Cooking with Protein: Why I Use Protein In My Recipes
High protein recipes have become a staple in my house. If not from a lean meat or fish, protein powder will be baked right into the recipe. Because of this, you will find that unless it is some type of veggie side dish, there is a high probability that a recipe you review on this site will have this macronutrient added to it.
Why consuming protein is so important...
If you've heard the term, 'macronutrient,' or 'macros' thrown around a lot and don't know what it means, let me help you. When people talk about their macros, they are referring to fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Of the three, protein plays a crucial role:
Protein has the highest thermic affect.
This means that it takes more energy and a lot longer for your body to digest, absorb, and eliminate protein than it does for fats and carbohydrates. So, not only will you feel satiated longer, but you will also be burning more calories.
Protein is in every cell of our body.
It's responsible for the recovery our muscles, tissues, hair, skin, and cartilage. It also helps boost our immune system and provides us energy.
The building blocks of our muscles come from protein.
So, when you're getting all sweaty at the gym, you're actually breaking down your muscle. It's the protein that helps us repair and grow that lean muscle. This is why you may have heard of drinking a protein shake right after your workout. Plus, the more lean muscle you have, the higher the expenditure of energy used when digesting your food1. This means more calories burnt.
How does this relate to PCOS and Insulin Resistance?
PCOS and Insulin Resistance share similar symptoms, like weight gain and fatigue. Additionally, PCOS is known to affect moods. Eating a diet rich in protein will help promote weight and fat loss because it uses more energy to digest than any other food. It also provides energy, that may help battle the fatigue these illnesses cause. Protein is also made up of amino acids. Tyrosine, one of these amino acids, plays a part in producing neurotransmitters that affect our mood2. Because of this, consuming protein and elevating neurotransmitters may calm mood swings.
Are there additional reasons for cooking with protein?
One gram of protein is only 4 calories, and protein powder is often low in carbohydrates and fats. This means that recipes utilizing protein powder will be less calories.
All of my food is gluten free, which means it is lacking a crucial protein, gluten, to help doughs rise, and keep their shape and texture. I find that using protein powder helps aid in the cooking process, when gluten is missing.
Replacing fats and carbs with protein allows my recipes to be more versatile. Take, for example, my Ultimate Protein Pasta. This pasta, a dish that would normally be very high in carbs, is now almost zero carb and almost zero fat. Based on your diet, you can now add the necessary fats or carbs.
Protein powder can aid in sweetness. This helps to reduce added sugars to baked goods.
Are there specific proteins you use?
For Unflavored, I most often use Quest Multi-Purpose Mix Protein Powder because of the texture and the versatility it produces. For flavored I use Optimum Nutrition and Dymatize. These are my personal preferences for cooking and flavor. I am not affiliated with these companies. If you're interested in including more protein in your diet, check out my high protein recipes!
References:
1https://www.livestrong.com/article/320370-how-many-calories-does-digestion-use-up/2https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200301/brain-power-why-proteins-are-smarthttps://www.bodybuilding.com/content/women-and-protein-your-complete-guide.html