Top 5 Sources of Protein Drum roll please….

Top 5 Sources of Protein Drum roll please…. 1. Chicken Chicken headlines our list of high protein foods for being high protein with a low overall fat content. In particular, you want to opt for the white meat portion of the chicken – the breast. The white meat has less than half the fat of the dark meat portion (thighs and drumsticks) of the chicken. The best choice for chicken is a roasted, skinless and boneless chicken breast. A 4-ounce serving has only 187 calories, 35 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat! Frying the chicken can significantly increase its fat content. For example, that same 4-ounce chicken breast, when fried as over 5 grams of fat. That is a 25% increase in fat! Therefore, when preparing your chicken meals, you should roast, grill, or broil your chicken breast to keep the overall fat content low. Complete High Protein Foods List – Poultry 2. Fish and Seafood Fish is second on our top 5 list of high protein foods. Fish has a higher fat content than chicken; however, most of the fat found in chicken is from unsaturated fats (the good kind). In particular, fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 acids promote weight loss and may reduce the risk of coronary and heart disease. The most popular fish for protein is tuna. One can of tuna provides you with 220 calories, 40 grams of protein and 5 grams of unsaturated fat. However, tuna is not your only choice. Anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines are all great choice for a diet high in protein. These fishes are all loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. More information on why Omega-3 fatty acids put fish on the list of high protein foods Complete High Protein Foods List – Fish and Seafood 3. Beef Beef has a higher fat content, and not necessarily the good kind; as a result, it ranks below chicken and fish in our list of high protein foods. Even though beef is high in fat, it is also loaded with compounds other than protein to help you build quality muscle, such as creatine and vitamin B-12. In order to minimize the amount of fat in beef, you should choose the leanest cuts of meat available such as top round, sirloin and tenderloin. For example, a 4-ounce serving of broiled top round trimmed to 1/8” fat comes in at 201 calories, 36 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. Complete High Protein Foods List – Beef Products 4. Dairy and Egg Products This category covers cheese, eggs, milk and yogurt. These foods make it onto the top 5 list of high protein foods with one caveat: the “full fat” versions are not allowed! These products can add a lot of saturated (bad) fats to your diet. Therefore, you should look for labels that read “low-fat” for cheeses and yogurts and use skim or 1% milk. For eggs, all of the fat content is in the yolk, so you should consider egg whites as a zero fat alternative to the whole egg. Of course, there is flavor in the yolk, so you can have a yolk for every five egg whites you eat. Complete High Protein Foods List – Dairy and Eggs 5. Whey Protein Whey protein is the best protein supplement on the market. As a result, it is the only protein supplement to make our top 5 list of high protein foods. The creation of whey protein occurs during the process of churning milk in to cheese. Whey protein comes in many great flavors, is soluble in liquids such as water and milk, is easy on the stomach, and the body absorbs it readily, making it a popular ingredient for pre and post workout protein shakes. If you are looking to burn fat, whey protein is an excellent option. On thing you should consider when choosing a protein powder it the carbohydrate content of the powder. Some of these powders are designed primarly for those people looking to build muscle. Those additional carbohydrates in these powders can add extra calories that you may not want. Whey protein isolate contains very little fat or carbohydrates, and may an excellent alternative for those people who are on a calorie restricted or low carbohydrate diet plan. If you primary concern is to build muscle, then those extra calories may not be of any concern, but you should still keep a close eye on the protein to carbohydrate ratio in your protein shakes.

What is Protein and Why is Protein Important?

What is Protein and Why is Protein Important?


Proteins are compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These elements combine to form strings of amino acids.
Protein falls into the class of nutrients called "macronutrients." Other macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat.
Protein is the building block of muscle. Protein provides the essential support that your body needs to gain muscle and lose fat. It is the right tool to guarantee that your muscle building and fat loss processes are as "profitable" as possible.
Due to its role in the building, repair, and maintenance of muscle, protein is an invaluable part of your nutrition plan.


Fact About Protein: Protein comes from the Greek word proteios, which means "primary."
Protein Fact: No nutrient is more important than protein for building and maintaining muscle. You can have all of the plans designed and processes in place to build muscle and burn fat. However, without the right tools to build and maintain muscle, your body will never reach its full potential.


Fact About Protein: Other than water, protein is the most plentiful substance in your muscles.
Protein Fact: Approximately 75% of your muscle is made of water. After that, 20% of your muscle is protein. The remaining 5% of your muscle is carbohydrates (glycogen), fats, vitamins, and minerals. Getting enough protein is essential to maintaining and building muscle.


Fact About Protein: Protein is made of Amino Acids.
Protein Fact: Protein consists of amino acids. When we digest protein, the protein is broken down into its amino acid components. These amino acids then enter the bloodstream. Once there, your body reassembles them as proteins for various uses such as tissue repair and muscle building and maintenance.
There are 20 standard amino acids. Of those, we refer to 9 as "essential" amino acids. Essential amino acids are not produced in the body. You must obtain these essential amino acids through your diet. The Essential Amino Acids Include:

Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Valine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
We call the remaining 11 amino acids "non-essential" amino acids. Your body has the ability to produce non-essential amino acids.
The Non-Essential Amino Acids Include:

Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Cysteine
Cystine
Glutamic Acid
Glutamine
Glycine
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine
The term "non-essential" is misleading. All amino acids are necessary for you body to maintain its operating efficiency.
In addition, both non-essential amino acids and essential amino acids must be present in sufficient quantities and in the proper combination to maintain and build muscle.


Fact About Protein: Protein Helps Build Muscle
Protein Fact: Eating protein helps your body to build and maintain muscle. You have a quality weight lifting program in place to build muscle.
During your weight lifting routing, the muscle is actually being broken down. During the work out, the muscle fibers actually tear under the stress of working out. The trauma to the muscle causes a reaction in your body to repair and reinforce these damaged fibers. It is during the repair phase that muscle building occurs.
Remember, the first protein nutrition fact - your body uses protein to build, repair and maintain almost all of the tissue in your body. Therefore, in order to increase the "profits" from your weight lifting routine, you need adequate protein to repair your muscle tissue.

Fact About Protein: Protein Helps Burn Fat
Protein Fact: Protein can help you lose fat.
First, recall the previous protein fact - protein helps build muscle.
A good cardiovascular workout program will help you burn extra calories and, as a result, burn fat over the period of time you are exercising. However, it will not increase your metabolism.
You can change your metabolism, and burn fat throughout the day, by building muscle. The fact about protein is that is an essential component to increasing lean muscle mass.
Protein Fact: Protein elevates your metabolism.
Protein is harder for your body to digest than fat or carbohydrates. It requires more energy for your body to digest protein. Therefore, you burn more calories with protein.
This means that if two people eat 2000 calories per day, the one with a higher protein intake will have a higher metabolism.
Protein Fact: Protein helps suppress your appetite. This causes you to eat less calories overall, which contributes to weight loss. Because of protein's ability to help maintain muscle, you should burn fat at a faster rate than muscle.