10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PROTEIN YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

culled from:beautyandtips.com

1. What does protein really do?
Protein gets its name as the building blocks of life for good reason. Every cell in your body contains protein and protein is needed for tissue structure and growth, it supports the immune system and the metabolism, and it can also help you maintain a healthy weight.

2. You can get all your protein from plants
Although many people think of eggs, poultry and fish, when they think about a high protein diet, here is another one of interesting facts about protein: you can get all your protein from plant based food. You can find good sources of protein in whole grains, seeds and nuts, and there have been many, very successful, vegetarian athletes to prove that you don’t need to eat meat to get protein.

3. Protein is very good for people who are under stress
Another one of interesting facts about protein is that protein is great for people who are under a lot of stress, and this is for two reasons. Firstly, stress can cause tissues in your body to begin to break down and, protein helps with the repair process of those tissues. Secondly, protein also helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, which can help to stabilise your mood.

4. Protein is essential for your skin and hair too
It’s not just your muscles that you need protein, it is essential for healthy skin and hair too. So, if you want glowing skin and a healthy head of hair, make sure that you are eating enough protein!

5. How much protein should you be eating?
And that brings us neatly onto our next interesting question about protein: just how much protein should you be eating each day? As a general guideline, the average adult should make protein between 20% and 35% of their daily intake of calories.

6. Are high protein diets always good for you?
Most of the articles that you read about protein are those that are promoting the benefits of a high protein diet, but there are downsides to eating too much protein to consider as well. Quite simply, if you eat too much protein then you won’t leave enough room for other important foods as well, such as fibre and carbohydrates. Also, remember that many high protein foods are also high cholesterol foods.

7. Does protein build muscle?
And here is another one of interesting facts about protein: simply eating protein will not build your muscles, but it does provide the nourishment that your muscles need to grow. Muscles are toned and improved by exercise and, eating a plate full of chicken a day will not build muscles all on its own.

8. Most people already eat more protein than they need
Before you go rushing out to stock up on dairy foods and meat, here is another one of interesting facts about protein: most people are already eating more protein than they really need. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Study found that most Americans eat twice as much as they need.

9. Protein improves the functioning of your brain
It’s not just your muscles that protein feeds, it’s your brain too. Eating high protein food, from a variety of different sources, provides the building blocks needed to create the chemical messengers in the brain that are needed for a healthy brain.

10. Eating protein can help you lose weight
Protein is essential when you are trying to lose weight. It stabilises your blood sugar levels and helps your metabolism work at optimal levels. A high protein meal will also make you feel full for longer and help you avoid overeating.