Cathal BarryStart your day with an energy boost
Including high-quality protein in your breakfast has endless benefits such as improving brain function and reducing hunger later in the day. Eventually, you should replace all refined carbs such as cereal, toast, juice, pastries, bagels and so on with protein. If you're not ready for this, you can start by eating some protein in addition to your regular breakfast.
Eat the protein first. Try an egg or two, some plain Greek yogurt, or a few slices of organic meat. Then if you're still hungry, have your regular breakfast. Chances are youíll eat less, and switch to a protein-filled breakfast all together pretty quickly.
Energy
One of the main reasons you should remove refined carbohydrates from your first meal of the day is that these so-called 'energy' foods are generally jam-packed with added sugar and filled with quickly digesting carbohydrates that will spike your blood sugar. These foods have also been found to activate a network of chemical transmitters in the brain that makes you sleepy and makes you feel sluggish.
High-protein foods, however, do the opposite.
Itís important to understand why high-protein diets promote healthy, leaner bodies.
Eating the right amount of protein is a simple way to shore up the defences against triggers that trip us up when trying to establish good habits. There are four reasons higher protein diets lay the groundwork for future dietary changes:
* Eating protein promotes lean muscle by triggering protein synthesis.
* The body burns more calories processing protein than carbs or fat.
* Protein is filing and it provides the building blocks for optimal brain function and motivation.
* High-quality protein improves your hormonal response to a meal, helping to manage blood sugar and insulin so you avoid cravings for sugar.
The key to optimising your protein intake is to choose whole sources instead of foods that donít normally contain protein but have it added to them.
One simple trick to ensure you are eating enough protein by including it in every meal.
Itís recommended to eat between one and two grams of protein per kg of body weight. If fat loss is a goal, you likely want to be on the higher end of that range. But, if your current intake is practically non-existent, you will want to start slowly, incrementally eating more week by week.
What is recommended for everyone is to eat a protein-containing food every time you put anything in your mouth. Just like with breakfast, youíre now going to eat a whole protein food as part of every meal.
Things to eat: Meat, fish, eggs, plain Greek yogurt, beans, lentils and nuts.
Things to avoid: Cereal, protein-added yogurt, bread and crackers.