The Best Foods for Protein

There are six essential nutrients that you should be getting daily through your diet, and each play a special role in your level of health and wellness, especially as you lose weight. Protein is one of these essential nutrients, and after weight loss surgery you’ll be encouraged to get plenty of it in your diet.

Eating a diet rich in protein can encourage greater weight loss, improve muscle strength and even prevent weight re-gain. Since the amount of food you can eat will be reduced after weight loss surgery, it becomes important that the food choices you make are rich in this nutrient. By spotting foods that are loaded with protein and making them a part of your regular diet, you can ensure that you are getting enough of this nutrient every day, despite your reduced food intake.

Benefits of Eating Protein

Protein is the building block of the cells. It is present in every tissue, organ and muscle that is in your body. Protein assists in almost every bodily function. It provides benefits like:

• Improves the metabolism
• Boosts immune system
• Encourages optimal cognitive processing
• Helps build muscle strength and tone muscle
• Controls appetite and helps with calorie control
• Improves skin health by keeping skin firm

Immediately following surgery, eating a diet rich in protein can help encourage wounds to heal, and thereby even quicken your recovery. Most people are encouraged to eat between 65 and 75 grams of protein daily after weight loss surgery.

Where to Find Protein

As an essential nutrient, protein is found naturally in a wide variety of healthy foods. Dairy products like whole milk and cheese as well as meats and beans are all great sources of protein. Of course, after weight loss surgery you’ll want to make sure you are getting your protein through foods that won’t fill you up too quick.

Top sources of protein include:

• Lean meats like poultry
• Low-fat cheese
• Yogurt

There are also supplements available that are especially high in protein. These include:

• Bariatiric protein shakes
• Bariatric protein bars

Before trying a new supplement, check with your weight loss surgeon or dietitian. Sometimes supplements like protein shakes have poor quality protein and can be high in sugar, and are not ideal for the post-surgery diet.

By eating a diet rich in protein, you can ensure that as you are losing weight you are staying healthy. Your weight loss surgeon will let you know exactly how much protein you should be eating daily.