Living Young Forever

This is Food? "NOT"

The foods we eat are not providing our bodies with the nutrition it needs to survive and be healthy. We are starving our bodies and we are sick. We suffer from diabetes, heart attacks, obesity, and the list goes on and on.

Given proper nutrition, the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself. If properly fed and given the right nutrients, the human body is designed to repair itself.

To do so, we need to eat a healthier diet, exercise, and take high-quality supplements made from whole foods. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients we are not getting from our diet, all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and phyto-nutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended, in a whole food form.

The best time of the day to take your vitamins is generally when it is convenient for you is a good rule to start with. The producer of the vitamin will make general recommendations based on their product research. Some of us can take say a Multi-Vitamin with or without food and not have an upset stomach problem from the intense intake of condensed nutrients.

Generally though taking vitamins with a portion of food is recommended but the key is not to combine with a “full” meal. As the body is taking in nutrients from the food the vitamin supplement may not complement the nutritional value of the meal or the high nutritional value of the food may interfere with the intake of additional nutrients. Because of this some of the nutritional value of the Multi-Vitamin or supplement may be wasted. It would be like eating a ½ pound steak and drinking a protein shake in the same meal very redundant as you can see.

Your best bet to maximize the supplement is to follow the recommended advice from the Supplement company and then adjust to your schedule just remember that less can be more when combining with food.

Choosing the right vitamin can be a little challenging with the hundreds of brands and formulas available. A good place to start for a general nutritional boost is a Multi-Vitamin. We always recommend a whole food vitamin with an organic formula whenever possible for the best quality. The next step is to consider your personal life style and age to start to customize your choice.

Many of the formulas will give you a good idea by the label such as Multi + Stress Formula or 50 + Formula for older adults. Once you have narrowed your Multi-Vitamin choice closer to your personal needs you may consider adding additional supplements such as a b-12 complex for high stress situations. A protein shake is another great option for those times you can’t stop for lunch and want to avoid the fast food temptation.

Don’t be afraid to try different brands or formulas especially if you’re new to supplementing your diet with vitamins. Not everyone wears the same shoe size and not everyone’s body chemistry and needs are exactly the same so trying different formulas can get you closer to a more customized program. If you are still puzzled or overwhelmed, going on line or having a consultation with a nutritionist for more education on what vitamins best fits your needs is a great option.

Well winter has arrived and it may be a great time to rethink the protein shake mode. As snow has fallen across many parts of the country somehow a nice cold smoothie protein shake has lost its appeal from that summertime refreshing blast in the morning. Not to worry we have a delicious option for you.

Since it is time to break out the hot cereal to get a warm start on the day just drop a scoop or two of your favorite protein shake powder in the bowl along with your favorite fresh or dried fruit and “bam” you have a protein packed power house breakfast to start your day. We like to add a scoop of fresh yogurt in but the choice is yours just don’t be afraid to get creative like adding some cinnamon or vanilla flavoring, Yumm!!!

Every once in a while our research on health and wellness products leads us to an unusually great product. We would like to take this opportunity to recognize a company that produces just that, great protein supplement that goes beyond just another protein shake. These guys have combined the best of both of the worlds we love, high quality whey protein along with our other favorite, Super Green Food and it’s an organic earth friendly product.

WHEY Protein Greens Plus contains 100% pure, free-range Whey Isolate from New Zealand, providing the highest biological value of any protein source. Grown in accordance with organic program standards, WHEY Protein Greens Plus is certified hormone, antibiotic, and lactose-free.

One daily serving of Natural Whey Protein Greens Plus delivers 20g of protein, the full-spectrum equivalent of two servings of fruit and vegetables, and the essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes needed for peak performance

Now that makes a power house nutrient dense Protein Shake and it taste great too.

Protein which is the “building blocks” for healthy bodies is an important nutrient needed by everyone on a daily basis. Choosing the right protein source is a very important consideration to maximize its benefits. Healthy diets should regularly include high quality, low fat sources of protein. Protein foods  however are not all equal and can vary in a number of ways including the following: Number and quantity of essential amino acids, Digestion and absorption rates, Fat content, Taste and Purity.

To fill in the daily protein gap and make sure you are getting a full protein profile; nutrition experts recommend a diet with a variety of protein foods and for optimal results make sure that one of them is whey protein. Compared to other proteins, on a gram-to-gram basis whey protein isolate delivers more essential amino acids to the body but without the fat or cholesterol. Readily available in powder form whey protein can easily be whipped up into a delicious protein shake that makes a healthy between meal snack.

Fast food doesn’t have to slow you down. In fact it can actually power you up if you choose the right fast food options. If you don’t have time for a sit down breakfast or lunch a great alternative is a homemade protein shake or choose from a variety of great protein bars available.

In the morning just toss some of your fresh or frozen fruit (preferably organic) in a blender along with  pure filtered water or juice add a scoop or two of protein powder, egg, whey or soy a little honey if you like and you have created a perfect protein shake. Then just pour and go. I like to pop a slice of my favorite whole grain bread in the toaster for a side dish to take along to round out the fast food meal. I throw my favorite protein bar in my pocket for a quick mid morning snack to keep me charged up and then out the door I go to greet the day.

Move over Juice Bars I just created a protein shake at a fraction of the cost and saved gas and time getting it.

Part II of the protein puzzle-

Whats a gram of protein? So using our model from the last blog  if we need 62 grams of protein per day and we buy our meat lets say in ounces and pounds we need to do a little math again. So now its time to cut to the chase or in this case the Steak.

3 oz of Top Sirloin has ruffly 26 grams of protein a lean beef burger 22 grams so this means that if you ate 3 -1/4  lb lean burger patties in a day you would “meat” your minimum daily protein requirements. So you can fire up the Barbecue or you can ditch some of the saturated fat by using a protein supplement such as a protein smoothie for breakfast or a protein bar for a healthy snack. Either way it is easy to get your daily protein intake.

Part I of the protein puzzle-

As we discussed in our Blog metric conversion confusion the use of the metric system can make things a little challenging for those of us on the standard system of measurement and this is especially true when it comes to figuring out how much daily protein you need in your diet for optimal health.

The ongoing discussion among health professionals on how much protein you actually need each day is still a hot debate with no definitive answer in sight. The most widely excepted model for the minimum daily intake is 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of lean body mass ether by whole food or a protein supplement.  Here we go with the metric system again. Not to mention getting an accurate reading on lean mass. And do not rely on a personal trainer using the body fat caliber method to be even close to accurate, but that’s for another day.

Lets first get this metric thing sorted out. A 180 lb person converts to 81.647 Kilograms and lets say our average person has a 25% body fat, that leaves 61.235 kilograms of lean mass. Using the current theories this person needs a minimum 61 to 62 grams of protein per day to sustain there health. Derived either through whole foods our protein supplements. This of course is not taking into consideration any other factors such as lifestyle, health and genetics.

Next up how do I meet the required amount I need.

How much protein can be absorbed at each meal has been an ongoing topic of conversation among athletes especially body builders for sometime now.  The most definitive answer so far has come from several resources in the scientific community one of which is D. M. Matthews Department of Chemical Pathology, Westminster Medical School, London.

Their research supports similar studies that the body absorbs 90 to 95% of the intake.  In other words if you ate a serving of  chicken containing 20g of protein, on average the body would uptake approximately 18g, 30g=27g, 40g=36g and so on. The source of the protein such as a lean cut of beef vs. say a protein shake does not make a significant difference in absorption.

An important note about this is that just because the body extracts it from the digestion process does not mean it uses all of it. Some of the protein may be excreted if not needed. Just how much your body needs per day or meal is another topic and deserves further discussion.

So regardless of your preference in food chocies you might say when it comes to protein you get what you pay for, well ok all but about 5 to 10% but that is still a bargin in todays economy.