Protein Weight Loss Diets

Protein Weight Loss Diets

Protein Weight Loss Diets

Incorporating Red Meat Into Your Diet…

The past week’s workouts have been a bit more intense. I am constantly amazed at just how far I am able to push my once tired heavy body. My trainer, Alfred encourages me to go a little farther, push a little harder and maximize the benefits of the exercise by encouraging me to fuel my body properly. After all if I am going to do 135 squats during a workout session with him I need to make sure that what I eat doesn’t take away the benefits of the hard physical work I am doing. (Yes, I did 135 squats; that’s a story for another time.)

There is a lot of talk in my social circle about red meat. According to some red meat should be eliminated from our diet. In trying to convince some of my red meat fearing friends that red meat red meat is proven to be beneficial and essential to our overall well-being I decided to explore the benefits of meat to the human diet. Take note that I am not suggesting that those who choose not to eat red meat for whatever reason can’t be healthy or make appropriate substitutions to improve or maintain good health. I am merely throwing the idea out there that red meat is not taboo; red meat is beneficial to our overall health and like everything else portion size is important.

Meat has many nutritional, disease-prevention and even weight-loss properties. Meat is an excellent source of complete protein, containing all the amino acids your body needs to develop and maintain muscles. Vegetarian foods don’t contain complete proteins, so they aren’t as good at building and maintaining strong muscles; you want to make sure you are getting the best health benefits from the food you put in your body. Meat is also an excellent source of iron which if you don’t get enough iron from foods or supplements; you are at risk for anemia and low energy. Iron boosts your energy because it’s needed to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to other parts of your the body, including the brain.

A 3-oz. serving of red meat supplies about half the protein an average adult needs in a daily diet. The protein you get from red meat contains all the amino acids necessary to build muscle and repair tissue. Muscle mass is essential because it gives you the ability to be physically active, but it also produces enzymes and hormones that help prevent illness. Protein has also been linked to weight loss, since it satisfies hunger and keep you feeling full for hours following your meal.

It is important to make sure you choose the best leanest cuts of meat available in order to maximize the health benefits of the meat protein. For example, eye round roast and steak, round steak, sirloin tip roast and 95 percent ground meat all offer healthy options of lean meat. Bison is also a great choice for lean red meat in a healthy diet. Adding one or two servings of fresh lean red meat to your weekly diet will supply your body with many vital nutrients promoting optimal health and fitness. It is important to incorporate poultry, pork, fish and other sources of protein to promote a well-rounded diet.

In order to maintain a healthy body it is important to keep a balanced diet that includes food from all food groups. By maintaining a healthy diet with a variety of foods will not only promote a healthy functioning physical body but will allow you to stay focused without getting bored eating the same things all of the time. After all variety is the spice of life so live it up and include red meat in your diet once in a while.

Peace,
K2

For more weight loss tips and notes about the importance of healthy living read these:

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