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You’ve done low-fat, ticked off low-sugar tried low-carb . . . but to lose weight and stay healthy you might actually need to eat more.

That’s the counter-intuitive science behind the latest big food trend to hit supermarket shelves.

Some experts now believe women in middle age and beyond don’t eat enough of one particular food type — protein. Without sufficient protein, we not only lose muscle mass that helps us burn calories efficiently, we also snack more, because protein quashes hunger more effectively than any other kind of food.

To keep fit, strong and lean, goes the theory, we all need to eat more of it. Which explains the latest craze to fill our fridges with protein-enriched foods.

Until recently, protein-focused foods were solely the preserve of body builders, who used tubs of whey powder to build and maintain muscle.

Experts believe current guidelines on daily protein consumption could be outdated. Clinical dietitians revealed their thoughts on the latest protein products in UK stores (file image)

But in a few years they’ve moved from niche to mainstream — today you can buy everything from protein-enriched bread and breakfast cereals to Cup-a-Soups, cereal bars, smoothies, pizzas, chocolate and even milk.

Protein is such a big deal, food manufacturers have begun boasting about the protein content of foods that are naturally high in it, like chicken and cheese, emblazoning it across packaging and shop displays.

Meanwhile, a survey for The Grocer magazine shows we eat a record 69g of protein a day in the UK, significantly higher than the recommended amount. In fact, Department of Health guidelines recommend that the average adult should eat less than this — about 55g of protein a day, or about 0.75g per kg of body weight.

So what’s driving this hunger for protein? Clinical dietitian, Sharmain Davis, says there’s an argument in scientific circles that the official guidelines are out of date and set too low.

‘That 0.75g of protein per kg of bodyweight does not appear to be enough if you’re active, if you’re on a diet, or you’re elderly,’ she says.

She points to research showing that dieters should eat more like 1.6g of protein per kg of bodyweight, which would be 102g a day for a 63.5kg (ten stone) woman.

Indeed, it’s now thought that if you are not losing weight while on a conventional low-calorie diet, you’re probably not eating enough protein, since it is protein that revs up a sluggish metabolism and helps you burn more calories.

One Canadian study of overweight women on a diet found the group eating more protein (1.3g per kg) lost more fat and gained more lean mass (including muscle) than those consuming the recommended daily amount.

Nutrionist Fiona Hunter shared how the increased sugar in protein Weetabix outweighs the perceived health benefits

Protein fills you up, too. Another study showed that when people ate 30 per cent of their daily calories as protein (rather than carbs or fat) they automatically cut their overall intake by 441 calories a day.

And older women are especially at risk of protein deficiency. After the age of 40, muscle mass and strength begins to decrease by about 8 per cent per decade — a condition called sarcopenia — meaning the averagely sedentary woman is likely to have lost 15lb of muscle by the time she reaches her late 50s. Muscle that is quite likely to have been replaced by fat.

So it’s easy to see why midlife women are suddenly paying attention to protein levels.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5406363/Will-protein-rich-foods-really-make-slim.html#ixzz57Y7AMc8v

Source: Will protein-rich foods really make you slim?  | Daily Mail Online

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Nutrisattva is a protein innovation company focused on developing natural protein nutrition for individuals across age groups, nutritional needs, and lifestyles. Founded on the belief that the strains of urban living requires a natural, informed and convenience-based approach to good health, Nutrisattva develops products built on the knowledge of nutrition science, fitness and Ayurveda.