Why the focus on protein?

Thermal Burn of food and Protein

Thermal Burn is the energy it takes for food to be digested. Nutrient-dense foods tend to be more complex. Take proteins, for instance. It takes more energy for your body to digest and use proteins than it does for simpler foods like sugars(bread, pasta, rice & Sugar). The thermic effect of protein is the highest of all foods.

After eating protein, your metabolic rate will increase by approximately 17 to 30 percent. In other words, if you eat 100 calories of protein,  approx 30 of those will be burned just digesting and using the protein. By comparison, the thermic effect of carbohydrates is typically around 10 percent, and fat is just 5 percent.

Proteins are primarily used as our bodies— building blocks. They are most abundant in animal products—lean meats, egg whites, and low-fat cottage cheese are great protein sources. (Protein is also found, to a lesser degree, in beans, nuts, and various grains for you vegetarians out there.) Proteins are found in every cell in our bodies. Our muscles, hair, skin, nails, hormones, and blood all contain protein. And protein is extremely important both to our overall immunity and health.

Protein is also an extremely important (but often overlooked) fat-loss nutrient. Why? Proteins (along with resistance exercise) actually help your body change shape by adding muscle and increasing your metabolism. Remember, the point isn’t just to lose weight. The point is to lose fat, and increase muscle.

"Now the point isn’t to eat a diet of all protein, not at all. Just do not to skip protein as part of each meal."

Research has proven that a diet rich in good quality protein results in greater weight loss and a greater ability to maintain a healthy weight through life.

With all is this in mind, heres a list of great high-protein foods. Please be sure to choose grass feed beef, cage-free chicken meat and eggs,  and other organic meats whenever possible to avoid hormones and other unnatural additives.

• Anchovies
• Bass
• Beef (extra-lean)
• Blueeyed cod 
• Cage Free Whole Eggs 
• Chicken breast 
• Clams
• Cod 
• Cornish hen 
• Cottage cheese 
• Crab 
• Flounder 
• Greek Yogurt 
• Grouper 
• Haddock 
• Halibut 
• Herring
• Lamb 
• Lobster
• Mackerel
• Mahimahi
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Perch
•  Pork (lean)
• Red snapper 
• Sablefish 
• Salmon 
• Sardines 
• Scallops
• Shrimp
• Sirloin (ground)
• SoleSteak (club, flank, round, sirloin, tenderloin, or T-bone filet; all fat trimmed)
• Swordfish
• Tofu
• Trout
• Tuna (water-packed)
• Turkey breast (lean ground or whole)
•  Venison
• Whitebait
• Wild salmon