The Nutritionist-Approved Protein Diet That Speeds Up Metabolism And Helps Control Appetite

One of the goals I have set for myself this year has been to eat better. And I'm not talking about eating less or following a strict diet, but about finding a way to eat in a healthy way that fits my lifestyle. This has helped me to improve aspects that used to be difficult for me to control, such as snacking between meals or poor digestion. But best of all, adapting to this diet has not involved me in any effort because it is balanced, varied and easy to maintain daily.

When I asked Laura Salud, pharmacist, nutritionist and CEO of Salmo Labs, I discovered that a great alternative to eating well, satiating myself enough to avoid snacking between meals, accelerating my metabolism and improving my muscle mass is to practice a protein diet.

What Is A Protein-Rich Diet Like?

“The most recommended is a balanced diet rich in high-quality proteins, well distributed throughout the day and accompanied by vegetables, healthy fats and an adjusted amount of carbohydrates,” says Salud. The strong point of this diet is that it does not seek to eliminate food groups, but to prioritise protein in each main meal. “This helps maintain muscle mass, increases energy expenditure and improves satiety, thus facilitating appetite control,” he adds.

Not only is it an easy-to-follow diet, since it is not restrictive or based on hard-to-find foods, but it is also a form of diet with a real and positive impact on the body. Prioritising protein on a daily basis not only helps us to feel satiated for longer, but it also helps our bodies work more efficiently and in a balanced way. In fact, “proteins have a high thermogenic effect, meaning that the body spends more energy digesting them, contributing to a more active metabolism. In addition, they regulate key appetite hormones, reducing hunger and appetite peaks, and help preserve muscle mass during weight loss, which is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism in the long term,” explains the expert.

How To Combine Foods

This diet is based on foods that are easy to incorporate into our routines, such as fish, eggs, lean meats, legumes, natural dairy products, tofu or tempeh. However, beyond choosing the right ingredients, the key, according to the nutritionist, is to learn to structure complete and balanced dishes: “A source of protein, vegetables rich in fibre and healthy fats, adjusted to individual needs”.

For this reason, the expert recommends always accompanying protein with vegetables and adding healthy fats, such as “extra virgin olive oil, avocado or nuts”, which are essential to improve satiety, facilitate the absorption of nutrients and achieve balanced meals that really keep us satisfied for hours.

Why These Types Of Diets Are Recommended

Protein-rich diets work because they fit in with real life. This means that they help us to better organise meals and do not force us to give up special foods, but to learn to prioritise and listen to our bodies. Therefore, they are also a way of eating that adapts to different stages and lifestyles.

For this reason, Salud assures that the important thing is that “they are well planned and adapted to each person. Protein-rich diets have extensive scientific support and are especially useful for weight control, metabolic health and the prevention of muscle loss, both in active people and in adults over a certain age.”

It is essential not to understand this type of diet as an extreme or temporary diet, but rather as “a balanced and sustainable way of eating”, according to the expert. Precisely for this reason, it becomes an easy option to integrate into everyday life, without a sense of restriction or stiffness.

For this same reason, they are ideal diets to “stay without problems over time, since more than a specific diet they are a healthy nutritional approach”, he says. By focusing on food quality and better organisation of meals, this way of eating helps to adjust the quantities and to expand the variety of the foods we include in the plate.

The result of the protein diet and what has made me bet on it is that it is a stable eating pattern that promotes metabolism, improves satiety and contributes to greater general well-being, both physical and digestive. “In other words, well-adjusted could be the diet of a good lifestyle,” says the nutritionist.

Read the original article on ELLE Spain.