Is it relatively possible to overstuff on proteinous food while on keto
Protein is a macronutrient that is essential to building muscle mass.
It is commonly found in animal products, though is also present in other sources, such as nuts and legumes in other words protein is also available in fruits and vegetables.
How Much Protein Do You Need On Keto
Research on macronutrients continues to state that protein is one of the most beneficial of the three macros in terms of consumption to lose weight. A high intake of protein is linked to better control over appetite and a significant decrease in cravings, it also helps improve the body’s composition. Protein is also known to protect lean mass in a calorie deficit in a low carbohydrates diet like keto. Protein keeps you in a better physical disposition and has your metabolisms running strong.
Keto’s guidelines to macronutrients do not suggest you indulge in a high protein intake, unlike most low carbs diets we have. As this popular eating style has evolved as a potential tool used for fat burning, it votes for a higher percentage for a healthy fat (60-80%) and a moderate percentage for protein (10-30%), and the barest level for carbs (10% or less). Initially, keto was used to treat epileptic children in the 1920s but has evolved to be a well-known eating style that is basically used to burn fat.
Based on the accepted range of protein nutrients, the macronutrient’s intake should not be less than 20% or more than 30% of the meal to be eaten at any given point in time. If you are to heed these ketogenic guidelines, you then can calculate the amount of protein you consume by understanding that protein provides four calories for every gram.
However, your ideal protein requirement is usually determined by your muscle mass and not calorie needs because protein is crucial for so many essential functions and it can also act as a building block to almost every cell in your body. In support of your lean mass and other needs, it is recommended that you take a gram of protein for every pound of lean mass.
How Do You Get To Know Your Lean Body Mass
If you are uncertain of what your lean body mass is, you should consider getting a body composition test done to assess how much muscle you have and assist in knowing how much protein you need to feed on.
Can You Possibly Eat Too Much Protein On Keto Diet
While some would argue against protein because it is metabolized into glucose (sugar), consuming more than your fair share of it can interfere with your body’s ability to enter the state of ketosis (this is an unresearched stand). When you go through multiple studies on a ketogenic diet, you would not find a report that links protein intake to your body’s ability to enter into a state of ketosis rather you would find out that its several health benefits outweighs its impact on ketosis.
Best Protein Foods To Eat On A Ketogenic Diet
As a ketogenic diet can at times make you consume a high quantity of saturated fat from animal-based sources like dairy and meat, it is not always the best course of action even if they provide you keto macronutrients as such good cannot adequately support your health. Usually, the best source for protein is either the nutrient-based lean proteins or options that are high in healthy fats like unsaturated fats (plant-based source or seafood) as they come along with other important nutrients. Here are some items to add to the protein section of your ketogenic shopping list:
- Lean Meat: while animal foods are naturally high in protein, the best parts are lean or meat from free-range poultry. Lean meat refers to meats that are lower in fat, this might appear to be the opposite of what you want for keto. It is however not all fats that are created equally as saturated fat is associated with high cholesterol. Also, processed red meats like sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and the likes are linked to an increase in the risk of colon cancer, they are classified as carcinogens.
On the other side, free-range poultry meat tends to be leaner and offers a more favorable fatty acid composition which means it is not saturated in any form. This should not restrict you from taking high-fat meat, you just need to be careful with it. Some of the lean meat options that offer protein are:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Ostrich
- Quail
- Grass-fed beef
- Bison
- Pork loin
- Venison
- Elk
- Lamb (without its fat)
- Goat
- Rabbit
- Duck Breast (skinned)
- Fatty Seafood: unlike some land-based proteins, fatty seafood can be classified as a fairly lean protein-filled, High-fat, low-fat food as it contains a higher amount of healthy fats. Regardless of the higher fat content, most seafood contains some good nutrients and fits perfectly into your ketogenic diet. Some of the seafood you can add to your recipes are:
- Anchovies
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Herring
- Arctic Char
- Cod
- Tuna
- Basa
- Sea Bass
- Catfish
- Pollock
- Mackerel
- Grouper
- Rockfish
- Snapper
- Trout
- Squid
- Shrimp
- Oysters
- Octopus
- Eel
- Mussels
- Crab
- Clams
- Lobsters
- Low Fat Dairy: High fat dairy like meat can be high in saturated and can be used without boundaries in cheese and cream. However, a low fat diary will fit well into your keto meal plan while providing you the needed proteins. The best diary source that is low-fat are:
- Low Fat Milk
- Low Fat Greek Yogurt
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
- Eggs
- Egg whites
- Plant-Based Proteins:
these settings can be challenging when it comes to balancing your ketogenic macronutrients as most of the plants Carries a certain amount of carbohydrates in them. If you desire protein from a plant-based source, you should go for sources that are high in fiber, as this is a sort of carb that is not absorbed by the body and not recognized as part of your carbs intake. As a vegan or carnivore into the keto diet, you can rest assured that these sources will provide you with a significant amount of protein and can be added to a host of meals on a ketogenic diet. Some of the vegetables are:
- Edamame
- Tofu
- Broccoli
- Spirulina
- Soy crumbles
- Soy milk
- Pea protein crumbles
- Nutritional Yeast
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Nut butter
Benefits Of Protein
Some of the benefits associated with protein intake are:
Eating plenty of protein can help reduce the muscle loss associated with aging:
As one of the consequences associated with aging is the gradual weakening of your muscles, eating more protein is one of the best ways to reduce the speed of this age-related muscle deterioration. Staying physically active is also crucial to this process as lifting weights and involving in some sort of resistance exercise will also work wonders.
Protein is known to be the building block of your muscles:
A high intake of protein will assist you to gain muscle mass and strength while slowing down your muscle loss during weight loss during the ketogenic diet.
This means that eating an adequate amount of protein will help you maintain your muscle mass and promotes muscle growth while you do strength training. If you are a physically active dieter or you are just trying to gain muscle, you need to make sure you are eating enough protein as staying on the high side of protein intake high will help prevent muscle loss during your weight loss.
Eating more protein may reduce cravings and desire for late-night snacking:
A food craving is quite different from normal hunger; this is not just about your body needing energy and nutrients but your brain demanding a reward. Despite this, cravings can be somehow difficult to control.
The best way to overcome them is to prevent them from having the opportunity to come up. One of the best prevention methods is to increase your protein intake. Merely having a high-protein breakfast may have a powerful effect on you for the whole day. This will be mediated by an improvement in the function of dopamine (which is one of the main brain hormones involved in cravings and addiction).
Several studies note that higher protein intake can lower your blood pressure:
while some studies also demonstrate improvements in the risk factors for heart disease. High blood pressure is also known as a major cause of heart attacks, strokes, or chronic kidney disease, a higher intake of protein has been studied to lower the blood’s pressure and also reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides in addition.
A high protein intake can help you recover faster if you have been injured:
Protein is known to help your body repair after it has been physically traumatized. This occurs as protein is the main building block of your tissues and organs. Numerous studies demonstrate that eating more protein after getting injured can help you speed up your recovery.
While protein can cause harm to people with one kidney problem or the other:
It does not have any side effects on those with healthy kidneys. A lot of people wrongly believe that a high protein intake will bring harm to your healthy kidneys.
While it is true that restricting protein intake will benefit people with existing kidney disease (this should not be handled with levity, as kidney problems can be very severe and life-threatening), it is baseless to believe that a high intake of protein will harm a healthy kidney. It is a fact made known by numerous studies that high-protein diets have no harmful effects on people with healthy kidneys.
Conclusion
Even though a higher protein intake will benefit the health of many people, it is not necessarily for everyone. While most people already get around 15% of their calories from protein, which is more than enough to prevent protein deficiency. In some cases, however, people benefit from consuming a higher percentage of protein in their meals. If weight loss, improving your metabolic health, or gaining muscle mass and strength, is the reason why you are undertaking the journey of a ketogenic diet, make sure you are eating enough protein
