Nutrition & Exercise: Protein

On Friday, I talked about the importance of carbohydrates in the diet of someone who exercises frequently. Carbs provide the main source of fuel for athletes, and are absolutely necessary for optimal performance. However, protein is also very important.

The role of protein is to build things that our bodies need to run efficiently. Protein creates enzymes, hormones, lipoproteins, muscle tissue, connective tissue, red blood cells, and immune system cells. Proteins are the building blocks of all of our cells and are used to build muscle during strength training and repair muscle after a hard workout. When we consume protein, our neurotransmitter and hormone production increases, which enhances our performance.

Protein also replenishes our hemoglobin, which is a protein found in red blood cells. Hemoglobin binds to oxygen and transports it during exercise so we can breath more easily. If we don’t consume enough protein, we will be unable to replenish our hemoglobin and it will be more difficult to get oxygen during exercise.

About 20% of our muscle tissue mass is made up of protein, particularly the parts that are responsible for muscle contraction. If we are not consuming enough protein, it will be difficult to maintain muscle mass and the muscles we do have will not work as efficiently as they could.

There are two types of proteins: complete proteins and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, and can be found in foods such as eggs, beef, poultry, fish, quinoa and soybeans. Incomplete proteins are missing one or more amino acids, and can be found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils. Since complete proteins are most likely to be found in animal food sources, it is very important for vegetarians to eat a varied diet. This will help ensure they are receiving enough of each type of amino acid so they can get all the benefits from their proteins. I recommend getting your protein from a whole food source rather than a protein powder whenever possible. Protein from whole foods is more bioavailable to us, and will be more efficiently used within our bodies.

Tomorrow… the importance of fats for athletes.

Weight Loss: Understand Your Body

When I wrote about the weight loss case study I was doing for my Weight Loss class, I received so many e-mails from readers volunteering to be my experimental client. This made me realize how important weight loss is to so many people. The class is very interesting because we talk not only about the standard approach to weight loss (burn more calories than you consume each day), but also the holistic approach. The holistic approach takes into account each person’s biochemical individuality, recognizing that a diet that works for one person may not work for another.

I want to provide you guys with some information on weight loss, so those that are interested can start to understand the entire picture better. I believe that in nutrition, education is key. When someone understands what certain foods are doing to their body, they are better equipped to make decisions about their health and lifestyle.

• The body must have glucose to fuel red blood cells and the central nervous system. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, which is necessary for life; the central nervous system is basically our brain. Glucose comes mainly from carbohydrates. So, those who eat a no-carb or very low-carb diet may feel great for a few weeks as their body starts to lose weight, but once all their stored glucose is used up, they may start to experience low energy, cloudy thinking, fatigue, and other things.

• We OBTAIN energy from macronutrients: fats, proteins, carbs. We are able to actually USE the energy because of the micronutrients: vitamins and minerals. This is why a varied diet is so important!

• Overweight people tend to store fat more efficiently. They contain a higher amount of a certain enzyme that promotes fats storage in the body. Men tend to have this enzyme concentrated around their midsection, and women have more of it around their chest, hips and thighs. After weight loss, this enzyme’s activity actually increases, which is partly why it’s so difficult for people who lose weight to keep it off.

• Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Therefore, muscle increases our resting metabolism, helping us to stay leaner. This is why strength-training exercises such as pilates, yoga and weight lifting are so important. Over the past few years, I have actually decreased my aerobic exercise (mainly running) and increased my strength training, and I have noticed huge differences in how I look and feel. But, that doesn’t mean aerobic exercise is not important too – it’s very helpful for weight loss. Both can work together to create a healthy body.

• It takes the stomach 20 minutes to tell the brain that it is full. For this reason, some people say that putting your fork or spoon down between each bite, and chewing thoroughly and slowly, is an important key for weight loss.

• Being underweight is just as dangerous as being overweight, as far as what it does to your body.

• 10% of the calories we consume at a meal are used for digestion of that meal. So, if we eat a 500-calorie lunch, 50 of those calories are burned up as our body works to digest that lunch.

I hope some of you find these things interesting and/or helpful. The weight loss picture is so much bigger than calories in vs. calories out. Once people start to understand all the different components of weight loss, I believe they will have an easier time adjusting their eating habits and will be able to feel good about the healthy changes they are making for their body.

Wheatgrass

Last week I was grocery shopping at Vitamin Cottage (follow them on Twitter here), and the first thing I saw was wheatgrass for sale. I was intrigued – I’ve seen wheatgrass shots at juice bars, but I’ve never used it myself. I have a rule that every time I grocery shop, I try to buy something a little bit new or obscure, so I get experience cooking all types of veggies or meats, or try new fruits or spices. So, on that particular day my new item was wheatgrass.

When I got home, I placed it on my kitchen windowsill. Along with the 70-degree weather we had last week, the wheatgrass looked very “springy” and I loved having it there. But after a few days I decided it was time to face it.

So, I cut off a chunk one morning and put it into our smoothie, along with a banana, some kale, frozen cranberries, pomegranate juice, flax meal, almonds, and coconut water. To be honest, I couldn’t even taste the wheatgrass.

The next day I tried juicing it. I did my first wheatgrass shot! It tasted fine – but keep in mind I’m a girl who is used to “green” drinks (and I’m not referring to the green beer that was served a last week in honor of St. Patrick…).

So my next question was this: what is the wheatgrass doing for me? It’s pretty safe to assume that any green vegetable has health benefits, but I like to know exactly what those are. So I did some research. Here’s what I found out:

• Wheatgrass is full of vitamins A, C, E, K, and B-vitamins. It also is packed with chlorophyll, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and manganese. Chlorophyll helps prevent damage to genes and therefore protects against diseases such as cancer. Wheatgrass also contains many amino acids and is a good source of protein.

• Wheatgrass detoxifies the blood, organs and GI tract. It dilates blood pathways, with helps with circulation and decreased blood pressure. It also is a very alkaline food and therefore acts as a detoxifier of our blood and also our liver. It repairs damaged cells and creates a cleaner environment.

• Wheatgrass also stimulates the thyroid, which aids in digestion and metabolism. This is beneficial for weight loss and overall health.

• If you juice wheatgrass, the actual juice can help with skin rashes, sores, cuts, burns, and even athlete’s foot. It is full of beneficial enzymes that aid in quick healing, whether the healing is on your skin, inside your mouth or in your digestive system.

Are you sold yet?! I am. It was about $3 for my little plot of wheatgrass, which lasted for 3 smoothies/juice shots. Next time you are shopping at your local health food store, look around to see if they’re selling wheatgrass. Or, head over to a juice bar and order a shot to take before drinking your smoothie.

You can also purchase wheatgrass powder, but don’t forget the power of whole foods. Any type of protein powder is not considered a whole food, and therefore nutrient absorption will be affected. I stick with the whole foods, but I know some people really rely on protein powders in their diet, and if you are one of them, then wheatgrass may be something to try.

Pineapple

After Christmas, I spent five days on the beach with my Nana and 28 other relatives. Not a bad way to start out the new year! And although we all probably had one too many alcoholic beverages, each one came with a fresh, healthy slice of pineapple.

Pineapple contains bromelain, which contains many enzymes that help with digestion (no wonder those piña coladas went down so easily!). Bromelain supplements are even used to treat things like clogged arteries, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis and parasites. The high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants in pineapple make it a great fruit for anyone, particularly those with joint pain, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes or asthma. And if anyone is feeling a cold coming on, grab a pineapple: it has the vitamins you’ll need to boost immunity and fight off sickness!

High levels of manganese in pineapple (over 100% of your daily value) will help boost your energy, and the B vitamins in the fruit are good for metabolism (remember, you need B vitamins to metabolize!). Pineapple is a very alkaline food, meaning it will help balance out all those acidic foods we just can’t seem to avoid: coffee, sugar, meat, milk, bread…

Eat your pineapple fresh. I scoped out the beach bar on my vacation early in the week to make sure they were slicing the pineapple fresh each morning (they were!). Fruit begins to oxidize as soon as it is cut and exposed to air, so try to slice it as close to eating time as possible. Also, I’d stay away from canned pineapple. Canned fruit is usually resting in sugary syrup, which increases sugar and decreases vitamin and mineral content. Fresh is always best; but if that’s not possible, try to eat either frozen or pineapple that is stored in natural pineapple juice rather than syrup.

So next time you find yourself parked on a white sandy beach soaking up your vitamin D, grab a drink with a side of pineapple. And if that’s not a realistic scenario for you, try to incorporate pineapple into your diet in other ways, such as shrimp and pineapple skewers on the grill; adding pineapple to your smoothies or yogurt, or (my personal favorite) pineapple pizza!

Enzymes, Part Two: Digestion

(Read Part One here).

It’s a few days after Thanksgiving, and you’re hungry. You make yourself a simple turkey sandwich with the leftovers. Bread, turkey, lettuce, maybe a little mayo or mustard. You sit down and take a bite…

Before the turkey sandwich even hits your lips, your digestive enzymes start working. Just the thought of a juicy, leftover-turkey sandwich begins to activate the enzymes in your saliva, called amylase. Amylase is contained in everyone’s saliva and is the first enzyme utilized in digestion. It breaks down carbohydrates while you chew. The more you chew your food, the easier it will be to digest your meal, because you are allowing the amylase to get a good start on digestion before the food even hits your stomach. Occasionally you may take a bite and swallow it with only a few chews. This bite will be difficult to digest because the amylase did not get a chance to begin the process in your mouth.

You may notice that when you eat a cracker or a slice of bread and chew it thoroughly, it begins to taste sweet. This is because the amylase in your saliva is breaking down the carbohydrates into their component sugars inside of your mouth. Try it! If you taste the sweetness, you know you are chewing your food thoroughly, which is a good thing.

Now back to your turkey sandwich…

Your bite travels down your esophagus into your stomach. It lands in the hydrochloric acid that should be in everyone’s stomach (Why? Read about it here). Your stomach releases protease enzymes that, along with the hydrochloric acid and your stomach muscles, further break down the protein from your bite of turkey sandwich. Lipase is another enzyme found here that works to break down fats. If you have plant enzymes in your stomach (from a fresh veggie or from an enzyme supplement you’ve taken before your meal), these will also begin breaking down that bite of turkey sandwich. All of these enzymes work hard to break down your food for about an hour before the food travels on to your small intestine.

Once inside your 20-25 foot small intestine (it lies right behind your belly button), additional enzymes are enlisted to further aid in digestion. Your intestine lining and your pancreas will excrete some enzymes that begin to work on that turkey sandwich. If you have digestive issues such as yeast, food allergies or inflammation, the enzymes in your small intestine can be affected and you may start to experience discomfort (gas, bloating, cramping, etc.) at this point in the digestion process.

Once the small intestine enzymes complete the breakdown of your food, the nutrients are absorbed into your body. This includes vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Anything that is undigested will then enter your large intestine (which is actually shorter at only 5 feet long, but is much wider than the small intestine). Here, water is removed from the undigested food, turning it into solid waste. This solid waste is then excreted appropriately.

Without sufficient enzymes in each step of this process, you will experience digestion problems. Pain or discomfort after a meal could mean you do not have proper enzymes to break down your food, or a healthy stomach or intestinal environment in which these enzymes can work. This is where supplementation comes in. For some people it is helpful and even necessary to take enzyme supplements with each meal.

So next time you dig into a turkey sandwich or juicy burger, chew slowly and thoroughly. It could be the difference between a stomach stuck doing somersaults and a stomach that is calm, full and satisfied!

Can't you just see the amylase enzymes activating in Teddy's mouth as he is about to bite into this bacon cheeseburger??!!

Enzymes: An Introduction

Next week I am going to talk a little bit about enzymes and the critical role they play in our overall health. Today I just want to introduce these things that occur by the thousands inside of us.

Enzymes act as catalysts for every chemical reaction inside our bodies. This includes everything involved in digestion and metabolism. Enzymes can be reused many times - they cause a reaction and allow a desired output to be created from a specific input. However, the enzyme remains unchanged in the process. Enzymes make reaction rates millions of times faster, allowing us to continue digesting food, eliminating toxins and wastes and creating energy on a daily basis. A body with no enzymes cannot survive.

Enzymes can be made inside of our bodies and also found in the foods we eat. I am sure you have heard of the "raw food diet".  Those who follow a raw food diet do so, in part, to obtain optimal amounts of enzymes from the food they eat.  While enzymes occur naturally in raw foods, they are killed when that food is cooked or processed. When we don't receive enough enzymes from our food to catalyze the reactions inside our bodies, we draw these necessary enzymes from our organs which can then become unbalanced. When our enzyme supplies are low and enzymes are not functioning properly, we may experience digestive issues, increased fat deposits, poor circulation, cardiovascular problems, and other health disturbances. A deadly illness can be caused by the malfunction of just one of your body's 3,000 enzymes.

Some raw foods, such as all nuts and seeds and some lentils, peas and beans, contain not only enzymes but also things called enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors neutralize some of the enzymes our bodies produce. These foods contain enzyme inhibitors to prevent them from sprouting prematurely. If you experience some stomach discomfort when you eat nuts and seeds, this may be why. There are ways to deactivate these enzyme inhibitors prior to consuming these foods, which can really aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Since it is not realistic for most of us to consume only raw foods, many people supplement their enzymes daily. There are different kinds of enzyme supplements available, and they are used by some people with each meal to aid in digestion, and by others to treat diseases like cancer and arthritis.


Enjoy your weekends and try to consume some raw foods with each snack or meal! Monday I will elaborate on the digestive enzymes and exactly how they work inside of us.