By Ron McDonald Jr.
When it comes to getting eating protein, most people still seem to only think about eating meat. It is a common misunderstanding that you can only get the necessary protein intake from animal meat. It is a fact that lean cuts of beef, poultry, or pork are great sources of protein, however there are many other food sources that can provide protein to your daily nutrition plan.
Here are some great sources of protein:
Animal Protein
- Poultry or Fish
- Buffalo or Ostrich (very lean)
- Yogurt
- Eggs (Whites)
- Whey Protein Powder
Plant Protein
- Vegetables
- Legumes
- Grains (Oatmeal and Ezekiel Bread)
- Nuts and Seeds
- Cereals
Unfortunately not all proteins are created equal. Here are 2 things to be aware of when choosing sources of protein.
"Quality... Certified Quality..."
The ultimate value of a food protein or a protein supplement is in its amino acid composition. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. Basically there are two types of protein: complete and incomplete. Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, while incomplete proteins are missing one or more. If incomplete proteins are consumed the body will not fully utilize them during protein synthesis (the process of building muscle tissue). It is possible to mix two incomplete proteins to make a complete protein. Some simple examples would be to mix, grains and legumes (rice and beans), grains and dairy (oatmeal and milk), nuts/seeds and legumes (hummus-chick peas and sesame seeds).
Fat content
Now when consuming animal protein you must be aware that it always come with some amount of saturated fat. This is just a given. So you stick to the lean cuts of animal proteins which promote a lean muscular body. The choice is yours! So when you make your choices you should always select.
- Grilled over fried
- Skinless over skin
- White meat over dark meat
- Low-fat dairy over full-fat dairy
- Egg whites over the whole eggs
- Remove any extra visible fat from meat
Research has found that consuming adequate amounts of protein, especially that of high quality, can promote weight-loss (fat loss). In addition another added benefit is that protein has a higher thermic effect of feeding (TEF) than carbohydrates or fats, which means it burns more calories just to move it through the digestive process. Please be aware that there are limits to how much you should consume daily, but we will get into more detail at later date. The general recommendation is 0.8 grams a day per pound of body weight.
Be Well.
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