, Game

FISH: Quality depends on where you buy it, and how fresh it is. Try to buy fresh organic from an independent fishmonger. It will taste better and contain less 'low-quality' fats. Avoid buying tinned, packaged or frozen fish, whenever possible. NEVER buy breaded or batter-coated fish!

Second choice should be the fresh-fish counter at your local supermarket. Go for salmon, tuna steaks or cod fillets. When preparing fish, always strip away the skin, and grill or cook on a griddle pan or oven rack, so that juices can run away.

EAT Cod, Sole, Trout, Tuna, Anchovy, Caviar, Mussel, Sardine, Crab, Lobster, Mackerel, Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp

DAIRY: Buy organic. Don't buy battery hen eggs and definitely not economy supermarket eggs! They are high in low quality fats. Leave them on the shelf and buy organic eggs instead. They are high in quality proteins and good quality fats.

If you enjoy milk then please go for a good quality organic option. Your average cow is given growth hormone and antibiotics to make them milk for longer, so you can imagine what your average carton of milk contains! Avoid UHT and long life options.

The same goes for cheese and yoghurt. Don't buy processed. Avoid all flavoured yoghurts (high in sugar) and forget any pre-sliced or 'convenience' cheeses. They are low quality imitations.

EAT Organic: Cheese, Yoghurt, Milk, Eggs, Cottage Cheese and Cream

NUTS AND SEEDS: Although primarily a source of fat in the diet, nuts and seeds are actually a good source of protein too. They are very good for your body - SO LONG as they are eaten sparingly! They should only ever be eaten as a snack item, or as an addition or ingredient in a main meal, and even then you should eat no more than a small handful.

Nuts and seeds are particularly useful for vegetarians, who need to find a variety of non-meat and fish options to up their daily protein intake.
As far as nuts go, please choose your options carefully. Avoid all white nuts as these are bleached, processed and void of fibre. Only eat pure coconut and coconut milk. Avoid roasted nuts as roasting causes the fats and oil content to go rancid. Otherwise enjoy - in moderation.

EAT Nuts: Almonds, Brazils, Cashew, Coconut, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachio, and Walnut. EAT Seeds: Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower, Flax Seed

SIMON'S TIPS: PROTEIN

Make sure you get protein at breakfast. Too many people just eat carbs first thing in the morning. At breakfast have eggs for quality protein or else add nuts, seeds, organic milk or yoghurt to fruit, cereal, oats or bread, to ensure a good intake of protein.

Vary your options. Be adventurous. Try different meats and fish so that you don't get bored with your daily diet. Refer to your meal plan and try to eat several types of meals each week. Don't just stick to one option for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner...

Get enough protein in your sandwich. If making your own sandwich, try to use fresh sliced chicken breast, steak or whichever type of meat you prefer. Please avoid packet slices. If buying on the run look for sandwiches with thick cuts of meat. Also check the ingredients. If the chicken is not 100% meat, try to find one that is.

If you are vegetarian, DON'T worry! I haven't forgotten you. There are plenty of ways for you to ensure that you are consuming enough protein, without even touching meat or fish. Refer to the 'Vegetarian Diet' section of your Lifestyle part of this Plan for more details.

REMEMBER: Aim for a Protein portion size the size of the palm of your hand.
Simon Dainton is a Certified Personal Trainer and fat loss expert. Founder of Fitstreet Personal Training in the UK, his Programs of Lifestyle change guarantee clients results, combining effective exercise, nutrition and lifestyle adjustments. For more information and to receive your FREE fat loss guide, go to http://www.fitstreet.co.uk/ For the latest fat loss news and tips, check out http://fitstreet.blogspot.com

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