Intermittent fasting is a method of eating where they limit their intake of food for a set amount of time several times a week.
During those days, they don’t eat anything else except water and sometimes broth. They do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda, juice, tea, or food. This helps people lose weight because they are restricting calories.
However, there are some things that people might want to consider while doing intermittent fasting. One of those things includes drinking protein shakes.
There are many different types of protein shakes. Some contain whey protein, others contain casein, and still others contain soy protein. But how does that affect someone who is trying to follow intermittent fasting?
People who practice intermittent fasting say that you shouldn’t mix up protein shakes with regular foods. That’s because if you mix up the two, you could end up getting too much protein. Too much protein can lead to kidney damage.
So, if you’re trying to do intermittent fasting you should be very careful about calculating your protein intake.
Protein Needs
It is recommended that protein for a sedate individual is 0.8 grams per kilogram, or.36 grams per pound. This amounts to 54 grams of daily protein for a 150-pound adult, according to Harvard Medical school nutrition experts.
Individuals who are physically active or weigh more may require more protein. Older people may also need to consume more calories. The body generally takes in about 25 grams of protein with each meal or snack.
Many people who fast restrict calories dramatically or may not prioritise high quality, well-balanced foods, fasting has been linked to possible muscle loss.
Shakes And Calories
If losing weight is your primary objective then you should try to avoid protein shakes.
Protein shakes don’t provide enough nutrients to allow you to maintain proper nutrient levels throughout the day. And since protein shakes aren’t part of a healthy eating pattern, they won’t contribute much to your overall success.
In fact, people who consume protein shakes every day burn fewer calories and it means that you could potentially gain weight without even realising it.
So, how exactly do protein shakes affect our bodies? To understand why protein shakes are problematic, we first need to look at how the human body works.
In short, we use food to build muscles and repair tissues. When we exercise, we release hormones called glucocorticoids and growth hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones tell our cells to grow bigger and stronger.
But once we stop exercising, these hormones start to fall back down again. This is where protein shakes come in. They give us the extra boost of growth hormones that we need to continue building muscles.
But here’s the problem: While protein shakes can give us the necessary growth hormones, they don’t actually feed our cells. Instead, they cause us to store more fat around our midsection because our cells think they are starving.
Tips To Remember
The idea behind protein shakes is simple enough: They help you consume extra protein throughout the day. However, there are some other downsides to adding protein shakes to your diet.
For one thing, most protein powders are loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, and preservatives. Plus, they can actually cause harm to your body because they can interfere with your metabolism.
Intermittent fasting isn’t just about losing weight; it’s also about improving your overall health. So if you’re looking to kickstart your intermittent fast, here are six reasons why you shouldn’t rely on protein shakes to achieve your goals.
Your Body Doesn’t Require More Than One Meal Per Day
Your body doesn’t require more than one meal per day. In fact, research suggests that having multiple small meals throughout the day is much healthier than eating fewer large meals.
This is because your digestive system needs time to process each meal properly. By spreading out your meals over several hours, you give your stomach plenty of time to break down the food you eat.
Intermittent Fasting Is Not About Losing Weight
Many people believe that intermittent fasting is simply a weight loss method. While it does help people shed pounds, it’s also about improving overall health.
When you skip breakfast and lunch, you force your body to burn fat stores rather than carbohydrates, which can lead to better blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Alternatives
Thankfully there are plenty of alternative protein sources such as:
Seafood
Most seafood is high in protein — about 50 grams per serving — and low in saturated fat — less than 10 grams per serving. Seafood is also rich in vitamins B12 and D and contains essential minerals like iodine, zinc, selenium, and iron.
Eating fish at least twice a week is recommended because it helps lower blood pressure, reduces risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol levels, and increases energy expenditure.
Poultry
Removing the skin from chicken or turkey can substantially reduce the amount of saturated fat found in poultry.
Chicken breast meat contains around 0.5 g of saturated fat per 3 oz., while dark meat contains up to 2 g. Turkey breast meat contains even fewer grams of saturated fat.
Lean Beef
Beef has more protein than any other food source. Lean cuts of beef are very lean, with only 1–2% of their weight being fat.
The most common cuts of beef include: sirloin steak; top round roast; eye of round roast; chuck (shoulder) steak; brisket; tri-tip; flank steak; short ribs; and London broil.
Eggs
Eating eggs regularly may help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Egg yolks contain choline, which is an important nutrient for brain development, and lutein, which protects against macular degeneration.
Eggs are also rich in vitamin A, folate, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin
Conclusion
Protein shakes are best avoided if you are serious about fasting and losing weight. There are many healthy forms of protein that you can consume safely and that will contribute to your overall health.
One of the most common things I talk to my clients about is calories, but so few of them actually know anything about them.
Calories is not a dirty word. If you remove emotion from it, it is simply a unit of energy.
We need calories to live and thrive, and knowing how many to consume is important to ensure that you’re living a healthy lifestyle.
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