[Below is my transcript of my video on why protein is important and how to overcome a protein deficiency, along with supplemental information on the topic.]
Today, I want to talk about the importance of protein. How protein benefits your overall health in physical performance is crucial to understand. So whether you’re a weekend warrior, you’re trying to lose weight fast or you are an athlete, protein is important for everybody — and just about everyone is deficient in quality protein in their diet.
I’m going to go over how to get more protein in your diet, the benefits of eating moreprotein foods and how much you should consume. So starting off here, let’s talk about protein and what it does.
Why Protein Is So Important
Protein is the building block of yourself. It’s the building block of your muscles and also is present in the foods that are going to boost your metabolism and fat-burning potential. Nothing is more important than protein. It really is the fuel that motivates and really supports your body in building healthy tissues and cells.
What exactly are proteins? Proteins are considered long chains of amino acids, which are the important molecules we get from our diet. Amino acids can be found in many different types of foods, even vegetables, but the highest sources are those that come from animals – like meat, dairy, eggs and fish – plus to a lesser extent certain plant foods like beans and seeds.
Proteins are used every day to keep the body going. Because they’re used to develop, grow and maintain just about every part of our bodies — from our skin and hair to our digestive enzymes and immune system antibodies — they’re constantly being broken down and must be replaced.
Vital organs, muscles, tissues and even some hormones of the body are made from proteins. Additionally, proteins create hemoglobin and important antibodies. Proteins are involved in just about every body function from controlling blood sugar levels to healing wounds and fighting off bacteria.
Simply put, without proteins life would not exist.
The average person probably needs half his or her body weight in protein a day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need at least around 75 grams of protein a day if you’re trying to burn fat and build muscle the right way. And for many athletes, more than that is going to be essential as well.
Do You Have a Protein Deficiency?
Mayo clinic researcher Jan van Deursen, Ph.D., set out to study the cause of cancer, but soon his research took him in a different direction — what impacts aging? His research revealed that certain proteins play an important, even critical, role in aging.
In his investigation, van Deursen and his team created genetically modified mice that had a protein deficiency in one specific type of protein, BubR1. They discovered that the mice deficient in this vital protein aged four to five times faster than the control group of normal mice.
This naturally occurring protein declines as we age and, in this study, were found to be at deficient levels in the mice’s muscles, heart, brain, spleen, testis and ovaries. The study theorizes that this holds true in the human body, too, with a protein deficiency leading to cataracts, heart problems, kyphosis or muscle atrophy — all somewhat common in the elderly.
Eating too little protein can result in these symptoms as well:
- A sluggish metabolism
- Trouble losing weight
- Trouble building muscle mass
- Low energy levels and fatigue
- Poor concentration and trouble learning
- Moodiness and mood swings
- Muscle, bone and joint pain
- Blood sugar changes that can lead to diabetes
- Slow wound healing
- Low immunity
The Top Protein Foods
The best forms of protein you can be getting are going to be things like grass-fed beef, organic chicken and turkey, wild-caught salmon — also, grass-fed organic dairy products are great. And then, healthy quality protein powders like grass-fed whey protein is another great option.
And then for the plant-based sources of protein, flaxseeds and chia seeds are great; other nuts and seeds, and beans, are also quality sources of protein.
Some other high-protein foods to help overcome a protein deficiency include:
Protein Health Benefits
Getting protein in your diet is greatly beneficial, and the biggest benefits of protein include fat burning, helping muscle recovery and helping heal cuts in the wound. And if you have any sort of injury, protein is essential. It’s also essential for:
- Fighting diabetes in balancing up blood sugar
- Brain function
- Any issue you have in terms of depression and brain issues
- Cholesterol
There is study after study showing that protein is essential for your body.
And last but not least, it’s important for muscle recovery. So if you’re trying to recover from an injury and also want to improve your overall energy, getting more protein in your diet is essential.
When buying protein, make sure it’s from organic, natural sources. One of the issues we run into today is all of our conventional restaurants, our conventional grocery stores, they’re not selling grass-fed organic protein. And if you’re eating conventional protein, it’s loaded with hormones, antibiotics, steroids and other chemicals that will actually destroy your health.
So get more protein in your diet. I’d even recommend keeping a food journal; write down what you’ve eaten the past three days, and then add up the grams of protein you’ve actually gotten in your system.
You also can go to the website nutritiondata.com and actually look up the amount of protein in the amount of food you’ve consumed, or else do it for the next three days and see how much protein you’re actually getting in your diet.
Dr. Josh Axe
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