Q: Can protein help me lose weight?
A: Protein leads to a feeling of fullness, or satiety, so the implication is that you don't snack as much between meals. A number of recent studies have linked high protein consumption to weight loss. A study in the September 2013 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal concluded that dieters who doubled their protein intake lost more fat and maintained more muscle mass than those who ate the recommended daily allowance.
That said, if you eat more calories than your body needs, they're going to get stored as fat.
The American Heart Association doesn't recommend high-protein diets for weight loss. The association's concern is that even though these diets might lead to short-term weight loss, many of them emphasize foods such as meats and cheeses, which, along with being rich in protein, are also high in saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
What's more, many of these diets prompt people to restrict high-carbohydrate, high-fiber, plant-based foods that can lower cholesterol.
Q: How do I determine how much protein I need?
A: The average healthy adult needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.37 grams per pound). Endurance athletes or people with certain health problems might need more.
Q: If I'm older, do I need more protein?
A: Yes. Even active individuals lose lean muscle mass and strength as they age, starting around age 40, and accelerating after the age of 75. Loss of muscle mass can have a huge impact on quality of life: It influences how active and independent you can be, and your risk of falling.
Research has shown that protein intake can help slow that natural loss of muscle in the elderly. And some researchers have recommended that older people should consume more protein on a daily basis than younger adults. Consuming 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight each day can slow age-related muscle loss, according to a study in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
A study in the January 2009 issue of Current Opinion in Clinical Metabolism and Care suggested that spreading protein consumption throughout the day might assist muscle support. Your best bet is to talk with your doctor about how much protein you need.
Q: How do I know whether a product is a good source of protein?
A: Look beyond the claims on the front of packaged foods. Turn to the nutrition facts panel, which is usually on the side or back of the package. An item is considered a "good" source of protein if it has 5 grams per serving. It is considered an "excellent" source if it has 10 grams per serving.
Q: I don't eat meat. Do I have to have high-protein products such as beans with carbohydrates to get the muscle-building benefits?
A: Most plant foods are not complete proteins, meaning they don't contain all of the essential amino acids that your body needs. Animal-based foods such as meat, eggs and dairy are considered complete proteins. Soy and many soy-based products, such as tofu or tempeh, are among the few plant foods that are categorized as complete.
For years, it was commonly thought that vegetarians and vegans needed to eat a combination of certain plant foods -- such as beans and rice, lentils and couscous -- in the same meal to get all the essential amino acids. Nutrition experts now say that these foods don't have to be eaten in the same meal to get the benefits.
Plant-based sources of protein can provide adequate amounts of the essential amino acids, as long as you eat a variety of unrefined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables throughout the day, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If one food is low in one particular amino acid, another will make up for it.
-- Jennifer Van Allen
ActiveStyle on 08/25/2014