Eating the right amount of protein allows you to lose weight more easily than in a diet that does not meet our protein needs.

If you want to make an easy estimate of how much protein you should take for your health, the ideal is to think of a gram of protein per kilo of body weight to consume every day, unless you are very sedentary.

According to the World Health Organization, the minimum requirement for a sedentary person is approximately 0.7 / 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight.

After the age of 64, the protein must be 1.4 grams per day per kilo of body weight.

Do you weigh seventy kilos? About seventy grams of protein will be your ideal requirement if you are under the age of sixty.

If you have exceeded them, consuming whole grains and consuming more animal and vegetable proteins should be ideal to counteract the loss of lean mass as you age.

HOW TO USE PROTEIN TO LOSE WEIGHT.
The quality and bioassimibility factor

But beyond this, it is necessary to know that if we want to lose weight not all proteins are the same: animal proteins in conjunction with vegetable ones are better than only vegetable ones, as suggested by an important study .

This is because in addition to the completeness of the amino acids, we also look at the protein digestibility and the bio-assimilation factor.

That is, how much of those proteins eaten is actually assimilated by the body.

This does not mean that those who choose a vegan diet should worry, but it is important to take more sources of vegetable proteins because not all will be assimilated in the same way. The proteins of whole grains and legumes are absorbed for about 70%. But soy protein isolate reaches 90%.

Our protein quota must be “spread” throughout the day, and not simply concentrated in a single meal. Protein for weight loss works when combined with every meal, to also promote satiety and reduce the glycemic load.

Therefore a protein food should be included at breakfast, lunch and dinner, obviously together with fats and carbohydrates as well as fiber. According to a study , adding protein to every meal promotes weight loss.

In particular, here’s how to use protein for weight loss.

• Breakfast.

  Protein for breakfast can come from yogurt, cottage cheese, an egg in an omelette and of course a glass of cow’s milk or soy (200 ml). We arrive at 7-8 grams of protein. We can add: a slice of bread with a teaspoon of jam or honey or three wholemeal biscuits or two generous spoons of muesli.

• Lunch.

  Cereals and pseudocereals (e.g. quinoa) have more protein than white pasta and rice.
  A quinoa dish with boiled chickpeas and vegetables plus a drizzle of raw oil can be a balanced dish and provide us with about 22 grams of protein overall. Otherwise a pasta with tuna or fresh salmon (38 grams of protein) or a pasta with vegetables and ricotta (26 grams of protein) or with vegetables and shellfish (26 grams of protein). I considered a serving of 80 grams of pasta + 100 grams of net weight protein product.

• Dinner.

• Meat or fish (120 grams) with plenty of vegetables and a potato or wholemeal bread as a carbohydrate source, but also grilled cheese instead of meat or fish to get around 25-30 grams of protein.

• What about vegan alternatives?

• Not only of tofu and legumes must be made the dinner of those who said goodbye to meat, fish or even eggs and dairy products.
  For example, you can try wheat muscle, salami made from lupins, tempeh together with whole grains for lunch and dinner, while for breakfast a milkshake with two teaspoons of brown rice protein, a small banana and almond milk. sugar-free can be a great alternative for those who want to lose weight.
• See here the best proteins for weight loss: powdered, vegan and organic.