You’ve probably heard that protein is an important facet of your diet. But do you know how important it really is? Learning how your body uses protein for energy can help you understand its significance in your diet.

It can be hard to understand just how essential protein is. Your body uses it for energy, or to complete tasks, every moment. Your muscles use it to grow. Your cells need protein to function. Even your hair and skin need protein to thrive. Although your body regularly uses protein for energy, it will only burn protein in certain circumstances. That should be avoided, as it can be dangerous. That’s why getting enough protein and other essential nutrients in your diet is so crucial. You can easily do so by incorporating healthy protein shakes into your daily diet to give your body the energy it needs.

At ENU, we want you to be healthy. That’s why we formulate balanced, protein-rich shakes that support your wellness. Go online and visit our website to purchase our protein-packed ENU Nutritional Shakes today.

When Does Your Body Use Protein for Energy?

In short, your body uses protein for energy every moment of every day. Before you learn the ins and outs of protein as an energy source, it’s important to first understand what that means for your body.

When you hear the word “energy” concerning nutrients, it means the ability to complete work. It doesn’t always mean feeling energized. When various parts of your body use protein for energy, it means that they’re using protein to complete their jobs.

However, in some cases, your body can use protein to make you feel energized. This happens when there are no other fuel sources available, like carbs. Instead of using protein as energy to complete tasks, your body burns protein to give you energy.

That can get a bit confusing, especially because of the general idea of what energy means. However, knowing the difference can help you understand the importance of protein and why you also need other nutrients in your diet.

How Does Your Body Use Protein for Energy?

Protein is used by the body to build and repair, and less for making you feel energized. Learning how your body uses protein for energy can make you understand why protein is so necessary in your daily diet.

Your body uses protein for energy in direct and indirect ways. An example of a direct way your body uses protein for energy is by metabolizing protein into glucose. This allows your body to have additional glycogen stores when it needs more energy.

There are also indirect ways your body uses protein for energy. For example, protein builds muscle, allowing you to exercise more, thereby quickening your metabolism. Protein is also responsible for various bodily processes. Without enough protein in your diet, you can feel lethargic and weak as your body attempts to keep up with your daily routine.

When Do Your Muscles Use Protein for Energy?

When your muscles are hungry, there’s only one thing on the menu: protein. It’s is the primary food for your muscles. Protein offers support to your muscles as you exercise and helps them grow.

Your muscles use protein for energy all day long. Even when you’re completing simple tasks, you’re using your muscles. Especially when engaging in exercise, having enough protein is essential. Drinking protein shakes, like ENU Nutritional Shakes, can give your muscles access to the protein they need for energy.

One of the reasons your muscles use protein so much is because of what it’s made of, which is amino acids. Amino acids like leucine are found in complete proteins. They promote muscle growth and reduce recovery time. Protein’s purpose is to rebuild and restore. As your muscles heal after an intense workout in the gym, they use the amino acids in proteins.

When Do Your Cells Use Protein for Energy?

The cells in your body are crucial to your health. They’re responsible for deriving nutrients from food and taking that energy to the correct areas in your body. The health of your cells directly depends on the energy they receive from protein.

Your cells use protein for energy every second of your life. Cells are continuously repairing, growing, and regenerating. Each and every cell in your body needs protein for energy to complete its tasks.

When energized from protein, your cells maintain bodily functions. They can do things like build tissue and regulate enzymes. Cells seemingly have innumerable responsibilities, and all need protein to function. When you learn that your body has nearly 40 trillion cells, all working to keep you healthy, you begin to understand why protein is so crucial in your diet.

When Do Your Bones Use Protein for Energy?

When it comes to bone health, people tend to focus on calcium. However, protein is the secret ingredient to maintaining bone density and strength. Your bones use protein for energy to remain strong. Increasing protein intake is especially important for people with sarcopenia who experience loss of strength as they age.

Your bones are primarily made of collagen. As your body gets protein from the foods you eat, it creates collagen by combining the necessary amino acids. This means that your bones directly require protein from energy to give them the capacity to grow and maintain density.

Remember, energy doesn’t always mean what you think it does when it comes to nutrients. In this case, getting energy from protein means that your bones have the capacity to stay strong.

Your bones use protein for energy throughout your life. But, as you age, you may notice a loss of strength. Sarcopenia is an age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and is closely related to osteoporosis. Focusing on your health by incorporating protein shakes into your diet, like ENU Nutritional Shakes, can help you stay strong as a senior. Your bones need protein for energy at all times, but especially as you age.

When Does Your Hair Use Protein for Energy?

It’s becoming clear just how many jobs protein has. Another one is promoting hair growth. Your hair follicles use protein for energy. In fact, each strand on your head is basically just protein.

Each piece of hair on your body uses protein for energy. Your hair is a combination of keratin (a protein) and other amino acids. This isn’t just true for your hair, but for your teeth and nails as well. Protein is absolutely crucial for hair health, among other things.

If you’re deficient in protein, you may experience significant hair loss. Your hair can lose vibrancy and be more prone to breaking when you don’t get enough protein. Without protein, your hair cannot complete tasks like growing. In other words, it has no energy.

There are two ways to treat this issue. You can either get expensive protein treatments on your hair, or you can start drinking healthy nutritional shakes, like ENU Nutritional Shakes. There’s no need to invest in fancy treatments when your hair needs help. All that’s required is good old-fashioned protein shakes.

When Does Your Skin Use Protein for Energy?

Remember collagen? Well, that’s what makes your skin vibrant and elastic. Without protein, your body can’t make collagen, which every inch of your skin needs to have the capacity to be healthy, or to have energy.

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. And, like any organ, it requires nutrients for energy. That means your skin needs protein to look bright. Without protein, that becomes more difficult.

Your skin uses protein for energy in indirect ways as well. Without enough protein in your diet, your liver doesn’t have the energy to make transferrin. Without enough transferrin, your body can’t make hemoglobin. And, without enough hemoglobin, you can look pale and unwell.

It’s amazing how various parts of your body, including your skin, require protein for energy and to complete essential tasks. Skin health is yet another reason why getting enough protein in your diet is so important.

When Does Your Body Burn Protein for Energy?

Using protein to support the necessary bodily functions and burning protein are two different things. The distinction illuminates why getting enough nutrients in your diet and healthily exercising are important. Sometimes, your body may begin to burn protein when there are no other available fuel sources.

When you’re in a dangerous calorie deficit and over-exercising, your body may begin to burn protein for energy. This happens when your glycogen stores are all but depleted, and there is no fat left to burn. It’s almost a last resort for your body to get the energy it needs. However, it can be dangerous and unsafe.

If your body has to burn protein as a primary fuel source because there is nothing else available, several things can happen. First, your muscle mass may decrease. When you exercise, your muscles tear. They need protein to rebuild and work during athletic endeavors. If your body burns the protein for your muscles, your muscles won’t repair, and you can lose muscle mass.

Another thing that can happen when your body burns protein is that your cells will be vulnerable. Among its many responsibilities, protein is needed for cell growth. If you don’t have enough protein because your body burned it for energy, important bodily processes can halt.

How Often Does Your Body Burn Protein for Energy?

Although protein does provide energy to specific areas of the body, it’s only burned in crucial situations. Your body should rarely burn protein for energy. That’s why balancing your diet with other nutrients is so necessary.

Protein shouldn’t be your primary source of energy. Eating complex carbohydrates is crucial to build up your glycogen stores and replenish them after use. If you don’t get enough carbs, your body may have to burn protein for energy in certain situations. For example, malnourishment and extreme dieting can make your body burn protein for energy.

When choosing a protein shake, be sure to opt for a well-balanced one, like ENU Nutritional Shakes. That way, you’ll get sufficient carbs and fats alongside your protein intake. Remember, your body should not burn protein for energy regularly.

What Happens When Your Body Doesn’t Have Enough Protein to Use for Energy?

Protein deficiency is a serious issue. Not giving your body enough protein to use for energy means jeopardizing numerous bodily functions. Learning what happens when your body doesn’t have enough protein to use for energy can help you understand why monitoring your protein intake is necessary.

Here are some symptoms of a protein deficiency:

• Loss of muscle mass
• Brittle bones
• Hair loss
• Stunted growth
• Swelling

Things can start shutting down when your body doesn’t have enough protein to use for energy. You may feel weak or lethargic. You may notice that your hair is shedding. Children who are deficient in protein can experience stunted growth. Protein deficiencies are certainly no joke.

Remember, your body uses protein for energy constantly, in innumerable ways. Because of that, consuming enough protein necessary to maintain your health, internally and externally.

How Can Get More Protein for Your Body to Use for Energy?

Having enough protein in your diet is so important. Without it, countless bodily functions cannot operate properly. There’s no way around it: you need protein for your body to use for energy to function. However, increasing your daily protein intake can seem like a tall task. So, how can you get more protein for your body to use for energy?

It’s relatively simple: start eating protein-rich foods. Things like nuts, oatmeal, and salmon are great sources of protein. Of course, it isn’t always easy to plan each meal out. So, start incorporating protein shakes into your diet. Healthy shakes, like ENU Nutritional Shakes, can be packed with protein. In addition to increasing your protein intake, you’ll also start getting more nutrients like carbs.

Remember, while protein is necessary for your diet, so are other nutrients. For example, when your body doesn’t get enough carbs, it can start to burn protein energy. That’s not good because you may not have enough protein to provide energy to areas of the body. Healthy protein shakes can round out your diet and give you all the nutrients you need to maintain wellness, including protein.

Drink Our Protein Shakes to Give Your Body Energy

It’s important to give your body the protein it needs for energy. Give yourself the nutrients you deserve by visiting our website and purchasing protein-packed ENU Nutritional Shakes today.