Protein is an essential nutrient in every cell of the body, used for the construction and repair of body tissues including muscle, hair, nails, skin, cartilage, blood, and so on.
There are a multitude of protein sources out there, so let’s break them down into three of the most popular categories of protein supplement. WHEY PROTEIN Whey protein reigns supreme when it comes to protein supplementation. Originating from milk, whey is an animal-based protein with an extremely high concentration of protein per gram, with a smooth and creamy texture. It is absorbed quickly by the body, has a low lactose content, and contains all nine essential amino acids (the building blocks for protein), therefore labeling it a ‘complete protein’. Despite owning the title of ‘king’ in the supplement world, whey protein has also been known to be highly allergenic, not as a result of the lactose or casein present, but due rather to the types of protein that make up the majority of the substance. Nonetheless, studies show that some of the best results in protein synthesis (creation), and muscle repair and recovery result from the use of whey protein when consumed in smaller quantities throughout the day. PEA PROTEIN Ideal for vegetarians and vegans, pea protein is plant-based, and is the natural protein concentrate of yellow peas. Pea protein, unlike whey, does not contain all nine essential amino acids, however, it is gluten-free, of low-allergenicity, and is not genetically modified. With its mellow nutty taste, it blends nicely into smoothies and or when mixed in water. BROWN RICE PROTEIN As the name suggests, this protein is derived from brown rice, and is formed through a process of using enzymes to break down and separate the protein from the fibre and carbohydrates in rice to form a subtle, slightly sweet flavoured powder. Since enzymes are used in the separation process, the natural qualities of the amino acids are maintained, producing a is 80-90% pure, hypoallergenic, and easily digestible protein. Within the first four hours following ingestion, the body will digest roughly 85% of brown rice protein, however, its bioavailability is reduced due to the lower levels of the amino acid ‘lysine’, more readily found in Pea Protein. It is for this reason that a combination of both Pea and Brown Rice Proteins, when taken in conjunction, improve both the absorbability of each protein, and the balance of amino acids the body is receiving. At the end of the day, the most important thing is not the protein source you use, but how your body reacts to it. Providing your body with what it needs, and the nutrients it thrives off best is always going to lead to you living your healthiest life possible! Until next time! Steph xx References
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Simplicity is underrated. For anyone who has tried it all - the fad diets and crazy exercise regimes – taking it back to basics can be all you need to make massive long-term, sustainable changes in your life. For real results, it isn’t about cutting things out, but rather replacing them with healthier alternatives. Here are ten healthy swaps to get you started!
WARM LEMON WATER, OVER COFFEE Proven benefits of drinking water first thing in the morning include the reduced likelihood of consuming empty calories throughout the day - leading to reductions in body weight, as well as improved digestion, mental acuity, skin and hair health, and immune function. Hydration first thing in the morning is also a healthy kick-start to your day and one that coffee cannot compete with. OUTDOORS, OVER INDOORS The proven benefits of time spent outdoors include reduced stress levels, improved happiness and overall satisfaction in life. Getting outside may also increase focus, creativity, and memory! The evidence outlining the benefits of time spent outside - whether that be walking, running or even going to the park with your kids each day – is growing, and has been shown to have enormous positive impacts on our emotional wellbeing. So why not give it a try? WHOLE FRUIT AND VEGGIES, OVER JUICES During the juicing process, the fibre contained in fruits and veggies (the good stuff that our bowels love!) is lost, and while the resulting juice retains many vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals. A lot of what our body needs is wasted in the scraps that are left behind. Fibre is critical for good health, so the next time you think about grabbing a juice – perhaps think about swapping it for a smoothie, to give your body the added benefits and reduce wastage. STANDING, OVER SITTING The relatively new phenomenon of standing while working at your desk can have huge benefits to your overall health, wellness, and energy levels. Studies show that people who stand at their desk rather than sit burn more calories, are more energetic, less likely to suffer from computer-related postural issues with the neck and back, and even have improved productivity. For those who’d prefer not to stand for long periods of time, never fear! Move your working station between standing and regular desks throughout the day, or get your hands on a nifty adjustable desk. FACE TO FACE, OVER SCREENS This day and age, we are glued to our screens. Our eyes hop from phone to computer, to tablet, back to phone and then we shut them to fall asleep. Interacting with people face-to-face leads to better communication skills, increase understanding, is conducive to building stronger relationships, and can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment. So, the next time you go to schedule a phone meeting, use it as an excuse to go grab a coffee instead, and meet with that person IN person! EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, OVER ALL OTHER OILS If you use oil, use extra virgin. The only oil to have scientifically proven health benefits dating back years! Extra virgin olive oil contains huge amounts of antioxidants; has proven benefits to heart health, joint health, and insulin sensitivity; is a monosaturated fat (good fat), and can increase satiety…need I say more? READING, OVER TV Reading is one of the most mentally stimulating activities you can do, regardless of what you read – and your brain loves it! Reading reduces stress, increases knowledge, improves vocabulary, strengthens focus, and can lead to greater clarity in thinking and innovation. Your brain is one of, if not the most important organ we have, so why not make it the best we possibly can? WHOLESOME BREAKFAST, OVER A QUICK FIX What you put into your body first thing in the morning can determine your energy levels for the rest of the day. Take a bowl of sugary cereal, for example - giving you a spike in blood glucose levels shortly followed by a slump in energy and activity. Compare this to a bowl of low GI oats with nuts, protein powder, and berries - which gives you much more sustained release of energy throughout your morning. The wholesome option will leave you less likely to binge on high-calorie foods throughout the day, as well as providing your body with the nutrients it thrives on. WEIGHTS, OVER CARDIO For donkey’s years, the belief has been that cardio was the best activity to promote weight-loss - nowadays, science says something a little different. While cardio still has its place in programs for fat loss, resistance-training has been shown to boost metabolism for longer post-workout than cardio alone – meaning that you burn more calories overall. This is because resistance-training builds muscle which is extremely energy demanding – using more of the fuel you put into your body. COLD SHOWERS, OVER HOT This is something that will take a little getting used to, but makes all the difference. Cold showers are certainly unpleasant when you first start having them– however, their benefits are extraordinary and you’ll find yourself enjoying them with time. Not only do they give us energy due to the physiological changes we experience in response to cold water, but they also maintain healthy hair and skin, stimulate ‘brown fat’ (good fat) which is known for keeping us warm and may lead to increased weight-loss6. Cold showers also improve muscle recovery, reduce stress, and may even subdue symptoms of depression. While not all of these changes work for everyone, slowly integrating a couple throughout each day may lead to greater changes in your overall health, wellbeing, and happiness! What have you got to lose by giving them a go? Until next time! Steph xx References
A quick scroll on Instagram is all it takes to be reminded of how seriously we Aussies take our gym culture - but working out isn’t the only determining factor in creating a lean, toned beach bod! In fact, research shows that approximately 70% of fat-loss is actually derived from the foods we consume.
As well as this, our bodies have been shown to perform differently depending upon what we fuel them with. So, before you hit the gym - I'm here to help you work out what foods will help you get the most out of each session. Read on to find out… CARBOHYDRATES The main role that carbohydrates play in the body is to provide us with glucose – the molecule which (through a range of chemical processes) allows our muscles to work. During a workout, glucose is depleted, which eventually leads to our muscles becoming fatigued. It is important to consume some form of carbohydrates in any pre-workout meal, as this will ensure the body has the resources it needs, to release the energy our muscles use. My personal recommendation is rice cakes with your favourite topping such as avocado, peanut butter, tuna etc. PROTEINS While protein is not essential to improving exercise performance, there is evidence to suggest that consumption of protein prior to exercise may lead to an increase in protein synthesis, and therefore improve post-workout muscle repair and recovery. However, studies also show that adequate protein consumption throughout the day, regardless of when it is consumed, improves muscle recovery and growth (Schoenfeld, et al. 2013; and Cintineo, et al. 2018). FATS Consumption of fats in the meal leading up to a workout is more likely to maintain our satiety, rather than improve our performance immediately, as healthy fats reduce blood glucose spikes. This is because our bodies use glucose and glycogen (which we receive from carbohydrates) as our main source of energy for short, high-intensity exercise and activities such as sprinting, whereas fats are utilised by the body during moderate-to-low-intensity exercise such as walking, and endurance activities. Studies have shown that improvements in endurance performance have resulted from long-term high-fat diets rather than simply consuming fats immediately prior to a workout (Venkatraman, et al. 2001). While there is a multitude of research that exists, telling us what we should and shouldn’t consume to get the most out of our workouts, it is important to remember that each and every one of us is different, and will react differently to different foods. So, find what works best for you, and go do it! This is how it is, plain and simple. We Are Human. What does that mean you ask? It means, even if we believe otherwise, we are not perfect creatures. Not one single individual on this planet is perfect. No one has the perfect smile, the perfect hair, the perfect abs, the perfect bum, the perfect biceps, the perfect attitude, the perfect relationship; the perfect house, the perfect kids. No one’s life is perfect!
No matter which way you look at it, ‘perfection’ is all a distorted perception of society which has been shaped by media and television over decades. Now I’m not hating on the media and TV guys, they do a great job! But when we feel like we can’t keep up with what we believe to be ‘being perfect’, our reactions can often at times be detrimental to other areas of our lives, that in their own distinctive ways, actually are perfect, and suit each and every one of us as unique beings. I’m the first to admit that never in my life have I been perfect. I have been wearing glasses since I was 5; I never excelled at anything at school; I never felt like my body was good enough; my diet is balanced but still isn’t much to gloat about; I never go to the gym on all the days I say I will; I pretty much always drop or burn roughly 10 (maybe more) serves of food every day at work; I barely see my chiro; I spend too much money on coffee; I always forget to pack my lunch…should I go on or have you got the picture? My point is, we all go around with this idea in our heads that everything we do in our lives needs to have every corner crisply tucked at each end, when in actual fact we’re always going to have creases in the sheets. Our imperfections are what allows us to actually be who we are. ‘Would I be me if I had 20/20 vision?’No. ‘Would I have found my passion for food and writing if I got 100% in everything at school and uni?’Maybe, but I doubt I would have found it as quickly as I did. ‘Would I have more money if I stopped spending it all on coffee?’Yes! But I wouldn’t be greeted by the lovely people behind the counter with “Just the usual?”, as I drag my sorry hungover ass into my local cafe on a Sunday morning. I believe we need to FOCUS LESS on the things we believe we are MISSING OUT on BECAUSE of our imperfections, and FOCUS MORE on WHAT WE GAIN because of them. We need to accept that while we may try, we won’t always make the right decisions, and the next move in our lives might not always be on the right path – but we need to realise that this move is what is going to lead us to where we ultimately should be. The mistakes that we make throughout life will educate us, but only if we are willing to open up and listen to them. And that is what life is all about! After all, we develop as people through trial and error. Therefore, if we were to ever reach perfection and we never made another mistake in our lives – how would we continue to grow and learn? I hope this helps at least one person to release some of the pressure they might be feeling, and just let go of those things we cannot control. Not everything is perfect in life, and that is beautiful. See you soon! Steph In the world we live in, we are constantly bombarded with conflicting messages from every angle, telling us what is ‘healthy’ and what isn’t. So today my mission is to help clear up some of the confusion that advertising and extreme dieting, have caused us very puzzled consumers to believe! Today, we are busting myths!
MYTH #1: Carbs (carbohydrates) are Bad for You BUSTED! There are two types of carbohydrates, ‘simple carbohydrates’ and ‘complex carbohydrates’. Simple carbs are those foods which give you a quick blood-glucose (sugar) spike, for immediate and rapid energy eg fruit juice, lollies, sugar etc. Complex carbs are those that cause a gradual and sustained increase in blood-glucose levels, for longer lasting energy eg rolled oats, sweet potato, and lentils. In our body, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars such as glucose. When we exercise, our rate of glucose expenditure increases (because glucose is our body’s number one source of energy), and the way we replace these stores is through our food. When we restrict carbohydrate intake, our bodies turn to burning ‘fats’ to create energy. This is sustainable for the very short term; however, the current literature is unclear of how beneficial it is for the longer term, as the rate of converting fat into useable energy is much slower than the process of using glucose for energy. While the fitness industry generally fears carbohydrates because they are believed to cause weight-gain, a large body of evidence suggests that diets including low-GI carbohydrates (eg legumes and whole-grains) not only produce greater long-term weight-loss than “high fat, low carb diets”, but also that they may positively impact diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (Brand-Miller et al. 2008). Therefore, a balanced diet including adequate carbohydrates – can lead to sustained long-term weight-loss and other health benefits! Woopie! Bye bye carb-depleted mood swings! MYTH #2: All Salads are Healthy BUSTED! While we know the classic “I’ll just get a salad”, to be the healthy persons’ lunchtime specialty, what you may not realise is that in fact, they could actually be eating far more calories than what they bargained for. Many salad dressings and toppings such as Caesar dressing, and croutons are high in calories and saturated fats (the bad guys). So, how do you know if your salad is actually healthy? It’s easy! All you have to do is look for the rainbow. The best salads out there have balance between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They contain a large variety of different coloured vegetables, grains (eg brown rice and quinoa), small amounts of lean protein such as chicken, fish and lamb, as well as monounsaturated fats such as avocado, nuts and extra virgin olive oil. These salads are brilliant as they are packed full of nutrients, quality proteins, low-GI carbohydrates, and healthy fats that your body is sure to love. To help you out, I’ve included my absolutely favourite salad dressing as one of this weeks’ recipes! MYTH #3: Skipping Meals Helps You Lose Weight BUSTED! Low-calorie diets have been in circulation for many years now, receiving attention from all angles on tv, social media, advertisements and so on, and unless you have had your head buried in the sand – you will have heard of the incredible transformations that seem to happen overnight, when people adopt a low-calorie diet. I am a woman of science however, and these results seem too good to be true. Years of research into low-calorie diets report amazing short-term, fast results when it comes to losing weight. This isn’t a surprise because we all know that if you eat less…you tend to lose weight pretty damn fast. However, the long-term health impacts are not as glamorous. The findings generally support that the more you reduce your calorie intake, the more likely it is that your body will do the opposite of what you are aiming for. When you severely reduce the amount of food you consume, your metabolism slows, in order to compensate for a lack of calories, making it harder to lose weight (Horne, et al. 2015). My suggestion is to do your research and speak to your dietician or GP before cutting calories, because there is definitely a right and a wrong way to do so. I think it is also important to remember that food isn’t the enemy. Food is what fuels your body to perform at its peak, so providing it with the right amount of qualityfood is more likely to produce long-term health benefits. MYTH #4: To Build Muscle, You Need Protein Within 30mins of Working Out BUSTED! Now this one is my favourite, because it’s bound to get people talking! The common theory that you must ingest protein sources within 30mins post-workout is absolutely BUSTED! For many years it has been one of the best-selling points for supplement companies to reel in their customers. These companies promote the idea that unless we consume protein rich sources straight after our workouts, we reduce our body’s ability to build muscle. Well, I’m here to tell you otherwise! Evidence suggests that the timing of protein refuelling makes absolutely no difference to muscle hypertrophy (muscle building), and little to no difference in rates of recovery. Research shows that so long as you are consuming an adequate amount of protein to allow the body to repair itself each day, you will gain the same amount of muscle as you would if you consumed protein immediately following exercise (Schoenfeld, et al. 2013). I do however want to acknowledge that there is absolutely no harm in having a protein shake or snack before or after a workout. It is incredibly important to refuel the body post-workout, BUT if you’re someone who gets your knickers in a knot when you forget your protein shaker, don’t stress! You won’t miss out on those crucial gains! MYTH #5: Supplements are the Same as Real Food BUSTED! If you know me, you know how passionate I am about eating foods that are rich in the nutrients our bodies need to not only survive, but thrive! And personally, I feel that in today’s society, we overlook and underestimate the power that the food we consume, has on our health. Food is an incredibly complex mix of macronutrients, micronutrients, and many other substances. The nutrients we require, are most potent and beneficial in their natural state. As well as this, many non-essential but beneficial nutrients are found in the foods we consume, but not in supplements. Supplements are extremely beneficial when used as treatment for dietary deficiencies that have been identified and recommended by healthcare professionals. Today however, the supplements industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling anywhere in sight. So, remember not to believe everything you hear or read about ‘what YOU need’ and what is ‘most beneficial for YOU’. Everyone is different, and the term ‘YOU’ in both these cases is incredibly generalised. If you have any concerns, or wish to know more about the foods you should be eating, and potential supplements that could help you – see your local dietician. So there you have it! 5 Myths you can now go impressing your friends with, AND some of the science that backs them up too. See you again in a couple of weeks! Steph |
AuthorI'm Steph - a Health Sciences graduate, qualified Personal Trainer and Health Blogger. Here you will not find any quick fix, or diet tips. I'm here to share my love of life, fitness, mindset, and the lessons I learn as a journey through life. Archives
March 2020
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