There are far too many fad diets out there that skimp on real nutrition, and worse, sell pre-packaged foods that are called ‘low fat’ when they also include GMOs, MSG, and a host of artificial colors and flavors. Aside, from simply detoxing your body so that you can lose weight safely, research shows that eating more protein, and specifically one amino acid in particular, can boost your metabolic rate 3 times more than eating a diet high in fat and simple carbs.
Some think it is as simple as calories in, calories out to lose weight – meaning what you eat in excess, you have to work hard to lose. But weight loss and maintenance isn’t always that simple, and it doesn’t always work like that. For example, numerous studies have shown that eating more protein can really boost weight loss, and the body doesn’t recognize ‘calories’ as we have defined them up until now.
This works, in part, because protein takes longer to digest, and can significantly curb hunger cravings. Protein can also help to balance blood glucose and lipid levels, too. Even better, you don’t need to consume protein that is from animals; even vegetarians can boost their protein intake to find good results. (You just need to know some good vegetarian protein sources.)
What is a fairly new discovery in the ‘eat more protein’ camp is that a specific amino acid does a lot of the fat burning for you. This amino acid is called leucine. It helps to prevent the loss of muscle when you are losing fat, as well as helps to retain muscle that is normally lost due to aging. You may know that muscle burns more than fat, so it is very important to retain muscle when you are trying to slim down.
In one peer-reviewed study, participants lost twice as much weight when taking a leucine supplement as those who were given a placebo. Yet another study published in PLOS found a significant effect on adipose tissue (fat cells) when the amino acid leucine was given to mice.
One of the simplest and most effective tricks to losing weight may be to increase your protein intake, but to make sure you are eating enough leucine. The amino acid leucine can be found in the following foods:
Egg Whites
4233 mg
Organic Soy Protein Isolate
4226 mg
Organic Free Range Chicken
3220 mg
Wild Caught Tuna
3574 mg
Pacific Cod
3459 mg
Buffalo
3456 mg
Raw Spirulina
3915 mg