Tag: weight loss

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The Health Benefits

Proteins, these long chains of amino acids, are indispensable for all metabolic processes. Consuming enough protein every day provides a host of health benefits. Among other things, it boosts healthy brain function and learning, aids with maintaining strong bones, protects heart health, slows aging, and helps with longevity.

Boosts Healthy Brain Function and Learning

Proteins are necessary in order to make enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters – all crucial for cognitive function. The brain needs a number of amino acids to perform at its best – concentration, focus, and energy-wise.

Aids with Maintaining Strong Bones

When we eat enough protein from good-quality, whole, nutrient-rich foods, this supports the prevention of bone weakness, fractures, and also osteoporosis by enhancing calcium absorption and aiding with bone metabolism.

Protects Heart Health

As mentioned in the previous post, when we consume foods with enough protein, it increases satiety to a greater extent, along with having a minimal effect on blood glucose levels – it can actually slow down the absorption of sugar during a meal. This aids with preventing heart disease-related causes such as diabetes and obesity.

Slows Aging and Helps with Longevity

High-protein foods aid the body synthesize glutathione, the “master antioxidant.” Glutathione, found in our cells, aids with detox and with lessening carcinogens that age us.

In older adults, amino acid deficiencies can eventually give rise to eye problems like cataracts, heart problems, muscle loss, weakness, and mood changes. 

In Summary

Making sure to consume enough protein-rich foods is of primordial importance if we want to maintain a healthy body weight, increase muscle mass, support strong bones, and preserve high cognitive and immune functions. 

Stabilizing our blood sugar levels and bettering our mood go hand and in hand with keeping our energy levels up. Protein intake also impacts our heart health and how well we may age.

All you have left to do is to see how much protein is ideal for you to consume depending on your body weight, gender, age, and level of activity or exercise. And don’t forget to ask your personal physician for advice!

Until next time!

Reference

Dr. Josh Axe. “23 High-Protein Foods (for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain).” Dr. Axe, 6 Apr. 2021, draxe.com/nutrition/protein-foods/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2021.

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The Health Benefits

Eating foods high in protein on a daily basis is recommended because proteins are needed for just about every body function. Our tissues, organs, muscles, and hormones are all made from proteins. High-protein foods offer many of the nutrients needed for our body to develop, grow, and function correctly.

Consuming enough protein every day provides a host of health benefits. Among other things, it enhances muscle mass, aids with managing our weight and stabilizing our blood sugar levels, and betters our mood.

Increases Muscle Mass

Eating enough foods high in protein is needed to build and maintain healthy muscle mass, along with supporting tendons and ligaments. High-protein foods are essential for “bodybuilding” and for developing leaner muscles too.

Aids With Managing Our Weight

Protein increases satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrates do so we are less likely to overeat or snack.

Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels

When we consume foods with protein, this has a minimal effect on blood glucose levels and it can actually slow down the absorption of sugar during a meal. This can aid with preventing spikes in blood glucose, which is especially good for balancing energy levels, and keeping our appetite in check.

Betters Our Mood

Some amino acids from high-protein foods are required to balance hormones naturally and control our mood. Proteins help neurotransmitters function and synthesize hormones like dopamine and serotonin, which is good for calming us and keeping our outlook positive. As protein aids with stabilizing glucose in our blood, it also staves off mood changes, irritability, and cravings that can happen due to fluctuating blood sugar levels.

On a Final Note

If we don’t eat enough high-protein foods, we become at risk of deficiencies in certain amino acids. This can lead to numerous health issues, such as low energy, mood swings, difficulty losing weight, poor sleep, low immunity, and unstable blood sugar levels. I make sure I consume proteins every day: eggs, fish, and/or various meats including organ meats – which are so nutrient-dense! What are your favorite types of protein foods?

Until next time!

Reference

Dr. Josh Axe. “23 High-Protein Foods (for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain).” Dr. Axe, 6 Apr. 2021, draxe.com/nutrition/protein-foods/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2021.

You can also find me on Instagram.

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What about Carbs?

When I eat, I do not count calories and I do not count macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat). Strictly focusing on primal/paleo foods, I minimize carb intake while optimizing fat intake. When it comes to protein intake, Mark Sisson said, “Your appetite will guide you effectively to meet your protein requirements, just as your thirst does for hydration requirements.” This intuitive approach to eating feels just right to me. 

If one wants to lose weight, it is important to keep in mind that too many carbs will trigger a high insulin production and this will put one’s body into fat-storing mode. The Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve highlights what may be the best daily carb intake, in most cases, whether we have a few pounds to lose or for “effortless weight maintenance.” So here’s the suggested carbohydrates’ consumption range:

0 to 50 Grams of Carbs Per Day  

So few carbs a day will put one in ketosis and usually allow for quick fat loss. This might be alright for a day or two (like when doing Intermittent Fasting), but it is definitively not recommended for long periods of time for the majority of people.

50 to 100 Grams of Carbs Per Day

This amount of carbs is the “weight loss sweet spot.” Insulin production is still fairly low, so the body will be able to tap into its fat stores and produce ketones. At the same time, it is alright to eat from the whole selection of primal nutrient-dense whole foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, vegetables, and low-glycemic fruits).

100 to 150 Grams of Carbs Per Day

This amount of carbs is what works for most people for “effortless weight maintenance,” after reaching ideal body composition goals. I would say that this is when intuitive eating is king, provided there are no grains or processed foods eaten.

150 to 300 Grams of Carbs Per Day

Eating that many carbs each day will likely trigger “insidious weight gain” as insulin will have to be produced in greater quantities throughout the day. This amount of carbs can easily be reached when one eats grains and sugary snacks.

300 or More Grams of Carbs Per Day

So many carbs undoubtedly puts someone in a situation where measures have to be taken in order to head back in the right direction. Processed foods have to go!

In Summary

This carbohydrate curve is a nice help when we try to figure out what may be the next best step to reach optimal body composition. It takes time to be attuned to one’s body, especially after years of eating the Standard American Diet. But after switching to primal/paleo nutrient-dense foods, intuitive eating comes much more easily. See how your body responds to the changes you introduce. We are all unique individuals so you will have to decide for yourself what to eat depending on your daily activity levels. And of course, always consult your primary physician before starting anything new!

Until next time!

Reference

Sisson, Mark. The New Primal Blueprint : Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy. Oxnard, Ca, Primal Blueprint Publishing, 2017, pp. 414–26, 448-50.

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Why green tea?

I have recently gotten into the habit of drinking green tea in the afternoon and thoroughly enjoy it! As we all know, green tea is a very healthy beverage to drink. Green tea has been consumed for approximately 5,000 years, first in China. Last year, I purchased the book, The Kaufmann Protocol: Why We Age and How to Stop it, which has a section on EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), the main component in green tea. What differentiates green tea from black tea and oolong tea is that green tea is not fermented. The plant’s (Camellia sinensis) leaves and buds are simply brewed. Dr. Sandra Kaufmann states: “Let’s answer the big question first. Can EGCG actually help you live longer? The answer is a resounding yes….”

Green tea’s health benefits

The above book mentions green tea’s known health benefits. Among others, it has: 

  • Antioxidant qualities
  • Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Anti-tumorigenic effects
  • Weight loss effects (over time)

Also, green tea may help strengthen bones: “EGCG has an osteo-inductive effect on stem cells, meaning the cells are steered into making bone cells versus any other cell.”

And when it comes to the brain, consuming green tea helps with “learning and other brain activities…EGCG exerts protective effects against seemingly eventual age-related cognitive declines and neurodegenerative diseases.”

In summary


This is a precious beverage indeed! With all these health benefits no wonder people have been drinking green tea for centuries! A cup of tea has between 70 and 90 mg of EGCG. Right now, I consume an organic sencha green tea, but there are numerous other organic options. Matcha, a green tea in powder form, is one of them. And to get more of the benefits green tea has to offer, I also take one capsule of Thorne Green Tea Phytosome each day. (Of course, you want to check with your physician first if you decide to do the same). Maybe it’s a cup of green tea a day that keeps the doctor away. Who knows?

Reference

Kaufmann, Sandra, et al. The Kaufmann Protocol : Why We Age and How to Stop It. Kaufmann Anti-Aging Institute, 2018, p. 249-57.

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Why counting calories is not needed

We’ve heard for years that we have to burn more calories than we take in in order to lose weight. This phrase is too insufficient of an explanation. This makes us think that it doesn’t matter whether those fewer calories come from nutrient-dense foods or from junk food. In Keto Answers, by Dr. Anthony Gustin and Chris Irvin, it is stated that, “[a]s nutrition journalist and author Gary Taubes explains, obesity is a disorder of fat accumulation rather than excess calorie consumption.” So if too many calories is not the main issue, then what is triggering this fat buildup?

Why consuming too many carbs may be what keeps you from losing weight

Not all calories consumed are going to be utilized by the body the same way. It is important to keep in mind that when a food triggers a high insulin (an energy storage hormone) response, this high insulin level in the bloodstream is going to prevent the body from burning fat or in other words from losing excess accumulated fat. Consuming high-glycemic foods on a regular basis will probably precipitate this fat-storage pattern. It is also important to keep in mind that we are all different individuals with different metabolisms and genetic predispositions, so we are not going to respond to the same foods consumed the same way. Even a single individual is going to handle various foods differently as the years and decades go by. We constantly have to adjust and see how our body is responding to the foods we eat.

What works for weight loss

What we want are calories from whole, nutrient-dense foods, not from processed foods. Healthy fats are what can keep us satiated for long periods of time (especially if we want to lose weight) as mentioned in the previous blog post: What are Ketones? As a side note, Dr. Mark Hyman wrote Eat Fat, Get Thin, which highlights how healthy fats are far from being our enemy when we want to lose weight and stay healthy.

In summary

Counting calories is really not a primary requirement for weight loss. In most cases (as we are now aware), it’s having high insulin levels that can prevent fat burning and appropriate hormone balance.

Reference

Gustin, Anthony, and Chris Irvin. Keto Answers : Simplifying Everything You Need to Know about the World’s Most Confusing Diet. Middletown, De, Four Pillar Health, 2019, pp. 96-98.

You can also find me on Instagram.