Episode 16: Are you getting enough protein?

Welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast, where we help moms thrive in health and fame.

Hey, mommas, welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast.

Today, we're gonna unpack proteins for you.

We're gonna talk about the jobs that they have, what types there are, how to get quality proteins and variety, and just how much you really need in a day, and give you guys some practical examples to make sure that you're getting enough and that you're really setting yourself up for success with getting this powerhouse of a macronutrient.

So I like math and calculations, and we'll break this down a little bit more through the episode today.

But in general, proteins, you are gonna need about 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of your body weight.

The job and reason why you need that much is because proteins are the building blocks of muscle.

They help you with hormones and enzymes and antibodies.

And so they have really important roles.

So if we're having too little, those things will be impacted.

But there is such thing as too much.

So that's why we're gonna give you some guidelines with that today.

And we'll also unpack kind of some different types and examples as well.

I just wanted to echo what you were saying.

And just the importance of protein, because I feel like we have to understand why something is important before we even understand how to use it or have it.

And, you know, proteins are really, as you said, the building blocks.

But your body literally cannot make new cells without protein.

It's literally the foundation of your entire body.

And that even includes your immune system cells.

So as your body's like building up its immune system, or if your body is hurt, or has something that needs to recover, like protein is how your body makes itself new again.

And so if you're lacking in protein, or you don't have quality protein, it's like, what does your body have to rebuild itself?

Kelsey, did you want to jump in?

I know you have a lot of protein, that's...

I know, I was just trying to think about what I wanted to say first.

I think that...

I really like what you said, Danielle, about protein influencing your immunity.

I always like to think of, like, the more muscle you've got on your body, the better chance you've got at fighting stuff that comes your way, because the stronger your immune system is going to be.

And I think when it comes to just consuming it, there's lots of options, but it's a harder one to get in than, say, like, carbohydrates that we talked about last time.

Like, it's a lot easier to consume the amount of carbohydrates that we need, and protein, you have to just work a little bit harder.

I always tell my students, like, you gotta treat protein like it's your part time job.

You gotta treat eating it like, this is my part time job.

I gotta really pay attention to make sure that I'm getting enough, especially if I'm trying to build muscle.

So that range that Christiana gave, 1.2 to two grams per kilogram.

If you're like, I don't know how many kilograms I weigh.

I live in the United States, we use pounds.

What does that mean?

So let's just say, we'll just do a quick example.

If you weighed 150 pounds, to convert that to kilograms, you just divide that number by 2.2, and that comes out to about 68.2 kilograms.

So if you're trying to get 1.2 grams per kilogram to 2 grams per kilogram, you would just multiply 68 times 1.2, which is 82, it's about 82 grams.

And if you take 68 times 2, it's 136.

So it's a fairly big range, right?

If you weight 150 pounds, you're trying to get, what did I say, 82?

Yeah, 82 to 136 grams per day.

So if you're just listening to this, and this is the first time you've ever even thought about trying to pay attention to how much protein you're getting, just start with a smaller number, and then you can slowly work your way up.

But there's different sources, right?

I think you can get protein from animals, you can get it from plants.

If it's got all nine essential amino acids in it, it's considered complete.

So maybe we can talk just a little bit about that too.

Yeah, complete and incomplete proteins is a fun thing to talk about.

And my mind always thinks about it in like analogies.

So with having four kids, we have kids who love Legos.

And so when I think of complete proteins, those typically are from animal sources.

But we do have an example that is a non-animal source that we'll talk about.

This is like going to Target and getting your kids a brand new Lego set.

You're going there, all the pieces should be in the box, right?

The instructions should be in there.

You've got it all.

You know that you're going to get every single amino acid that you need in this one package or all the Lego set.

But sometimes that isn't an option, right?

Maybe you don't eat animal sources, or maybe it's a cost factor, because sometimes animal source proteins are more expensive.

So to get creative in using other sources.

So the incomplete proteins is like garage sale.

So you'll go to one garage sale and you'll get your package of, you know, Legos and the other garage.

So you'll get your other package, and then together you can make this amazing thing.

But you have to be really strategic in knowing what thing has this set of amino acids and what else has it.

And one of the great examples that we use, that we regularly eat in our home, because we've got kind of a mixed culture background under our house, is that beans and rice are two like garage selling amino acids, right?

And it gives you this complete package so you can build your amazing Lego set.

So having your beans, having your rice, you're getting like those, that package deal.

So that's just one example.

There's a lot more out there, but a lot of the animal sources are going to give you those.

But also one thing to be aware of is, as you're trying to reduce costs, maybe you should be aware of like if it's a leaner or fatter cut.

So we did talk about fats, you do need fats, but that's something to be aware of because they do tie closely to proteins as well.

I just wanted to follow on from that, Christiana, as you were sharing just those kind of whole food examples of protein.

And really we want to look firstly at whole food sources.

There is a lot of protein powders out there.

I was surprised when I moved back to the US, we were in the UK for nearly 10 years and seen like a whole aisle full of like nutrition bars, like protein bars and stuff.

I was like, wow, this is definitely an American thing where people are just trying to get their protein from these very actually highly processed, not, you know, may seem nutritious in ways, but it's like, where can we find ways in our everyday diet to just fit in natural whole foods that are good sources of protein?

So, you know, looking at the animal sources like eggs, chicken, fish, beef, turkey, pork, you know, also just like, and then the plant-based sources, beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds.

And once again, like Christiana was mentioning, it's like realizing that if you're going to choose like a plant-based diet, that you are going to have to do a little bit more work in researching, like, OK, I've got some amino acids here, but I need to get some more there.

And a lot of times we do run into, or I've seen at least, people not necessarily knowing how to do a plant-based diet very well, and end up with some serious health issues, because they just don't realize that like, oh, it just takes a little bit more work in planning that kind of out.

And, you know, there's different reasons that people pick that.

But I just encourage you, if you are going to pick a plant-based diet, just do a little research and find like, OK, what do I need to combine to ensure that I'm getting enough protein?

Because it's a little bit harder to meet those values that we were talking about on a plant-based diet.

It can definitely be done, and a lot of people do it well.

But it's just knowing that there's a little bit more work in that.

But I just want to encourage moms out there, yeah, we were kind of talking about, it's kind of roughly around 100 grams a day that we should be eating protein.

And those are better spread, that protein spread throughout the day.

And even in little snacks, and I used to teach classes about just finding a little bit of protein to fit into every meal, and then snacks as well.

So that can be hard-boiled eggs.

Oftentimes, I do a big batch of hard-boiled eggs and just have them in the fridge.

My kids love them, thankfully.

So it's like my quick go-to snacks for them, either hard-boiled eggs or a cheese stick.

They don't really like nuts so much, but I like cashews and stuff for myself.

So keeping those kind of things on hand to just ensure that you're meeting those protein needs.

And I did want to share one thing.

Just as we were getting ready to record this podcast, this verse came up, 1 Corinthians 10, 31.

And it says, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

And I just felt like that was just the Lord reminding us that like, you know, he knows the building blocks of how he made us.

And I actually, in my prayer time the other day, I was praying about, okay, Lord, like, what do I need to add to my diet to just help me thrive in this season?

I have four kids now.

And I actually felt like, God, just say, start eating more protein.

And I listened to that, and I've been eating more protein, and I've literally felt so much better.

I feel like my mood is stabilized more, you know, just the different aspects that you can look up of what science says about the effects of protein on our health.

Like, I've noticed that for myself.

And, you know, the Lord is so kind to, like, speak in to these things when we ask him.

And I do want to just encourage mamas out there, too.

Sometimes when we feel stuck, the Lord is so kind to just even speak in and give us a little tidbit of advice.

But I'm just glad that we also have this space to encourage mamas, just to, you know, realize that, yeah, like, protein is something that we definitely need in our every day.

And maybe just boosting that a little bit in your own life, finding ways to increase that can help you a lot.

So sorry, I got kind of on a tangent there, but.

I think that's so good.

And I just, that reminder, too, even going back to our episode on Your Body as a Temple, and it's like, what are you putting into your body?

And I even feel like that segues into quality of food, right?

Like, what are the sources that we're getting our protein, and how are they made?

How are they processed?

And just thinking about where our food is actually coming from.

And is it grass-fed?

Is it organic?

Is it not?

And I also know that there's a cost to that, too, right?

Where we have to balance that, and it's like, you probably can't afford to just like, have 100% organic everything all the time, because that's so expensive, right?

So it's picking and choosing, and that's something I try to do when I'm grocery shopping, like looking at like, where is the quality where I do want to spend a little more money?

And it usually is like on those protein sources to make sure that they're coming from a quality place.

And I always feel like, you know, with your health and especially protein, like you're gonna pay for it at some point in your life.

So you're probably either paying for it now in the quality so that your body has the building blocks that it needs, or you're paying for it later on in health care costs or medications or as your body's deteriorating because it didn't have the protein or the building blocks that it needed to survive.

Yeah, I love that.

That's so good, Danielle.

I just wanna clarify too, I think the word organic is used a lot.

And if you don't know what organic means, that's okay, we'll tell you.

But basically, if something's organic, that means that it was raised in a way, like if we're talking about animals, or if we're talking about anything else that's grown from the ground or a tree, like there was no type of pesticides that were used, or chemicals that were used to prevent...

What am I trying to say?

To prevent it from being...

Like, prevent bugs or basically viruses from getting that food, so there's no, like, artificial crap in the meat.

Like hormones and antibiotics.

Yes, fatty hormones, things like...

There's a level of, like, human waste.

There's a lot of criteria.

We should actually probably have a whole episode on, like, unpacking what does it mean to be completely organic, certified organic, natural.

That could be a really fun episode, but...

Yeah.

Yeah.

We'll add that to the list.

That's a really good topic, for sure.

I did.

Oh, sorry.

No, no, no.

No, I was just going to say, I think when you're thinking about just different types of food, right, so if it's...

Like if we're talking about animals, like for chicken, typically that is going to be like the top.

Top quality would be like pasture raised, like they're allowed to run around in a pasture and eat bugs.

And I really, I mean, I think God also cares about how animals are treated too.

And like if, you know, to the best of our ability, like to whatever we can afford, if we can buy the best quality, that's ensuring that the animals were treated well.

And even the way that they were slaughtered was humane.

And I just think that that maybe is not something that people think about all the time, but that's really what you're paying for when you pay the more expensive price.

So like if fish is wild caught, like it was swimming around in the ocean, it wasn't in a farmed, you know, in a lake, in a farm somewhere.

And like Danielle said, grass-fed meat, grass-fed beef, things like that.

So, okay, Kathleen, what were you going to say?

I love that.

Well, you actually got me on a different tangent now, because there's no...

But then there's like all these amazing documentaries.

There's this one that's my favorite, and it's this guy who really naturally farms it somewhere over in Europe.

I'd have to...

We can tag it on something so people can see it.

But anyway, he measures the quality of his farm by the health of its predators.

So actually, like a third of, I think his crops get like taken by like birds or something.

But like he can see by the health of the birds, like the color of the birds, like how good his crops are.

And like he sees that as success.

And he's like, yes, I'm growing good food.

I was just like, you know what, I love that perspective of just like, he, I don't know, he sees the whole like cycle and why it's important.

And like we've talked in previous episodes of like stewardship and stewarding our health, stewarding, you know, the earth as God gave it to us.

And so, you know, this is one way that like we can steward as well.

And I think it is important for teaching the future generations that, you know, and, and there shouldn't be guilt around that, but it's always room for growth, you know, like we talked about, this, the Beauty of Better.

It's like, okay, maybe if we can't afford to have grass-fed animals or organic every night.

So then let's have that maybe like three nights a week.

And then the other nights, we experiment with vegetarian meals.

You know, we had a season in our life.

We really, my husband and I, we didn't have kids yet, but we had nothing.

And we actually pretty much ate plant-based because we couldn't afford meat.

And so I just found creative ways, like we ate quinoa, and you know, that's a complete protein, that's plant-based.

And so you can find creative ways, like giving your income, your season of life to make it work for you, where you don't have to break the bank, but you can find ways of incorporating those kind of better quality meats.

So I just wanted to share it on that, to follow on what you said, Kelsey, I think that's important.

I definitely was going to echo that too.

I think having, our family has like at least one night a week that we still try to do like a plant-based, you know, whether it's quinoa, or doing the beans and rice, or having some type of alternate protein, I think that helps budget-wise, as well as just like, you know, balancing out, like so you're not all eating one thing.

Sometimes it's easy, just like, you know what, I got a meal plan for the week, chicken every night, right?

You know, like, but it's good to have that variety built in.

And then also just the cost savings.

I know sometimes if you can buy things in bulk, you can get a better price per pound as well, and then just freeze things.

So that's something that we've done as well, too.

We're like, okay, freezer is gonna get full of a lot of different kinds of protein broken out into these other ones, but we know it's quality, and then just kind of pull it out, or even chopping the sales and being like, okay, every couple of weeks, I know salmon is going on sale, and we're gonna get salmon this week, or we're gonna get some red meat, and just kind of make sure to have that variety.

It's one thing that we've challenged ourselves with as a family, too.

I do something similar where it's like, I'll look and see what's on sale for quality meats, and try to buy those when they're on sale, and then I have a deep freezer that's usually full of meat just to have it there.

But something else I've been trying to do, which helps later on down the road, is when I get it, I'll prep the meat.

So I'll marinate it in something, or I'll put seasoning on it, and use a gallon ziplock bag, and then put it in the deep freezer.

So then when I pull it out, it's this delicious meat that's already been marinated, that's ready to cook.

And then again, you can choose your variety, because you can look in the freezer and see, oh, this is cilantro lime, and this one is fajita marinade, and this one is this.

And just like buying it on sale, prepping it, and then having it ready to go.

That's such a great tip.

I need to do that.

I'm not good at prepping the meat.

That's awesome.

Did we want to share a little bit about like just as we age and like just even with weight management, roles of proteins and like just even just muscle, like our sports ladies, can you speak in to just even you know, because oftentimes as we age is that like muscle depreciation that results in like our metabolism being sluggish and stuff.

So, you know, for maybe mommas listening who are wanting to lose weight, can we speak into that a little bit of the role of protein maybe in weight management or?

Yeah, totally.

So, it's interesting after you turn 30, it's kind of like a downward slope, ladies, unfortunately.

You can slow the rate of the slope, that's what I always tell people, because it really does matter.

So, you lose, like you can lose several, I don't know, I believe it's like 3 to 5 percent of your total muscle mass every decade.

And it could even be like up to a percent a year, which is a lot.

And if you are trying to prioritize moving throughout your life and staying healthy and fit and being able to maintain your independence and like, you know, staying healthy so you can do things with your kids and someday your grandkids, it really, really is important to make sure that you have, that you're building muscle and that you're keeping the muscle, that you're working so hard to build in the gym, and that really ties into the protein content that you're eating.

So how much you're getting per day, right?

We go back to that 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram.

And if you can do that, it slows down that sarcopenia is the scientific word for age-related muscle loss.

But ideally, we want to slow that down, right?

So that we don't lose as much.

And you can gain.

It's not like you can't gain muscle if you are getting older.

I've worked with people who started, literally started for the first time lifting weights when they were in their 70s.

And they have gained muscle from doing that.

So don't ever think, oh, like, it's too late.

I can't change, like, I have seen people completely flip their lives around by incorporating strength training and just making sure that they're eating enough protein.

And if that's something that you're working on and that's the only thing that you track, great.

Like, that's that's probably a good thing to track if that's the only one you want to pay attention to.

Obviously, the other ones matter.

But like I said, it's just a lot harder to get enough protein.

So, and I think people under or overestimate it if they aren't really sure how much, like you put a scoop of chicken on your plate and you're like, how many ounces is that?

I don't know.

Is it three?

Is it four?

Is it five?

So what I like to recommend is just getting like a little food scale and just just like weigh it and look at it and try to get an idea like, is this about the size of my fist?

Probably.

Like it's most of the time, it's around the size of your fist, like a serving size, which might be around like four ounces of protein at a meal, which is around like 20 to 30 grams of protein.

So depending on the type of meat, depending on the cut, if we're talking about animal proteins, I think that can just be a really helpful thing.

Like, look at my fist, and then if you actually weigh it out, you can look at that and you'll get better at just kind of identifying how much you're actually putting on your plate.

Not to say that you have to weigh it, you don't, but if you are interested in doing that and kind of trying to track what you're eating a little bit more, that's, I think that's a relatively cheap, simple, easy way to do it.

So...

It can kind of help you eye, right?

Kind of like, over time, you'll see like, okay, this is how much this one is on scale, and you can learn over time, you won't need this scale, because you'll be like, oh, I remember this is approximately what this equals, and so it can help you with that.

Yeah.

I think just with your favorite and go-to things, like Greek yogurt is a favorite for my kids recently, and so they'll get out the measuring cup, and we typically get the unflavored one, and then they'll just add berries to it.

That's how they'll sweeten it.

And for them, we could talk about, like, hey, this is protein.

You need to have protein.

And just one cup of that Greek yogurt is, I think, about 23 grams of protein.

And that's great, because that's going to keep them fuller longer.

And if you can keep your kids fuller longer, then maybe they're not reaching for other items that they would want to snack on.

But to jump off of what Kelsey was saying too, I think we'll have future episodes talking about strength training and aerobic training.

And it's definitely a passion of ours here at Beauty of Better to talk about that piece.

But just to keep moving, and know that if you are moving more, we need you probably at that higher end of the two grams per kilogram of body weight.

And if you're moving less, you might need less.

But one thing I feel like we haven't really talked about is that we really don't want you going beyond that two grams per kilogram of body weight, because there are some negative health impacts with that as well that can be just overly taxing on your body.

So too much of anything is not a good thing.

So we do want to have moderation.

And the goal is growth and figuring kind of where are you at now?

Is this an area that you're deficit in?

And staying within this kind of range, because if you are increasing beyond that range, then maybe you're removing another valuable area that has some great nutrient power that you also need.

That's a great reminder.

And especially, I feel like with a lot of those trendy diets that are talked about, that we see a lot in Southern California, where it's like eliminate carbs and have so much protein, right?

Where it's like, actually, let's know the limits so that we're in a healthy range, we're not hurting our kidneys, and our bodies can function from a whole state.

So I think that's a great reminder, Christina, to pay attention to that range.

Do you guys have your favorite go-to proteins?

Something I've been taking lately, just like being on the go.

I think I already mentioned that I've been having a lot of yogurt, Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Like I'll put a little manuka honey in it, and then some fresh berries.

But I've been bringing cheese sticks to work, just so that I like can grab those and have protein on the go.

Those are my breakfast and snack go-tos.

Yeah, cheese sticks are great.

I like beef sticks, too.

And our kids like beef sticks.

And as long as they're not too spicy, they like them.

Yeah, it's hard to find not spicy ones.

Yeah, yeah.

But yeah, I believe we get our...

I can't remember the brand, but I think there's a grass-fed beef stick that we get at Costco that comes in a bigger package.

So yeah, those are those are easy, like grab-and-go type snacks.

But if we're talking about dinner, that's, I guess, a different answer.

But as far as snacks, I feel like beef sticks and cheese sticks are probably my kids' and my favorites, along with yogurt, too.

Yeah, snack-wise, I think we would be the same.

My kids love those baby bells, but the little wax things get on the floor and stuck in the things.

So that's the only annoying thing of those.

But yeah, cheese is a go-to for snacks for our kids and those boiled eggs.

And then, yeah, we sometimes just have all cooked ham or something, like a big ham or something, and have that sliced up.

And then they can just have that when it's just in the fridge or whatever, and take bits of that out.

So they like those things.

But I'm also, and I posted this on our page today, on our Instagram page, but I'm a big sardine person.

So I make, instead of tuna salad, I make sardine salad and just dip that with crackers, like whole grain crackers and stuff.

And people need to try it before they knocked it.

It's actually really good.

And it's like, one of those, it's really high in omega fatty acids and just really good source of protein as well.

So something I like worth a try.

You know, I was thinking to our eating patterns, especially in America, and just thinking of like, you know how we group foods together where it's like, oh, for breakfast, we typically have X, Y, and Z, and lunch is usually this, and dinner is usually this.

And a lot of times when I travel, I'm so surprised where it's like, we'll get like a whole piece of chicken, and rice, and vegetables for breakfast.

Like, that's what's served to us in many countries that we go to, and I'm always like, wow, this is like great protein, like to have chicken for the first thing in the morning, but I would never think to cook that at home.

But I always feel like, wow, this is like, and then always the fruits and vegetables are more fresh, and I just feel like I eat better when I travel.

I know it's true, it is a cultural thing, yeah.

Yeah.

Cristiana, what are some of your go-tos for yourself and for your kids?

Yeah, I know.

It's like you think of all the different categories, right?

So I mean, I would definitely echo some of the things that you have said.

I think on the go one that I've been resorting to is the chia seed pudding, and then just dumping nuts and berries and all kind of yummy things in there that I can eat like in the office, like in between things.

My kids have been like loving tuna recently and thinking that's great to pack in their lunch, and it's the special thing.

So I was like, hey, let's go.

This is a great source of protein, and they think it's good.

I have some kids who love eggs and some who don't, so hard boiled eggs work for about half of the people in our home.

But it is great if you're heading out the door to a soccer game or did a workout and you need to get some proteins in.

So yeah, I feel like it's kind of eclectic, and it depends on preferences a bit in our house.

But one of my kids, I asked them, and they're like, oh, I like lunch meat, so like beef sticks again.

So it just kind of depends on the day, and then also just trying to shop those sales and being like, okay, we can't have the same source all the time, so we're gonna pick a different variety for this week, and then the next week, we'll pick a different variety.

Those are a few current ones.

I love that.

I think those are all really good ideas.

I also wanna toss out, based on what Danielle said, that if it is easier to give your kids or yourself like a non-traditional breakfast food that's got protein in it, do that.

Like, sometimes we'll do...

I'll literally give my kids like a hamburger for breakfast, and they just tend to eat more in the first half of the day right now.

So I'm like, okay, if I can give them food that, you know, they're gonna just get a different variety of protein in in the morning, then they just...

Like, their behavior tends to be better, their mood is a little bit better.

So sometimes we'll do that.

We'll just do, like, very non-traditional types of food for breakfast.

But I think it's just a mental thing.

I really do.

Like, we just...

I don't know.

In America, really, we have our traditional breakfast foods.

And then if you eat outside of that, it just feels kind of funny the first few times that you do it.

But I just want to encourage you to think outside the box, if that's what works for your family and that's what your kids will...

If they'll eat it and, you know, if they're like mine, where they just tend to eat more in the first half of the day, maybe experiment with that.

And, you know, try different foods at different times.

And just, you know, pick one thing that you want to try this week, whether it's paying attention to consuming more protein yourself or trying to maybe try a different source for your family or experiment with combining like two incomplete protein plant-based sources to get a complete protein.

I think just picking one thing that you can do to get a little bit better and being aware of it is half the battle too.

So does anyone else have any encouraging thoughts before we let our listeners go?

I think that was a great wrap up, and I would just echo that of just, Mamas, we just encourage you this week to just take one small step.

And it's okay if it doesn't look like the social norms.

And it's okay if it's trying something new for breakfast, or being aware of your protein intake, or figuring out how to calculate that, if that's your next step and your next goal.

But just be encouraged that you are taking steps, and we are cheering you on.

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