Maintaining muscle mass on a healthy weight loss program is absolutely essential. Without maintaining or gaining muscle weight loss can be incredibly difficult and keeping it off is nearly impossible.
In order to gain or maintain muscle we need to do two things - eat adequate protein (healthy versions!) and strength train. If you aren't currently focused on protein consumption it could be the missing piece to your plan!
Here are our favorite healthy protein options:
1) Hemp Seeds - 10g per 2 tbsp - a great salad, oatmeal or veggie topper.
2) Edamame - 31g per cup - sprinkle with sea salt and you are on your way!
3) Lentils - 18g per cup - a go-to in our house, great in soup.
4) Pumpkin Seeds - 9g per 2 tbsp - we always keep these around - they just make sense in cereals, yogurts and on salads.
5) Kidney Beans - 15g per cup - the kids call them "candy beans" (cover these with Vancouver's famous Naam sauce to acheive this effect...)
On a low carb, moderate fat diet it is important to be healthy protein focused. That means each meal should incorporate 1-2 servings of something specifically for its protein content.
These 5 are some of our favs.
Dr. David Duizer ND
