The Importance of Protein

Have you ever found yourself wandering around the house ... opening the fridge, then the cupboard, then the fridge again?  You're hungry, snacky ... needing something to eat.  Snacks usually come in the wrong forms.  Chips, crackers, candies, sweets, cookies ... these are all quick and easy to grab and fill the munchy-need.  However, they don't really meet the need that your body is trying to communicate.


When your blood sugar drops, don't settle for a carb or sugar snack. Its best to keep your blood sugars balanced with PROTEIN.  They say when you are craving sugar, you really need protein (and this goes for pregnant women as well!)  Amino acids make up proteins.  Linked together, these amino acids are the building blocks for all your cells.  Your hair is made of protein, your nails, your muscles, organs, etc.  Amino acids are also used to make hormones and enzymes.  Imagine how many amino acids are necessary to allow optimal health for your body!  
Proteins are found in many sources.  Nuts, Meats, and Dairy (cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, milk, kefir) are the largest common sources.  In America, we tend to get protein, but perhaps not from a variety of sources, and not the right amounts.  If you find that you are not getting a variety of protein, you may be lacking some of the building blocks needed to produce the necessary hormones or enzymes in your body.  When an enzyme is formed, it is made by stringing together between 100 and 1,000 amino acids in a very specific and unique order. Amazing! What an incredible amount are necessary to make up 1 enzyme!  And you need enzymes in order to break down and digest your foods.  

 There are 22 amino acids which make up proteins - 9 of which are essential amino acids.  Nine standard amino acids are called "essential" for humans because they cannot be created from other compounds by the human body.   It is so important to get all 22 amino acids into your body, and in an assimible,  digestible form!


Many people have added protein shakes to their diet to help meet this need.  However, not all shakes are made equally.  When looking for a good supplement, take into consideration the following:

  • How many amino acids are in the shake?  It should have all 22 amino acids to be whole food.
  • Proteins should be readily assimible.  Proteins are hard to digest, so a shake needs to be more readily bioavailable.
  • It should be from a human food source. (I avoid all soy sources other than NeoLife as 90+% of soy produced in America is Genetically Modified.  That's a topic for another day!)
  • It should not contain more grams of sugar than protein!
  • A serving should not have more than 15-18 grams.  (Lots of body builder proteins have excessive amounts of protein.  But, your body can only digest about 15-18 grams at a time, so this makes for difficult elimination.)
  • What else is in the shake? Look for harmful preservatives or fillers that are unnecessary.  Look for synthetic nutrients that are ADDED or "fortified."  Look for other common GMO ingredients like soy, corn, canola, soybean oil, etc.


We love our NeoLife shakes!  I have begun drinking my shake first thing in the morning!  This helps my blood sugar right off, especially when my metabolism is running better.  I wake up hungry!  If I wait until kiddos are up, chores are done, breakfast is ready, etc ... it's typically been over 2 hours and that's way too long!

 By 4:00 we are all ready for another boost to get us through until dinner. Little ones have a hard time making it more than 3 hours between meals - especially when they are super active, like our kids.  They burn calories so FAST!  We've found shakes at this time of day is the best way to keep them nourished (with very little mess as well). 

 NeoLife has several shake options, though our favorite is the NeoLife Shake (Vanilla, Berry and Chocolate).  These shakes are complete meals in and of themselves and are also used in the NeoLife Weight Loss Program because of their blood sugar balancing behavior in the body.  In every shake you are getting 18g of protein combined with the ideal amount of natural sugars to keep the blood sugar from spiking.  There are also several vitamins and minerals in the NeoLife shake making it a nourishing meal and supporting the body's other systems.


Believe it or not, we mix the protein powder with just plain water or ice and it's SUPERB!  However, if you'd like extra calories or carbs, try one of these recipes below.

 The PB Choco Banana (Chocolate shake, frzn banana, Peanut Butter)
PB Banana (Vanilla shake, frzn banana, Peanut Butter)
Berry Shake (Vanilla shake, frzn blueberries, strawberries, marionberries, or other berries)
Peaches 'n Cream (Vanilla shake, frzn peaches, yogurt)
Hawaiian Delight (Vanilla shake, Coconut Water or Milk, Pineapple chunks, Mango chunks, yogurt or kefir)
Strawberry Tang (Vanilla shake, frzn strawberries, goat milk kefir, honey)
Strawberry Lemonade (Berry shake, juice from 1 lemon)


Wyatt loving his shake!
Its amazing, as a mother, to realize how much protein we all need.  When I was pregnant with my first child, my midwife did a "Protein Calculation" for me to show me how much I should be consuming.  I remember finding it difficult to get that much protein.  But, our bodies do require so much!  Children (especially active ones) burn off calories so quickly.  If lunch is just PB & J, imagine how desperately they need protein by the afternoon.  Their bodies are constantly growing, muscles being used and needing repair, every cell duplicating itself.  The necessity for protein is HUGE!


Athletes find that protein shakes are a great way to repair the muscles after workouts.  NeoLife protein is a wonderful way to provide the body with all that's necessary to restore the body after muscles have been torn through exercise. Interestingly enough, athletes can also drink the NeoLife shake BEFORE an event or workout without experiencing typically side-effects.  That's because the NeoLife shake is so highly digestible.


Our Marionberry goat milk NeoLife protein shake
There has been a link between a lack of protein in the diet and ADD.  Children who regularly consume protein for breakfast and throughout the day are less likely to show signs of hyperactivity.  Their bodies are able to function and they are able to focus and learn better.  Sadly, a typical breakfast for school-age children consists of cold sugar cereals or carb-loaded bagels/muffins/pastries.  Many NeoLife parents like to do protein shakes for breakfast along with the children's supplements.  This is a great idea for on-the-go lifestyles.  Right now, our family loves eggs and potatoes for breakfast.  We are consistently consuming 40 eggs and 6 potatoes every morning, and often a large pot of oatmeal with all the fixin's (raisins, coconut, honey, and goat milk).  Sometimes lunch is the quicky meal, and then we always look forward to our shakes at 4.  I know that everyone is getting good nourishment, thanks to NeoLife!