Finding ways to improve your diet is tough, especially when advice seems to change so quickly. One minute people saying fat is bad for you, then it’s good for you, then certain fats are good and some are bad. But one thing that the majority of researchers agree on is that protein is good for you and adding more of it to your diet usually benefits your health. These are some of the reasons that you should eat more protein according to science.
Building Muscle
If you want to meet your fitness goals, protein is so important. You do a lot of damage to your muscles when you exercise and protein plays a vital role in rebuilding them. So, if building muscle is one of your main aims when exercising, eating more protein is the best thing you can do. In fact, if you don’t eat enough protein, your muscles won’t repair themselves properly and you will feel incredibly fatigued.
Maintaining Muscle Mass
Even if you don’t want to build more muscle, you should increase your protein intake to maintain your current muscle mass. As you age, your muscles naturally deteriorate and if you don’t do any exercise or manage your diet properly, you will gradually grow weaker. Doing some regular weight training can make a big difference but you should also up your protein intake if possible. Studies show that a high protein diet will slow down the muscle deterioration and help you stay fit and healthy for longer.
Reducing Hunger
It’s tough to maintain a healthy weight when you’re constantly hungry and you want to snack all the time. Eating healthy snacks instead of sugary ones is a start, but if you want to keep on top of your diet, you should make sure that you get enough protein. Protein makes you feel more full than fat or carbs because of the impact it has on your hormones. Studies show that it reduces levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry, and it boosts your levels of peptide YY, which makes you feel full. If you switch out some of your fats and carbs for more protein, you’ll feel a lot fuller and be less likely to snack later on.
Managing Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a common problem for men as they get older and there are a lot of reasons for it. Often, it is stress-related and it’s important that you manage that, but you should also think about your protein intake. In studies done into the relationship between blood pressure and protein intake, it was found that people with high protein diets also tend to have lower blood pressure. Some people also had lower cholesterol levels as well.
These are all great benefits of eating protein but you need to manage your intake carefully. If you eat excessive amounts of protein, it could lead to weight gain, but increasing your levels to a healthy amount will do a lot of good.
