More Evidence Your Protein Needs Have Increased

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Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) 0.8gms of protein/kg bodyweight is the amount necessary to offset negative nitrogen balance. That amount should be the MDA, or minimum daily amount according to protein experts like Stewart Phillips, PhD, FACSM, FACN, professor at McNaster University. Nothing at that level should be recommended and you’re aloud to eat much, much more. In fact for older adults and for athletes especially there are benefits to consuming more than the RDA.

Your Protein Matters

A recent study by Heather Leidy, PhD. At the University o Missouri, did a 12-week study of protein level at breakfast effects on fat gain. Subjects who ate 35gm of protein at breakfast were compared to those who ate a normal breakfast and a third group who skipped breakfast. The intakes were kept constant at breakfast every day for 12 weeks. Those who ate the high protein breakfast prevented fat gains compared to those who skipped breakfast. A normal breakfast did not prevent fat gains. Further, those who had the high-protein breakfast reduced daily hunger and resulted in voluntary reduction in daily intake of about 400 calories. A simple dietary strategy of a high protein breakfast can be a weight management tool. The timing of protein is as important as the amount. A high-quality breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the key. Especially important is the amino acid Leucine. Two years ago I published The Protein Report, outlining it’s importance and you can read more about it here. Evidence is certainly pointing to more protein. Experts joining in to voice the need for increased protein in your diet not at the exclusion of other foods but as a crucial part of active aging. Breakfast today influences not only your weight tomorrow and next year but your independence in decades ahead. WHAT IS COLLAGEN? WHAT IS BONE BROTH? HOW DOES THIS WHOLE ANIMAL NUTRITION HELP YOU? Your grandmother (or mother) used to save the carcass of the turkey for soup after Thanksgiving? She made beef stew not by buying the chopped meat at the store to toss in the crockpot, but by cooking it for hours on the stove. We think fashions have gone retro. Our younger generations are going to think it’s normal for nutrition to come out of a container in powder. While foods used to provide an abundant amount of collagen our modern day foods have removed it from our diets. Whether you’re interested for the beauty, performance, or joint and bone health benefits, collagen is getting attention. My friend, Kellyann Petrucci recently authored The Bone Broth Diet. A book with the word Diet on it is a seller. Kellyann’s is a NY Times bestseller. Collagen is a protein. It’s the most abundant protein in the body. It makes up all the connective tissue. That includes:

• Skin (70% of skin is made up of collagen)
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• Bones
• Skeletal muscles

Like many things with aging the production of collagen begins to slow. In the presence of specific amino acids, your body’s own collagen production can be stimulated. Knee Joint Comfort: Move Over Glucosamine and Chondroitin? In 250 subjects with osteoarthritis given 10g of collagen peptides daily for six months results showed a significant improvement in knee joint comfort. Those with greatest knee joint deterioration benefited most. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 2009 How do you take it? Powdered collagen needs to be “bloomed” in a small amount of cold water. Then it can be added to a hot liquid including your morning coffee, or stirred into a serving of hot soup. Taken this way it’s easily digested and you won’t taste it. Rather eat your collagen? Bone broth is a big hit for that reason. You can sip on it like you would tea or water. Drink 2 cups a day in order to see real results. Doing News to new users:  if it cools it gels. It reminds me of my grandmother’s glass of Metamucil to some degree, though no, there isn’t a correlation between purpose. But a good collagen-rich product gels when it sits cold. So when you “bloom” the powdered version, get it into the hot liquid right away. If you make soup, I learned the hard way it’s best to add a single serving of the collagen or bone broth to the soup or you have jello-soup that isn’t a hit if anyone else happens to be in the kitchen. The healing properties extend to skin, bones, joints and to gut health. If you’re troubled with gut issues and digestive complaints it may be another reason to try it (consistently for at least a couple months). For more information about either powder or broth: www.vitalproteins.com www.drkellyann.com

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Have you tried bone broth daily? Are you using collagen powder? Share your experience.