Health you well: how to improve your physical appearance with protein

Protein is one of the pillars of a balanced diet, but it's definitely one of the three most overlooked macronutrients.

This is especially true for busy people whose schedules require them to run all day. Crunching on a fruit or granola bar for nourishment is an option, but by the end of the day, these people will have eaten mostly carbohydrates and a little fat.

Physical activity is necessary

Ladies, as you get older (starting around 20), if you don't do your part to gain or maintain muscle, you will lose it. So the best thing you can do to live to your full potential, avoid injury, and stay independent to carry out common daily activities is to have a strong muscular system. To do this, you will build muscle by participating in physical activity and eating the right amount of protein that will fuel and maintain those muscles.

Protein is a vital macronutrient that provides the building blocks for many aspects of our body, including: tissue maintenance, growth and repair, building and maintaining lean muscle mass, improving our body composition , decreasing our body fat, improving the health of our hair, skin, organs, etc.

What are healthy protein sources?

Eggs, meat, seafood, Greek yogurt or skyr, legumes and beans, soy (tempeh, tofu), protein powder (vegetable or whey).

What are the recommendations?

Your body only needs a limited amount of protein in its system and any excess will simply be used as energy – similar to carbs or fat.

Voluntarily, I am not going to give you numerical indications (they only make nutrition complex). Instead, I suggest you refer to the hand-sized method to determine how much protein you should eat per day. This easy trick makes measuring simple, goes with you everywhere, and your palm is proportional to your size, so your own needs.

For women

Each day, aim to eat 3-4 palm-sized servings of protein (one per main meal and half at snacks). This is the circumference and thickness of your hand, minus the fingers. If you're trying to gain muscle, increase to 1.5 palm-sized servings three to four times daily.

For men

Each day, aim to eat 3-4 servings of protein that are 1.5 times the size of your palm (one serving per main meal and half at snacks). This is the circumference and thickness of your hand, minus the fingers. If you're trying to gain muscle, increase to 2 palm-sized servings three to four times a day.

With this method, it's easy to look at a piece of chicken and cut it so that it's similar to the size of your palm.

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