Manage Cravings and Mood By Adding THIS to Your Diet

ByMike Collins

Want to suppress your appetite better, while managing cravings and maintaining a smoother mood while dieting?

Sounds like it would be some new fad diet pill, but it’s not. It’s something you’re already eating, but perhaps not enough.

If you’ve been scanning the magazine racks and the Internet for dieting information, chances are you’ve been heard the concept of eating more protein for weight loss.

There are some very solid reasons why you would want to get more protein in your diet and I’m going to sum it all up for you here. More specifically, non- dairy sources of protein for weight loss.

Why Protein Helps You Lose Weight

protein foods on a table- fish, beef, chicken, eggs
Protein is the key to suppressing your appetite and staying on track. Protein suppresses ghrelin better than carbohydrates, meaning you’ll feel fuller longer and be less likely to give in to unhealthy cravings.

Of the 3 basic components of the diet; protein, fat and carbohydrate, protein impacts your body composition (the way you look), most. Here’s why:

1) Protein suppresses appetite better than carbohydrates. This is due to the suppression of the appetite stimulating hormone, ghrelin.

Studies have shown that the more protein contained in the meal, the longer you stave off sugar cravings hunger pangs due to lower ghrelin levels.

2) Protein has a high TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) rating, meaning the body burns many calories simply in the process of breaking down the protein foods you eat.

Since protein is complex in structure and needs more action to be processed by the body, you end up burning calories simply digesting.

This makes it easier to create a caloric deficit (taking in less calories than you burn each day), which is the basis of weight loss.

3) Protein is comprised of amino acids, which are the building blocks of your hormones and neurotransmitters. How does that help you lose weight? Well, these hormones affect your moods and cravings.

With a higher protein intake, you keep your reserves full and keep a balanced state of mind- providing you with a smoother ride while sticking to your weight loss plan.

4) Protein is needed to produce lean muscle. Lean muscle (not the blocky/bulky type) is your body’s natural Fat Burning Furnace. For this reason alone, protein is king.

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My favorite non-dairy sources of protein to suppress appetite, manage cravings and maintaining a smoother mood while dieting:

  1. Red meat (grass fed is best): Beef, lamb, bison, venison
  2. Poultry (free- range is best): Turkey, chicken, duck, eggs
  3. Pork: Pork chops, tenderloin
  4. Fish and Seafood: Wild Salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, shrimp, and mollusks such as clams, mussels, scallops
  5. Eggs: hard-boil them on Sunday. Bring a couple to work. Easiest protein on earth.