High Protein Diet

While it’s true that dieters who forsake bread and gorge on bacon tend to drop weight (at least in the short-term), it’s never been clear why. Until now, that is: Extra protein, it turns out, sends “stop eating!” messages to the brain.

Previous research from the University of Washington, for example showed that simply increasing the amount of protein in your diet helps you lose weight even if you don’t shun carbohydrates one bit. protein makes up 15 percent of most Americans’ daily caloric intake, while fat accounts for 35 percent and carbohydrates for 50 percent. In the study, subjects bumped up their protein intake to 30 percent and reduced their fat intake to 20 percent. Within three months, they were 11 pounds lighter on average, even though half of the calories they ate still came from carbohydrates. The group also reported feeling satisfied with less food. In other words, they lost weight because they consumed fewer calories.

protein’s benefits go way beyond waistline trimming. The brain and its long spidery neurons are essentially made of fat, but they co