
high in protein may help you lose more flab and less muscle, new studies show. In a University of Washington study helped 19 overweight people lost an average of 11 pounds, 8 of them fat on a 30% protein diet. Remarkably, the subjects consumed 441 fewer calories per day in 3 months on this regimen than they had during 2 weeks on a 15% protein diet - despite the fact that they could eat as much as they wanted, provided they maintained the 30% protein ratio. This study is the latest to show that protein can suppress appetite in ways that carbohydrates and fats can't, the scientists say, for reasons yet to be determined.
leucine, found mostly in animal foods may be the key to keeping muscle and losing fat, according to University of Illinois research. Studies show that Leucine can promote muscle building when overall calories are low. Although animal protein is richest in leucine (1,700 to 2,100 mg per serving), it's also a prime source of heart-harming sat fats. So stock up on good, lower-fat sources like those in the chart below.7 Protein foods high in fat-fighting leucine |
(mg) |
| Tofu, firm, ½ cup | 1,511 |
| Low fat farmer cheese/cottage cheese 1 % fat, ½ cup | 1,440 |
| Fat-free milk, 200 ml | 818 |
| Low fat Mozzarella, cheese 30 gms | 670 |
| Low fat Cheddar, 30 gms | 608 |
| Egg, hard or soft -boiled, large | 538 |