Whilst a lot of people cringe at snacking during their diet, as long as you are eating healthy snacks, it can’t be that bad. While nothing 100% healthy, high-protein foods containing the building blocks for your body to repair and maintain are definitely healthier alternatives whilst making sure you get all of your essential amino acids.
It’s no secret that having a high-protein diet can help weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance, but how does it do that? There have been a lot of studies over the years looking into just this, and in this blog post, we’re going to be looking into it and simplifying the science behind it.
Weight Hormones are the reasons why you get those late-night cravings, or you’ve just eaten a massive meal but don’t feel full yet, but which hormones are they and what exactly do they do?
How Does It Do It?
When you eat, the peptides (digested proteins) block things called MOR’s (Mu-Opioid Receptors). Basically, when these receptors are open, it tells the brain to eat more but when enough peptides block the receptors, it then tells the brain to stop eating which, in turn, tells the gut to release glucose – which then gives the feeling that it is no longer time to eat.
What Hormones Does It Affect?
It is largely believed that your weight is controlled by your internal hormones, research has shown that this influences your appetite and how much fat you store. So, which hormones does it affect and how do peptides come into it?
GHRELIN
Ghrelin is more commonly known as hunger when your stomach empties, it releases the hormone ghrelin which will then send a message to your hypothalamus (a small region of the brain) which says it needs to eat. Ghrelin levels are usually at their highest about an hour before eating and slowly decrease until their lowest point, which is typically sixty to ninety minutes after you’ve eaten.
However, in obese and overweight people, ghrelin levels are usually lower than people of normal, recommend weight. However, a study has shown that when someone labelled as obese eats a meal, their levels of Ghrelin only decreases slightly. This is because the person’s hypothalamus doesn’t receive a strong signal from the stomach, which still makes the person feel hungry and leads to overeating.
There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your Ghrelin levels. You should be eating plenty of protein and avoiding food and drinks high in sugar, thus reducing the Grehlin levels your body has.
NEUROPEPTIDE Y (NPY)
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a hormone produced by cells in the brain and nervous system. It stimulates your appetite, especially for the food group carbohydrates and NPY is at its highest during times of fasting or deprivation of food and can also be high during levels of stress. All of these can lead to overeating and fat gain.
Eating too little protein has been shown to increase the body’s release of the NPY hormone, which leads to increased food intake and in turn, weight gain.
WHAT FOODS ARE HIGH IN PROTEIN?
Protein consumption is easier than you think. Foods such as pumpkin seeds, meat and dairy products, peanuts and other nuts & butter are all protein-packed, but the amount of protein differs between the product. Peanut Butter is another widely used protein source and its full of healthy fats. Processed meat is also extremely high in protein, although there are disputed claims between red & processed meat links to bowel cancer.
Recently, plant-based protein foods have seen a massive surge of products. Whilst plant-based protein has always been about in forms such as nuts, seeds etc. it has only been quite recent that we have seen the wide variety of vegan supplements such as protein powder and pre-workout be made available for long term supplements. Greek Yogurt is also a food that is surprisingly high in protein, with 10g per 100ml whilst also being low in saturated fat.
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Sounds Good… What Do You Recommend?
We have plenty of high-protein foods here at SS Healthfoods. From protein bars to protein shakes, protein cookies to protein bread and all in between, think of us as your one-stop-protein-shop.
Check out our Grenade Carb Killa Bars, high-protein, low carbs – perfect for staving off the hunger that comes with a high-carb diet.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, the tastiest protein powder around. Enjoy it with some milk and it doesn’t come with the standard protein aftertaste.
Lenny and Larry’s Complete Cookie, the Chocolate Chip Complete Cookie has been a crowd-pleaser since the day we set up our shop. Satisfyingly firm and chewy, our delectable chocolate chip cookie is lovingly sprinkled with sizeable semi-sweet morsels of chocolate throughout. Keep with tradition by pairing your cookie with a tall glass of ice-cold milk. It’s also Vegan and Non-GMO.
