Obesity is the health epidemic of our time. Obesity rates have tripled since 1975. It is far more deadly than the COVID “pandemic” and affects people of all ages. Over 400,000 deaths per year are attributed to obesity. That number is almost double what has been caused by COVID, and the average age of death from COVID is 78 years old, which is the exact life expectancy for people in the US. Obesity is estimated to reduce life expectancy in men by 20 years and 5 in women. So the damage caused by poor health choices is astronomical compared to anything else in our country. Not to mention the dramatic reduction in quality of life until the inevitable early death.
The good news is unlike COVID, where other than isolating yourself from everyone in a sterile bubble, we can do many proactive, basic things to combat the obesity epidemic.
Every year we see new diets. Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Beach Body, Intermittent fasting, etc. The problem is, many of these diets are extreme and unsustainable.
One thing that is confirmed by numerous studies is that increasing protein intake can be very helpful.
Another recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discusses the advantages of increasing protein intake through out the day.
In the study, they used a large group of average weight adults between the ages of 18 and 35. The participants were randomly assigned into one of two groups: one group was fed the high-protein diet, which consisted of 35% carbohydrate, 40% protein, and 25% fat. The second group, was given a diet with the same number of calories, but consisting of 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 30% fat, which is a typical breakdown of an American diet.
Even though the calories were exactly the same, the high protein group, showed “higher energy expenditure, increased fat oxidation, and negative fat balance.” These findings throw a wrench in the traditional “A calorie is a calorie” idea. The data suggests that an increase in protein actually seems to create an increase in energy burned and makes people less likely to store fat.
The head of the study, Dr. Carlos Prado said the study showed pretty conclusively that an increase in protein can have obvious benefits in helping us combat the very serious damage that being overweight has on our health.
For me, I just try to make sure and have protein with every meal and I don’t feel like I am depriving myself of calories. I do add a few cheat meals on the weekend, and I walk around about 15 pound lighter than I did before making an effort to include protein with all my meals.
Try it out for yourself and let us know your thoughts.
I have been doing the same workout routine for about 20 years, but I think a combination of some tweaks in my diet and having a Nanohydr8 before every workout has helped me increase my workout intensity and effectiveness. It for sure has led to an overall increased level of fitness and reduction in bodyfat.
Guest post by Adam Legas of Nanohydr8
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