You’re probably setting some new goals for 2023 to improve your career, life, and health. In terms of health, most people always add losing weight as one of the key factors each year. Starting a balanced diet can be confusing, especially when you have limited knowledge of the nutrition that you need to consume, including protein. So, let’s talk about the benefits of consuming protein today so that you can achieve your health goals in 2023.
Protein is one of the pivotal foundations of good health. It’s coming from the Greek language, proteus, meaning primary. In Indonesia, you probably heard about the principle of “4 healthy, 5 perfect” (4 sehat, 5 sempurna) which is now corrected with Tumpeng Nutrition Balance, where you can find staple of foods, from carbs, protein, vegetables, fruits, and fat. So, you need to add those elements to get a healthy balanced diet each day.
You probably consume all of those elements on daily basis. But did you know that most Indonesians consume a lower amount of protein daily? Based on Mayo Clinic Health System, 10% to 35% of your total calories should come from protein. Consuming high-protein food is not only benefitting the one whose planning on building muscles, but proteins actually do various work to your body.
Protein helps your body to maintain, build, and repair cells in the body. Your hair, skin, and bone are constructed with protein as the prime element. Protein also links to your body’s hormones and transmits information between cells, tissues, and organs. It has a key role especially for teenagers during their puberty period.
Based on Piedmont Healthcare, consuming high-protein foods may help you in speeding recovery, reduce muscle loss, build lean muscle, maintain a healthy weight, and curb hunger. Consuming high-protein food with vegetables will make you feel full longer. It will push your desire to eat or snacking unnecessary food.
The number of proteins everyone needs are different based on their weight, activity, and daily calories need. But we suggest you never skip protein in your daily meal for your health goals in 2023. If counting the grams of protein is too complicated for you, you can do a simple method of estimating portion sizes using your hands. The palm of your hands can be used for your protein intake per meal. 1 palm is equivalent to 3 oz or 85 grams of protein source. You can find the source of protein from breast chicken, lean meat, eggs, nuts, grains, seeds, and many more.