There has been much written about the importance of protein in the diet, especially when it comes to weight loss.  It has previously been suggested that protein content plays an important role in determining overall energy (calorie) intake, and therefore obesity, but until a newly published study (1) was released, experimental verification had been relatively scarce. A doctor that I very much respect, Dr John Briffa, writes a blog where he frequently mentions the importance of protein for helping keep hunger at bay and balance blood sugar levels to prevent cravings and overeating.  In fact, in a recent post he writes about the fact that our ancient ancestors ate a relatively low carbohydrate diet and, of course, the carbohydrate that they did consume was not in the form of processed foods like bread, pasta, sugar or convenience meals.  The carbohydrate came from fruit, vegetables and tubers. Unprocessed protein in the form of meats, fish (especially oily fish which also delivers long chain omega 3 fatty acids), beans, pulses, nuts/seeds and eggs is important in our diets.  Protein can help balance the blood sugar to prevent cravings (and hence over eating), mood issues and much more.  Protein is also important since the amino acids it provides the body with are vital for the production of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) such as serotonin which impact our mood. In this new study (1) researchers found that, when subjects were fed a 10% protein diet, they consumed 12% more energy (calories) over four days than….