high protein foods

High Protein Foods

Protein is one of the three types of calories. The types of calories are protein, carbohydrate and fats. Protein is unique for several reasons.

First, the human body cannot easily store protein. You are probably aware that the human body is very efficient at storing fat. Furthermore, it can convert simple and complex carbohydrates to fat. However, the body does not store protein. This is a major reason you get hungry. You body is expressing a need for protein.

If you deprive your body of protein, it can cannibalize protein from muscle tissue. Protein is used to build cells and tissue, include muscle fibers. Your body can breakdown muscle fiber for protein when it doesn't get enough from your diet.

Second, protein is the building block for new tissues. In other words, your body needs protein to grow.

How do you get more protein? You eat more, especially more high protein foods. What are high protein foods?

Whey Protein

Simply measuring the amount of protein in foods is inadequate. In order for a food to be a good protein source it must be a complete protein and it must be biologically useful to the human body.

Whey protein is the top biologically useful protein. It literally broke the scale of biologically useful protein rating. Eggs used to occupy the top spot with a value of 100. Along cam whey protein at 120 to 130 on the scale, shattering the top score of the egg.

Whey protein is derived from milk. It is the liquid leftover when you curdle milk for cheese. Milk is produced by mammals (including humans) to nurture their young. It is designed to help infants grow rapidly. Thus it is a good source of protein.

Eggs

Eggs were once considered the most biologically useful protein. Eggs are still number 2 on the list.

The egg, and especially the yolk are nutrient and protein rich. The chicken (or any bird) develops within the egg. The yolk and egg white are meant to be consumed to aid the growth of the chick. It lives off the nutrients until it can break free of the egg shell. The egg yolk is high in protein, vitamin A, D, E and K, multiple B vitamins, calcium, iron and list of other nutrients.

On the downside, the egg yolk is also high in cholesterol. People that have cholesterol issues or are prone to future issues must limit the consumption of egg yolks. If you consume five or more yolks per week, you are urged to check your cholesterol levels. It is common practice to discard one yolk from every two eggs. This reduces the number of yolks consumed.

The egg white has no cholesterol. But it is also missing many of the nutrients as well.

Milk

As stated before, milk is an excellent protein source. All milk and milk products (cheese, cottage cheese, etc) are good source of protein.

Cows milk is produced by the cow to feed her young. The milk helps them grow from a calf to 500lb cow.

The main protein in milk is casein. It ranks high on the biologically useful chart. However, whey protein is still better.

GOMAD stands for gallon of milk a day. This was a saying from the 1970s about bulking up. The idea was the milk is high in protein and combined with weight training will build muscle. Basically, you drank milk all the time in an attempt to add weight.

Tuna fish

Fish is an excellent source of protein. You generally find that animal proteins are more useful to the human body than plant proteins. Animals are genectically closer to humans, and so the protein from animals is more beneficial.

Canned tuna fish is a excellent protein source. The typical can of tuna fish contains 60 grams of protein. The human digestive system can only absorb 20 to 25 grams per meal. Thus, each can of tuna fish can provide three high protein meals.

In addition, tuna is a good source of fish oils and healthy fatty acids.

At one time tuna used to come in 7 ounce cans. No all that is available are 5 ounce cans