According to the latest studies, protein is the key to not only building muscle, but also to reducing belly fat. If you are a person over 35, whether you are male or female, the curse of the belly fat could be creeping up on you. Even women who have been fit and trim their entire lives often struggle with weight gain around menopause. And the plague of the belly fat is no laughing matter. Fat on your hips and thighs tends to be more stable and less conducive to heart disease while belly fat is much more sinister, often predisposing us to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
You may have heard me talk about "high quality" protein before, but really, what does this mean? High quality protein has more essential amino acids per gram of protein. You may remember learning about this in school as a kid. I remember learning that eggs are a perfect source of protein. Why? Because they contain the full spectrum of amino acids. What other foods contain high quality protein? All of them are animal products: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, milk and dairy products. If you are attempting to get your protein from other sources, basically from plant foods, you will need to consume much more food to find the same amount of essential amino acids. Even if the grams of protein look correct, the QUALITY of that protein is actually lower, and so you should be consuming more to receive the same benefits as you you would receive from eating meat or dairy products. If you are a vegetarian, it may benefit you to look into supplementing your protein with whey powder. The brand we use is called MET-RX and contains 23 grams of protein per scoop (about 2 Tbs.) and the essential amino acids are all listed on the container in the exact amounts. Each scoop offers around 9 grams of essential amino acids. Unfortunately, this brand does contain a small amount of sucralose.
As we all know from following the Zone diet, it is important to consume protein at every meal and snack. Here are some quick protein shake suggestions you can make in your blender using protein powder. Find a brand you like, but please read the labels carefully! You are looking for WHEY protein, not soy! Your powder should contain NO ADDED SUGAR!
Frozen fruit like bananas give these shakes a creamy, thick texture. Add a little cold water if the shake is too thick to blend easily. Each shake is 3 blocks or a quick, easy meal for a small woman! I recommend a shake before a strenuous workout. Because they are essentially partially digested already, shakes move quickly through your digestive system and usually cause less nausea during a tough workout. Works for me!
Strawberry Banana Shake:
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup strawberries
1 small frozen banana
1/2 scoop (about 1 heaping TB) vanilla protein powder (This amt. will vary according to the brand.)
Mocha Shake:
1 cup low fat milk
1 Tbs. espresso
1 frozen banana
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
Almond Joy Shake:
1 cup coconut milk (from a can, unsweetened)
1 Tb. almond butter
1 small frozen banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
ENJOY! Send me your fabulous shake suggestions so we can all try them as well!
You may have heard me talk about "high quality" protein before, but really, what does this mean? High quality protein has more essential amino acids per gram of protein. You may remember learning about this in school as a kid. I remember learning that eggs are a perfect source of protein. Why? Because they contain the full spectrum of amino acids. What other foods contain high quality protein? All of them are animal products: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, milk and dairy products. If you are attempting to get your protein from other sources, basically from plant foods, you will need to consume much more food to find the same amount of essential amino acids. Even if the grams of protein look correct, the QUALITY of that protein is actually lower, and so you should be consuming more to receive the same benefits as you you would receive from eating meat or dairy products. If you are a vegetarian, it may benefit you to look into supplementing your protein with whey powder. The brand we use is called MET-RX and contains 23 grams of protein per scoop (about 2 Tbs.) and the essential amino acids are all listed on the container in the exact amounts. Each scoop offers around 9 grams of essential amino acids. Unfortunately, this brand does contain a small amount of sucralose.
As we all know from following the Zone diet, it is important to consume protein at every meal and snack. Here are some quick protein shake suggestions you can make in your blender using protein powder. Find a brand you like, but please read the labels carefully! You are looking for WHEY protein, not soy! Your powder should contain NO ADDED SUGAR!
Frozen fruit like bananas give these shakes a creamy, thick texture. Add a little cold water if the shake is too thick to blend easily. Each shake is 3 blocks or a quick, easy meal for a small woman! I recommend a shake before a strenuous workout. Because they are essentially partially digested already, shakes move quickly through your digestive system and usually cause less nausea during a tough workout. Works for me!
Strawberry Banana Shake:
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup strawberries
1 small frozen banana
1/2 scoop (about 1 heaping TB) vanilla protein powder (This amt. will vary according to the brand.)
Mocha Shake:
1 cup low fat milk
1 Tbs. espresso
1 frozen banana
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
Almond Joy Shake:
1 cup coconut milk (from a can, unsweetened)
1 Tb. almond butter
1 small frozen banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
ENJOY! Send me your fabulous shake suggestions so we can all try them as well!
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