The protein advantage

When it comes to weight management, protein packs a punch. It can leave you feeling more satisfied after eating and bridge hunger gaps between meals. It also delivers energy, strengthens your bones, and helps keep your body’s cells and blood healthy.

In addition, as you lose weight, your protein intake can help you maintain muscle mass, which is “metabolically active” tissue. Translation: you’ll hold on to muscle, which burns calories even when you’re at rest (something fat doesn’t do). You want this advantage on your weight loss and wellness journey—so take a few steps to get it.

As your Weekly explains, protein is found in a number of common foods, both animal and plant-based. Animal proteins include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. Plant-based proteins include legumes such as lentils and beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains such as quinoa, whole-wheat bread, and spelt.

Not all proteins are created equal, though. Protein sources can be lean, or high in saturated fats—true of fattier cuts of red meats including beef, pork and lamb. It’s recommended that you limit your intake of saturated fat, because it can raise your levels of unhealthy cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. But you don’t need to memorize nutritional tables to figure out which kind of protein to choose—SmartPoints are designed to guide you toward healthier options, since foods higher in saturated fat are also higher in SmartPoints values.

On the other hand, lean protein sources have lower SmartPoints values. Many, in fact, are ZeroPointTM foods, including some plant proteins like beans and lentils, as well as skinless chicken breast, skinless turkey breast, and fish—so enjoy them anytime.

Since protein can help you feel more satisfied, incorporating some into meals (or between meals as planned snacks) is a great strategy for handling hunger. If you’re unsure of where to start, here’s a three-step plan you can roll out this week:

1. Map out two typical days of your eating—one weekday and one weekend day so you can get a good sense of your protein patterns. Along the way, make note of any proteins you eat often that are higher in SmartPoints values—you may want to reduce those or swap them out.

2. When you have two days logged, review them to figure out where there’s room to fit in a few lean protein options.

3. Target one of those options this week, writing down a goal to swap in lean protein, and follow through with it.

Keep in mind, focusing on the proteins you eat regularly will have a bigger impact than proteins you eat less often. So, if you have steak a few times a week, swapping it with skinless chicken breast will do more for your weight loss and wellness than making the same swap if you only have steak once a month. Look for changes you can make often, and check out ww.ca or your WW app for hundreds of delicious, easy recipes starring lean proteins.

As a final note, while protein is superior to carbohydrates and fats, a balance of all macronutrients is necessary for a healthy diet and ensures livability for the long run. WW Freestyle encourages a balanced approach, where all foods are included—you shouldn’t focus primarily on one nutrient or eliminate any food groups or specific foods. Elimination or highly restrictive diets tends to be difficult to integrate into your lifestyle, may be lacking in essential nutrients for good health, and does not support learning healthy habits that last a lifetime.