Protein Builds Your Muscles and Helps Your Moods

hunting and gathering solutionsHey, I’m at the beach in Duck, NC with my family:)  There’s 9 of us in our house, plus a couple sisters and their families will be joining us for dinner every night.  Check out my What I Eat page to see how we cook for crowds and eat on vacation.

Ready for a little Daily Ammunition to eat for health and leanness?  I am!  Read on –

Protein, after water, is the #1 building block in our body; and while everyone knows we need it to make muscle cells, did you know it’s CRUCIAL for brain and thyroid function?  It is.  When we eat and digest Proteins, they breakdown to Amino Acids, like tyrosine, tryptophan, glutamine, and methionine.  There’s 21 amino acids, but infinite combinations that our body makes with them.

Our body uses tyrosine and tryptophan, among others, to produce serotonin, dopamine, and thyroid hormones (T3 and T4, the T stands for Tyrosine).  If you don’t EAT enough protein, and you don’t DIGEST well (indigestion/stomach issues signal poor breakdown and absorption of nutrients), then there’s a HIGH probability you’re not getting the “ingredients” you need to make these neurotransmitters and hormones.   Same goes for your children.

Another way to block their formation?  Diets high in simple sugars and refined carbohydrates (cereals, breads, junk foods, pastas…);  because these foods stimulate the release of Insulin, and Insulin sweeps Glucose/Sugar OUT of the blood stream and it also sweeps Amino Acids out too.   We need those Amino Acids available in the blood,  so that the brain has access to them.  Does that make sense?

Adult rates of depression and anxiety TRIPLED between 1990 and 2003.  It continues to climb.  Does that sound normal?  Studies show higher depression now than during the actual Depression.  How can that be?  It’s Diet.   The average American is eating a diet of 70% grwoing out of skinRefined, Processed, Chemical containing,  or Restaurant food.  This isn’t healthy, and the consequences are serious:  we’re up to 70% Overweight,  Diabetes has increased OVER 100% in several states since 1990;  heart disease, auto-immune conditions, cancer,  and mood disorders continue a meteoric rise.    ITS THE FOOD!!

Are you convinced, but unsure of how to proceed?  I hear that all the time, because we’ve been brainwashed since birth that restaurant food or store bought prepared foods are NORMAL and NECESSARY.  You all, that’s not true.  They’re NOT normal for our bodies, and they’re not necessary if you put your focus and attention on your diet and your families diet.   We’ve been trained to make our work, our home, and our kids schedules our Priorities.  If FOOD isn’t our priority, everything else suffers:  our relationships, our health, our kids health, our ability to be our best at work, or keep up with our home., and going back to the beginning, our mood and attitude suffers (or our children’s mood and attitude).

Decide to get organized about shopping, prepping, cooking and packing.  Write it down and stick to your schedule.   Slow roast some meats that will keep for days in your fridge, make a big salad, cut up and roast potatoes and vegetables that can either be reheated or added to other recipes.  Change your Belief System as to what constitutes a normal breakfast, lunch and dinner if your normal is starchy carbs and easy foods, even if they’re “diet foods”.  Lowfat cereals, breads, and waffles are loaded with chemicals and SUGARS that cause disease and put on weight – not take it off.  The whole “healthy grains” line, PLEASE rethink that.  How bout a 2 or 3 week experiment of going sugar and grain free? It’s easier than you’d think once you get used to it.

I took a little flak last week for comparing Pop Tarts to Cigarettes.   Have you looked at the ingredient lists for Pop Tarts?  Did you see how many chemicals are on that ?  How much sugar? High fructose corn syrup?  Food dyes?  They’re Health Bombs, half those chemicals are linked to cancer yet moms who love their kids willingly give them every day because advertising and media have made them NORMAL.  THINK ABOUT THIS.

we had that last weekThis brings me back to protein.  If you’re starting the day, (or your kids are), with refined, processed, carb-loaded/chemical loaded breakfasts, how can you possibly expect to feel alert, be productive, and have your body and brain hum like they’re  supposed to?   Want to be awake, active, and lean?  Pop Tarts won’t get you there.  (Neither will cereal, toast, or waffles.)   They’ll get you sleepy, foggy, and chunky.    Start your day with eggs or meats or high fat dairy or vegetables/fruits/nuts or seeds.  Real foods with nutrient contents your body  and brain can use.

Focus on making the connection between what you eat, how you feel and how you look.  If somethings off, it’s the food.  Overweight?  It’s your food.  Brain Fog? It’s your food.  Gut issues?  It’s your food.  Health Problems?  It’s your food.  Trust me on this.  You’re not lacking a diet soda, aspirin, Tums, a statin, or Prozac.  You’re missing the nutrients that build every cell in your body.  Change that.  Eat Real Whole Food.

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