Why is protein good for losing weight?

Protein is a key component to any weight loss plan because it's satiating and keeps you full, and it feeds your muscles. Weight loss specialist Caroline Apovian, MD, discusses why eating protein is crucial for healthy weight loss.

Transcript

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[MUSIC PLAYING] Protein is a key component and should

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be a key component of any nutritious and healthy weight loss plan.

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Protein, first of all, is satiating. You eat up protein and you feel full because it is metabolized

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relatively slowly. The other thing that protein does is it feeds your muscles.

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After age 30, you lose 1% of your muscle every single year. In order to stop that process, you

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have to do something active to keep that muscle from being lost. So you have to take in your protein, and you also have to do some resistance exercise training.

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The process of losing muscle as you get older is called sarcopenia. I like to call it shrinking muscle syndrome.

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You get the picture. You're going to lose your muscle if you don't use it and if you don't feed it. And the way you feed your muscle is from protein.

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When you're looking for a protein powder, make sure it's a blend of whey and casein protein.

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Whey is metabolized very quickly by the body so that your muscles get the whey right away to build up

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your injured muscle. Casein is metabolized more slowly. So you need it later on, you're going to get it later on.

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And you continue to build that muscle, but it also makes you feel full. So the balance of whey and casein, a 50/50 mix,

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make you feel full and build your muscle when you most need it. [MUSIC PLAYING]