Dietician names food group that is 'incredibly important' for weight loss - plus how much of it to eat

Leanne Ward - also known as The Fitness Dietician - took to YouTube to share her weight loss expertise.

She said: "Protein is incredibly important for fat loss. What it does is help keep us fuller and satisfied after our meals and it also helps to support our muscle mass, which, in turn, helps us metabolically.

"So that helps with fat loss long term because it means that metabolically, we are a bit more superior long term.

"With protein, it's so important that we have an even distribution throughout the day. We have research and science to support that we only absorb a certain amount of protein at one time - so more is not better."

Leanne explained that if you don't have any protein at breakfast and only have a minimal amount at lunch, having an "enormous" protein-packed steak at dinner is not going to override that.

She said: "That's not good when it comes to fat loss because your body can't absorb all of that huge amount from dinner time and distribute it throughout the day - it can't. We need an even distribution throughout the day."

An article in Examine, which runs an encyclopaedia on health, nutrition and supplementation, supported the idea that when it comes to protein intake, "there is likely a ceiling for acute stimulation of MPS (muscle protein synthesis).

Pointing to two studies published in the National Library of Medicine, the expert said: "One study in healthy young men found that eating more than 20 grams of whole-egg protein didn’t further increase MPS. Another study in younger and older people found that 90 grams of protein from 90 per cent lean beef didn’t increase MPS any more than 30 grams did."

As for how much protein slimmers should be aiming for, the dietician advised eating between 20 to 40 grams of "high biological value protein" in most of their meals. This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, soybeans and tofu.

They can also have low biological value proteins such as other beans and legumes, quinoa, nuts, nut butter and seeds, although you will need more of these for similar results.

Speaking about low biological value protein options, the weight loss guru said: "They're totally fine but you're going to get the most bang for your buck from high biological value proteins, which are things like animal products, eggs and dairy.

"Vegan and plant-based sources are completely fine as well - they're just not as easily absorbed by the body, so we tend to need a little bit more of them."

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So that they can fully absorb the protein they're consuming, Leanne told slimmers to have a "good whack" of it at each meal. Going by this guide, men, who are typically larger than women, will need a bit more protein.

When planning meals, she advised dieters to aim for a protein source that is around the size of their palm when cooked.

As for how much protein is too much, the experts at Harvard Health said: "For the average healthy person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in bodybuilding) it's probably best to keep total protein intake to no more than two grams per kilogram of ideal body weight; that would be about 125 grams per day for a 140lb person with a normal body mass index (BMI)."

Alongside the dietician's other tips, including following a calorie deficit and making small, sustainable changes, Leanne advised slimmers to start filling their plates with veggies.

She said: "Everybody wants to double their exercise, halve their intake, cut out all of their favourite foods, but the one thing that we know is so helpful for fat loss is eating more vegetables."

The expert revealed how many servings of vegetables slimmers should be aiming for per day.