Only bodybuilders need high-protein diets. Red meat is bad for you. Vegans don’t get enough protein… We’ve heard a lot about protein. This simple nutrient has a complicated backstory.
‘I’ve never been afraid of protein,’ says Amanda Kotzé, a Johannesburg-based ketogenic dietitian at Metabolica Med. ‘I feel most people, especially women, aren’t getting enough.’ Ketogenic and low-carb pioneers such as Dr Ted Naiman, Dr Andreas Eenfeldt and Mark Sisson have been preaching protein as the most critical macronutrient – and others are starting to listen. ‘If I see patients stalling in their weight loss, the first thing I do is increase their protein, ’ says Anri van Rooyen, co-owner of Ariani Health Solutions and the Weight Control Clinic in Pretoria.
Faranak Amini, a sports and food scientist and certified low-carb and keto nutrition specialist in Johannesburg, says there is a lot of misunderstanding around protein.
WHY IS PROTEIN IMPORTANT?
The three basic macronutrients we consume in the largest amounts are fats, carbs and protein.
