Making sure your diet has enough protein is important in two ways.

First, protein takes a lot of time for the body to break down into the nutrients it uses. So it takes much more energy by the body to process it in the stomach and intestines. So all calories are not equal: 250 calories of refined carbohydrates (like eating some cookies or even some pasta) are processed quickly and with little energy expended, so you get a quick rush of energy and insulin as the body tries to cope. if you don’t have an immediate need for the energy, it becomes fat.

If you eat 250 calories in a portion of protein it takes hours to process and a lot of energy. The actual calories released to the body are much lower, because of the energy needs of processing, and spread out over a longer period of time. This also has the happy result of raising your metabolism, so you use more energy even when resting.

Secondly, if you are exercising, eating enough protein will help replace fat with muscle. Fat uses no energy in the body, it is just storage. But muscles are energy hogs. They need a lot of calories to stay healthy, and again, this raises your metabolism so you use more calories even at rest.

Of course, like anything else, in moderation is the best. Too much protein is also bad.

The majority of protein taken from food is converted by protein processing into ammonia, which, due to its toxicity, must be excreted in urine. You need lots of fluid to do this, so if you are physically active and ingesting large amounts of proteins and amino acids, also drink lots of water.

Also, women in particular may make themselves more susceptible to osteoporosis. This is due to the high levels of ammonia in the body caused by high protein diets change the body’s pH balance. The body sometimes will leach calcium from bones to help correct the pH imbalance. Over extended periods this can lead to brittle bones.