5 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO EAT MORE PROTEIN

Brain function:

Protein is essential for balancing mood, increasing concentration and memory. Protein is made up of different building blocks known as amino acids. These amino acids are used as building blocks to the neurotransmitters in our brain.

Our neurotransmitters regulate our mood, emotions, our learning capacity, our memory and decision making capabilities. Without adequate protein in our diet we do not have these building blocks to make optimal levels of these neurotransmitters. Feelings of depression, anxiety, poor memory and concentration are all symptoms of low protein intake.

Immune function:

Protein is needed to make immune cells in our body. Without proper protein intake our bodies immune system will not be able to function as well as it should. Symptoms that your immune system is weakened is recurrent colds and other infections and poor healing wounds. Increasing the amount of protein you have in your diet will help to boost these immune cells and get your immune system working more efficiently.

Digestion:

Protein, along with minerals like zinc are needed to make the stomach acid hydrochloric acid. When our stomach acid is not working properly to break down our food the rest of our digestion is compromised. It may lead to symptoms such as bloating, flatulence and bad breath. eating moe protein will help your bodies ability to break down the food that you are eating. If you have issues with eating large amounts of protein (eg. a steak), try eating more easily digestible meats such as mince or slow cooked meats like in a casserole.

Health Hair, Skin and Nails.

Talking about protein always come back to building blocks. Protein is the building blocks for our connective tissue in our body, especially our hair, skin and nails. Along with a number of nutrients, protein needs to be in adequate supply for our hair, skin and nails to appear strong and healthy. If we are not eating enough protein then the protein that we do have will be used for higher priority functions such as mental health and muscle mass. Your hair, skin and nails are good indicators of your protein status. Keep an eye out for dry skin, peeling and weak nails, and thinning, brittle hair.

Muscle mass:

Protein is needed for muscle mass and works by replacing broken down cells and tissue. If you are not eating enough protein you may notice muscle wastage and loss, or even an increase in body fat. Finding the balance between adequate protein intake and excess protein intake is important as it is possible to have to much protein in your diet. You ideally want 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Eg. If you weigh 60kg, you need 60g of protein