5 Signs You Need More Protein In Your Diet

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These days people are really concerned and aware of their health and the issues that come with not eating right.  Unfortunately, even if you decide to eat right, it doesn’t automatically mean that you will be healthy if you are not knowledgeable about eating habits and things like deficiencies.

For example, there are 7.3 million vegetarians in the US and around 22.3 million people that follow vegetarian inclined meals – these are people that are either following Pescetarianism, Flexitarian (Semi-Vegetarian) or Pollotarian “diets.”  But, we don’t really consider them trendy diets, just eating healthier and better.  The issue that a lot of these vegetarian or vegetarian inclined individuals have, is that because they are cutting out certain things like red meat, they have deficiencies.

If you aren’t really sure how to spot a deficiency in your diet or body, here are a few signs you should be looking out for.

  • Tired, but Shouldn’t BeIf you are getting enough sleep at night, but you still feel lethargic or tired, chances are it’s because you aren’t having meat in your diet – and that’s okay.  But, if you are taking naps, sleeping a full 7-9 hours a night and still feeling groggy when you wake up, or tired through the day, you probably have a protein deficiency.  A good way to fix this is by having protein shakes.  For example, hemp, almond powders and soy are great sources of protein and just by adding in a few of these shakes a week, you can definitely up your energy levels during the day.  Hemp is one of the best to look for, it’s got around 16 grams of protein per serving.
  • Weakened StateIf you used to eat meat and you don’t know, you might be noticing some weakness or lack of strength when working out, lifting weights or even just walking and running.  When you miss out on something as important as protein, your muscles don’t repair themselves as quickly as they would when you do eat proteins.  Beyond just shakes for protein, you could consider fish if that is a part of your diet.  Fish like salmon is one of the best options.
  • Flabby AbsIf you have ever watched one of those survival shows on TV, one of the things they always preach is the lack of protein can lead to flabbiness.  The reason this happens is because when you are on a diet or eating healthier and you don’t have protein in your diet, your body will actually take from whatever is in your body that does contain protein.  Unfortunately, fat does not have protein in it, but muscle does.
  • Protein Builds New TissueIf you get hurt, your body naturally heals itself, your bones and your muscles, ligaments and other parts, but when you don’t have protein in your body or you are deficient of protein, it takes a lot longer to heal/  We’re talking 2 weeks for a protein filled body, to 3 months without protein or a protein deficiency.  Protein helps build new muscle, so without it, new tissue has a really hard time growing.
  • Losing Your HairAnother big sign that you are not eating enough protein or that you have a deficiency, is when your hair starts to fall out.  Not just little strands either, but full of clumps.  If this is happening to you, it’s something that you should pay attention to.  Your hair falls out when your body goes into conservation or hibernation mode.  Beyond just losing your hair, your body will stop providing protein to other body’s part too, like your nails.

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Liu Jiao
I have written articles on various physical and mental health related conditions, including diabetes/ heart disease/ autism/depression/Nutrition/fitness/diets/fad diets/herbs/alternative therapies/weight loss/obesity in children and adults/smoking risks/alcohol risks/fast foods/disease....

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