The importance of Protein 

What we’ll cover

• The role of protein in the body and health
• The benefits of a protein-rich diet
• Healthy ways to incorporate protein in your diet

Introduction

When it comes to diet and lifestyle interventions for weight loss and improving metabolic health, the evidence behind time-restricted eating (TRE) and carbohydrate reduction is quite compelling. There are many elements with these approaches that are equally important when it comes to long term maintenance, but protein intake is certainly a key part. A protein-rich diet has been repeatedly evidenced to improve health (Moon and Koh, 2020)

In this article, we highlight the important role that protein can play in your Roczen programme, along with some practical tips for incorporating rich into your diet.

Firstly, here are some of the important and relevant roles that protein plays in the human body:

Muscle maintenance:

• Protein is the building block of muscles. Meeting your daily protein requirements will ensure that your body can maintain and repair muscle tissue, especially during periods of fasting.
• Maintaining lean muscle mass is essential for a healthy metabolism and overall strength.
• Fasting can increase the risk of muscle wasting given the reduction in calories and meals.
  

Satiety and weight management:

• Protein-rich foods keep you feeling fuller for longer, reducing the likelihood of overeating or reaching for unhealthy snacks between meals.
• This increased satiety can make it much easier to fast and achieve reduce your overall food intake during the day.

Stabilising blood sugar levels:

• Including protein in your meals will help stabilise blood sugar levels, preventing the rapid spikes and crashes often associated with high-carbohydrate meals.
• Stable blood sugar levels will also help maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day, something Roczen members regularly notice.

Before starting with Rocczen, you may have been someone that built your meals around carbohydrates and perhaps ate big portions of things like potato, rice, yam, bread, cassava and pasta for example. If so, it can be somewhat of an adjustment adopting a lower carbohydrate diet, so we’ve put together some top tips that will help you with this new dietary approach, one in which protein becomes the focal point of our meals.

• Build your meals around protein: Select a rich protein source first, and then add your fibre and healthy fat source to balance the meal. After the Reset phase or when you feel ready to, you might start introducing more carbohydrates and reintroducing things like wholegrain rice etc.
• Choose from a wide-variety of protein-rich foods: Both animal and plant sources contain protein: some text
  • Animal sources include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products.
  • Plant sources include legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh
• Choose whole, minimally processed protein sources: This increases the nutritional quality of your diet and reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods
•  Have protein with all of your meals: Aim to consume a rich source of protein in each of your two meals, and if following a meal with fruit then consider adding yoghurt, nuts and seeds for additional protein.
• Tailor your protein intake to your needs: Consider factors like activity level, age, and overall health goals. If you undertake regular physical activity and resistance training, you may want to discuss your requirements and eating strategy with your group mentor or clinician.

Summary:

Whilst a key part of the Roczen programme focuses on time-restricted eating and mindfulness around carbohydrate intake, it’s important to prioritise protein in our diet as part of this approach. Protein plays a key role in preserving muscle mass, promoting satiety, and balancing our blood sugar levels. By introducing a variety of protein sources in your diet and making mindful, whole-food choices, you'll help yourself transition to a new way of eating that supports metabolic health and promotes weight loss.