Just the word seems to upset people … eat too much and it will cause liver failure, hurt your kidneys, and possibly kill you! Not to mention, you can only absorb so much?!?
(NOT!)
Where does this stuff get started? Has anyone ever eaten too much chicken and pooped out a chicken breast? Goldfish maybe.☺ Chicken breast … NOPE!
How come no one says – eat too many carbs and you will become a diabetic? (Which is possible, by the way.)
Eat too much protein and your eyeballs will stop working? Puh-lease!
Protein gets a bad rap. It’s just not fair!
Here are some benefits of protein:
1) tends to keep you feeling full longer
2) increased thermogenesis à energy expenditure increases = FAT LOSS!
3) increased glucagon (hormone) and decreased insulin (another hormone) à body is better able to use fat as energy, not to mention insulin causes blood sugar to drop = increased hunger … BOOOOOO!
4) protein, eaten at the right times of the day, can really help your ability to build lean muscle = faster metabolism … Yaaaaaaaay!
5) not all food is created equal à T.E.F. (thermic effect of food) à it takes energy to break food down, digest, process, and absorb it. Protein costs around 30% of its calories to be utilized, carbs 15% to 18%, and fat about 3%. So if you eat 100 calories of protein you will get about 70 calories out of it. However, 100 calories of carbs yields about 85 calories.
Bottom line: Protein gets a bad rap for no reason! Clearly the hero, not the villain!
I would love to hear (read) about your concerns, thoughts, and questions on protein. Got Protein?