Source: Tom Johnston, Meatingplace.com, March 30

Eating lean protein such as lean pork in three daily meals could curb late-night cravings, increase feelings of fullness and reduce distracting thoughts about food, according to research published in the journal Obesity.

Researchers at Perdue University conducted two studies of overweight and obese men eating either a normal protein diet (14 percent of total calories from protein) or a higher protein diet (25 percent – the extra protein mostly derived from lean pork and eggs), with the protein equally divided between three or six meals per day. Calories and fat were the same in both diets.

Researchers studied short- and longer-term effects of the two protein levels. In both studies the higher-protein diets were associated with greater feelings of fullness during weight loss, and in the longer-term study they were associated particularly with decreased late-night desires to eat. 

“Our research shows that eating about a quarter of one’s daily calories as lean pork and other high quality proteins three times a day is a powerful dietary weapon for people seeking weight loss,” said lead researcher Heather Leidy, now an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Physiology at the University of Missouri.

The research was funded by the Pork Checkoff.

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