Day Four: After water, we are protein.
Earlier we learned that water is the main chemical in our bodies. Coming in number two is protein. The word protein actually means “first substance” due to the fact that the first food fuel we ever consumed was our mother’s milk. Milk is the only food specifically designed to sustain mammalian life and therefore human life. Milk has two protein groups:
Whey - which is the complete protein that makes milk so essential to life and;
Casein - which is used for manufacturing cheese and other milk by-products.
One of the problems you can have in understanding protein is that there is so much information out there on protein, most of it contradictory, most of it wrong. It’s time that you had the truth about protein; just the facts and nothing but the facts.
To start, you need to understand that the word “protein” covers a lot of ground. There are literally thousands of different proteins, ranging from high end proteins that are actually “live” to low end proteins like Elmer’s Glue.
Assuming a decent dietary source, protein is the nutritional key for those of you interested in improving your health, losing excess body fat or adding lean, well-shaped muscle. In order to make these improvements, you need sufficient protein intake to fuel the changes.
Normally our diets are very high in carbohydrates and fats. It is a bit of an oversimplification, but think of it in the following way: when you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar immediately raises. This causes your pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin that removes the sugar from the blood and stores it as fat. Conversely, when you eat proteins your blood sugar levels remain low. This causes the pancreas to secrete glucagon. Glucagon travels to the fat cells and extracts fat to be burned as energy.
As important as protein is, oddly, as we indicated earlier, there is no nutrient more misunderstood. Protein is simply a group of different amino acids bonded together. Different types of proteins are comprised of different amounts of individual amino acids. This is important, depending on what goal you are trying to achieve with protein use. There are a variety of protein sources available to people. There are proteins from whole foods such as meats, grains and vegetables. There are also single free form amino acids. There are soy proteins, egg proteins, casein and various forms of whey protein.
Let's examine in general terms some of the more popular protein sources.
1. Protein from whole foods such as meats, grains and vegetables. Whole food sources are acceptable because they are widely available and they taste good. On the negative side, however, whole food proteins normally spoil quickly and may contain risky microorganisms that can make you sick. Additionally, food proteins normally have high levels of fats or carbohydrates and are highly fibrous, therefore more difficult to digest. Further, depending on the specific food source, they may cause allergies.
Most importantly, however, whole food proteins when cooked can lose their health altering potency.
2. Single Free Form Amino Acids. Single free form amino acids are manufactured through fermentation by microorganisms in large biological chambers. These can be manufactured as pharmaceutical grade pure injectibles or as food grade products. As food products, amino acids are very costly, taste terrible, have poor mixability, high digestive irritability and are absorbed relatively slowly.
3. Soy Protein. There is so much information being peddled by marketing companies regarding soy protein being the best source of protein for women. This is due to the fact that soy is a BIG business in the US. And soy manufacturers actually have lobbyists on the payroll helping to create the big lie. There is no other way to state the facts other than to say that calling soy the best, most complete protein for women is totally inaccurate as it is missing a highly critical amino acid, methionine. Facts are facts and there is no way to dispute this fact.
Additionally, soy is an estrogenic substance. While there were studies published earlier in time demonstrating estrogenic nutrient’s value for heart disease prevention, etc., there are an equal number of studies showing that taking estrogenic substances may not affect heart disease even a little bit and, in fact, carry with them significant risks to the consumer.
4. Egg Protein. Twenty odd years ago, Hal Katz formed a nutritional brand called Nature’s Best and he went on a mission to convince people of the superior value of egg protein and various protein’s PER ratings. The PER rating died around 1991 along with the notion that egg protein was superior for making anything other than meringue pies.
5. Casein. There was a time when whey was considered an annoying by-product of making various cheeses from casein. Today we understand that casein protein has nowhere the nutritional value of whey and may actually be damaging for a number of reasons including it being a possible carcinogenic.
6. Whey Proteins. There are a variety of whey proteins available in the market today. There is no need to get into deep detail on them other than to mention that the most relevant classification of whey is whether it is denatured or non-denatured.
Denatured whey means damaged whey. In the manufacturing process a majority of whey proteins are subjected to heat, alkali or acid causing their structure to unfold. During this process, some of whey’s original properties, especially its biological activity, are diminished or eliminated. These destructive manufacturing processes exist simply to reduce the cost of processing protein. They are negative, nutritional value robbing short cuts – plain and simple.
Non Denatured whey means never damaged. The whey protein is naturally occurring and is never altered by heat, chemicals, enzyme action or processing. Non denatured proteins are also referred to as Native Proteins.
The best, most complete protein available for anyone wishing to repair their body or stimulate their health is Non Denatured Whey or Native Whey. There can be no disputing that fact. Tomorrow we will discover the incredible benefits that Native Whey can provide for your health and fitness as well as how to use it to get maximal benefits.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
75 Days to Change - Day Three
How do you fill a pail with water that has a hole in the bottom?
A) Ignore the hole and continue to fill the pail with the water hose.
B) Patch the hole and then fill the pail with the water hose.
The correct answer is, of course, B.
Now what in the world does a pail have to do with your fitness level? While your body isn’t as simple as a “pail,” we can draw a useful analogy from it when it comes to positive nitrogen balance in your body.
Positive nitrogen balance is a simple concept. It refers to you taking in more nitrogen and retaining more protein than what is being used as fuel on a daily basis. What you might not have realized is that positive nitrogen balance is the most fundamentally important issue when it comes to improving your fitness level, either through weight loss or lean muscle gain. If you are not in positive nitrogen balance then it is nearly impossible to gain lean muscle mass, increase resting metabolism, consistently lose weight in a healthy manner or feel energetic in your normal daily activities. If you are in equilibrium no progress will be made. If you are in negative nitrogen balance you greatly increase the likelihood that you will have muscle injuries during exercise and become ill through your daily interaction with environmental pathogens.
Again, being in positive nitrogen balance is critical to everyone’s health and fitness. Now that you are aware of this key physiological attribute, you may be wondering how you insure that you are in positive nitrogen balance.
First, you have to be aware that nitrogen is released by the body, constantly, as the day wears on. Nitrogen is lost through normal tasks such as breathing, sweating, and excretion. Nitrogen pours out, obviously, during vigorous exercise whether cardio or resistance training. It is also lost more rapidly during periods of illness, injury, stress or impaired sleep. In a sense, we all have “nitrogen holes” in our bodies, similar to the pail
analogy we used above.
Now that you learned how you lose nitrogen on a daily basis it is equally important to learn how to replace it. The only way that you take nitrogen in is through ingestion of protein. Whether it is foods such as meats, dairy or vegetables or good protein enriched powders or bars, the protein you intake is about 16.7 percent nitrogen.
Going back to our garden pail analogy, we all have a nitrogen hole in our body. If you are not feeling fantastic during exercise or if you have been working out for a few weeks or more and haven’t seen real, consistent change, chances are that you are in negative nitrogen balance. That means you are losing more nitrogen than you are gaining through the ingestion of good protein. To reverse that and be in positive nitrogen balance, we advocate eating the proper amount of protein daily and supplementing additional protein when you cannot eat your required minimum. And taking the right non-food fuel to help bind the nitrogen in your system and thereby help diminish the nitrogen hole we all normally have that hinders optimal fitness results.
While adding protein to diets normally is an important change, simply pouring protein into our body (or water into a pail), without simultaneously diminishing the hole, is very inefficient.
Today, we wanted to teach you about nitrogen balance and give you a short time to decide whether you are improving your fitness level as much as you would like.
Tomorrow, we will talk about how to patch the hole with good protein and decide how much protein you should eat daily.
A) Ignore the hole and continue to fill the pail with the water hose.
B) Patch the hole and then fill the pail with the water hose.
The correct answer is, of course, B.
Now what in the world does a pail have to do with your fitness level? While your body isn’t as simple as a “pail,” we can draw a useful analogy from it when it comes to positive nitrogen balance in your body.
Positive nitrogen balance is a simple concept. It refers to you taking in more nitrogen and retaining more protein than what is being used as fuel on a daily basis. What you might not have realized is that positive nitrogen balance is the most fundamentally important issue when it comes to improving your fitness level, either through weight loss or lean muscle gain. If you are not in positive nitrogen balance then it is nearly impossible to gain lean muscle mass, increase resting metabolism, consistently lose weight in a healthy manner or feel energetic in your normal daily activities. If you are in equilibrium no progress will be made. If you are in negative nitrogen balance you greatly increase the likelihood that you will have muscle injuries during exercise and become ill through your daily interaction with environmental pathogens.
Again, being in positive nitrogen balance is critical to everyone’s health and fitness. Now that you are aware of this key physiological attribute, you may be wondering how you insure that you are in positive nitrogen balance.
First, you have to be aware that nitrogen is released by the body, constantly, as the day wears on. Nitrogen is lost through normal tasks such as breathing, sweating, and excretion. Nitrogen pours out, obviously, during vigorous exercise whether cardio or resistance training. It is also lost more rapidly during periods of illness, injury, stress or impaired sleep. In a sense, we all have “nitrogen holes” in our bodies, similar to the pail
analogy we used above.
Now that you learned how you lose nitrogen on a daily basis it is equally important to learn how to replace it. The only way that you take nitrogen in is through ingestion of protein. Whether it is foods such as meats, dairy or vegetables or good protein enriched powders or bars, the protein you intake is about 16.7 percent nitrogen.
Going back to our garden pail analogy, we all have a nitrogen hole in our body. If you are not feeling fantastic during exercise or if you have been working out for a few weeks or more and haven’t seen real, consistent change, chances are that you are in negative nitrogen balance. That means you are losing more nitrogen than you are gaining through the ingestion of good protein. To reverse that and be in positive nitrogen balance, we advocate eating the proper amount of protein daily and supplementing additional protein when you cannot eat your required minimum. And taking the right non-food fuel to help bind the nitrogen in your system and thereby help diminish the nitrogen hole we all normally have that hinders optimal fitness results.
While adding protein to diets normally is an important change, simply pouring protein into our body (or water into a pail), without simultaneously diminishing the hole, is very inefficient.
Today, we wanted to teach you about nitrogen balance and give you a short time to decide whether you are improving your fitness level as much as you would like.
Tomorrow, we will talk about how to patch the hole with good protein and decide how much protein you should eat daily.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
75 Days to Change - Day Two
Day Two: Water Power
Yesterday, we spoke about the “bricks of change.” Today, the new brick, the small improvement that we will make is to drink more water. While some of you might be drinking the proper amount of water our guess is that most are not.
Since water is available to us in such abundance, we tend to overlook its importance as a critical chemical for the body. Don’t be surprised by that statement – chemists and physiologists treat water, H2O, as a chemical. In fact, water is one of the six critical nutrients for life. We read so much about the other five, (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals) that we often forget to drink enough of the sixth, water. One could argue that water is the most critical of all the nutrients since we could survive over 30 days without food but we’d die in 3-4 days without water.
We should all drink water, at regular intervals throughout the day, even when we are not thirsty. This is important due to the fact that water is centrally involved in nearly every bodily process and is the primary transporter of all nutrients. Additionally water helps maintain body temperature and is essential to carry waste material out of the body. Due to all these reasons, and more, replacing the water that is continually lost through sweating is very important. Unfortunately, most people only consume enough water to quench a parched throat, not enough to maintain health or increase fitness.
To maintain normal, adequate hydration, a simple calculation of bodyweight x 0.50 can be used. The answer will equal the amount of water a person should drink in ounces on a daily basic. For example, a woman who weighs 150 lbs, should drink 75 oz. (150 x .50) of water every day. If you are involved in strenuous activities, such as long-distance running or exercising in extreme heat, your water intake should be increased. In that case just multiply your bodyweight by 0.65.
The next question you might be asking is “what is the best water to drink”? In addition to tap water, there are so many different water filter devices and even more bottled water alternatives. It definitely can get confusing. Let us try to help.
There are many claims regarding tap water not being safe even though it is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act and city water is filtered and treated to eliminate harmful microorganisms. If you are really concerned about your tap water then have it analyzed. You can find sources for this easily on the Internet. While there are certainly more dangerous substances in the average environment than tap water, we avoid drinking unfiltered tap water whenever possible. A carbon filter system might be your best long term solution as far as cost and ease of use is concerned.
Another question you might have is regarding bottled water, is it better than tap? While this can be debated back and forth, generally speaking, while bottle water is convenient for “on the go” its value is offset when you think about the plastic container, the environment and the cost. While we sometimes drink bottled water when filtered water is not available, it is not our first choice.
The bottom line is to assess the water source you use on a regular basis, make adjustments as needed and start creating the daily habit of regular, proper hydration.
On another note, you might ask if too much water can be a problem? Yes. Before you go off and drink all your water at one sitting, it is important to note that if more than 1 1/2 gallons of water is ingested within an hour of activity it can be dangerous! The best way to get adequate supplies of water is to drink a cup or glass a few times throughout the day.
Today’s small change: DRINK THE PROPER AMOUNT OF WATER. Without the proper amount of water, your health and fitness goals will suffer.
Yesterday, we spoke about the “bricks of change.” Today, the new brick, the small improvement that we will make is to drink more water. While some of you might be drinking the proper amount of water our guess is that most are not.
Since water is available to us in such abundance, we tend to overlook its importance as a critical chemical for the body. Don’t be surprised by that statement – chemists and physiologists treat water, H2O, as a chemical. In fact, water is one of the six critical nutrients for life. We read so much about the other five, (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals) that we often forget to drink enough of the sixth, water. One could argue that water is the most critical of all the nutrients since we could survive over 30 days without food but we’d die in 3-4 days without water.
We should all drink water, at regular intervals throughout the day, even when we are not thirsty. This is important due to the fact that water is centrally involved in nearly every bodily process and is the primary transporter of all nutrients. Additionally water helps maintain body temperature and is essential to carry waste material out of the body. Due to all these reasons, and more, replacing the water that is continually lost through sweating is very important. Unfortunately, most people only consume enough water to quench a parched throat, not enough to maintain health or increase fitness.
To maintain normal, adequate hydration, a simple calculation of bodyweight x 0.50 can be used. The answer will equal the amount of water a person should drink in ounces on a daily basic. For example, a woman who weighs 150 lbs, should drink 75 oz. (150 x .50) of water every day. If you are involved in strenuous activities, such as long-distance running or exercising in extreme heat, your water intake should be increased. In that case just multiply your bodyweight by 0.65.
The next question you might be asking is “what is the best water to drink”? In addition to tap water, there are so many different water filter devices and even more bottled water alternatives. It definitely can get confusing. Let us try to help.
There are many claims regarding tap water not being safe even though it is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act and city water is filtered and treated to eliminate harmful microorganisms. If you are really concerned about your tap water then have it analyzed. You can find sources for this easily on the Internet. While there are certainly more dangerous substances in the average environment than tap water, we avoid drinking unfiltered tap water whenever possible. A carbon filter system might be your best long term solution as far as cost and ease of use is concerned.
Another question you might have is regarding bottled water, is it better than tap? While this can be debated back and forth, generally speaking, while bottle water is convenient for “on the go” its value is offset when you think about the plastic container, the environment and the cost. While we sometimes drink bottled water when filtered water is not available, it is not our first choice.
The bottom line is to assess the water source you use on a regular basis, make adjustments as needed and start creating the daily habit of regular, proper hydration.
On another note, you might ask if too much water can be a problem? Yes. Before you go off and drink all your water at one sitting, it is important to note that if more than 1 1/2 gallons of water is ingested within an hour of activity it can be dangerous! The best way to get adequate supplies of water is to drink a cup or glass a few times throughout the day.
Today’s small change: DRINK THE PROPER AMOUNT OF WATER. Without the proper amount of water, your health and fitness goals will suffer.
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