protein 101

It is common knowledge that there are major health differences in frozen, canned, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  In that same way, not all protein is the same.  Because my focus this month is to eat intentionally by adding a daily protein shake to my lifestyle, it gave me a great opportunity to learn more about this protein and discovery why it stands out among the rest.

Why a protein shake?
It was pregnancy and now nursing that got me thinking protein.  I was aiming to consume 100 grams of protein a day while pregnant, and most days I barely hit 80-90 grams.  I found myself eating fatty cottage cheese, drinking glass upon glass of whole milk, constantly chowing steaks, and consuming eggs by the dozen just to meet my goal.  It was after gaining 60 pounds during pregnancy that I started to wonder if there was a healthier, more convenient and budget friendly way to consume an adequate amount of protein.

Why so many ingredients?
A common theory in the new whole foods / organic health movement is to stay away from foods with more than 3 ingredients or ingredients that cannot be pronounce, and because of this thought I was initially turned away from the idea of protein shakes.  However, the more research I have done the more I have learned that many of the huge words listed on my canister of protein are really active enzymes and life-giving, scientific based ingredients that add to my body and health.

What do I look for in protein?
I have recently been taught to check out the first 2 and last 2 ingredients when shopping for protein.  The beginning usually shares the content (soy, whey, etc) and the end usually reveals if artificially sweeteners have been used.  When talking protein, I have learned to stay away from soy and artificial sweeteners.

Why Isagenix protein?
While I am not a scientist, I will list my five favorite facts about the IsaLean shake, from the perspective of a non-expert.  I will also reference the articles that share the scientific stuff as there is no need for me to regurgitate all of that.

1. digestive enzymes which I can literally feel working in my body after enjoying a shake

2. gluten free and artificial sweetener free

3. nutrient dense calories make for a complete meal replacement, meaning I actually feel full after having a shake

4. 100% grass-fed New Zealand whey protein
Why choose whey from New Zealand, hormone free cows? 

5. 24 grams of undenatured protein 
Whey Protein Concentrate: A Brief Summary

Because we are on a tight grocery budget, I made sure to do my research before investing in protein consistently.  In my studying I have discovered that most proteins are full of empty calories, estrogens in soy, or artificial sweeteners.  And because I found a protein that is so complete, I have given myself permission to spend money on it each month.  The money we spend on this protein replaces other unhealthy, fatty, empty calories we used to consume.  Investing in my body and health in this way has been worth every penny.

Myth: All Protein is the same 

How much does Isagenix protein cost?
While there are a few different kinds of protein available through Isagenix, the standard IsaLean shake I consume daily is just under $3/meal.  A canister of 14 shakes is $40.  I buy two of these a month, which is $80/month for 28 meals.  In all of my budgeting and meal planning, I have not found a deal as good as this.

Check out the fruit from the investments we have made in our health this year.

add something good

I am a major snacker.  I could snack all day long.  I actually snack more mentally than anything as I think about it throughout the day.  And while this snacking is not necessarily a danger to my physical health, it is often meeting an emotional need.  I tend to snack when I am feeling bored, overwhelmed, nervous, unproductive, or lonely.

Because of that I would like to nip this bad habit.  Not to lose weight nor eat less nor cut calories, but to stop using food to medicate uncomfortable emotions.

As I seek to snack less, I want to try a new approach because being so restrictive and cutting out all snacks feels too rigid.  I have been rigid and restrictive in the past and it has only reinforced a dysfunctional food relationship.   Again, food is to nourish not to indulge nor restrict for emotional outlets.

So this time, rather than focusing on subtracting the bad, I shift to focus on adding something good to my lifestyle as I pursue holistic health.   My hope is that this will naturally sift out some of the unnecessary excess.

Adding a daily, healthy, complete meal replacement protein shake is one seed I can sow into the overhaul of my eating habits while simultaneously reframing my relationship with food.

My daily shake consists of:
2 scoops of IsaLean Shake Protein Powder 
    *24 grams undenatured protein
    *8 grams dietary fiber
    *23 vitamins and minerals

1 scoop Isagenix Greens!
    *naturally spray dried and cold pressed greens 
    *antioxidant-rich ingredients like ginkgo biloba leaf, green tea extract, & grape seed extract

8 ounces of water and lots of ice

Again, the whole point of this pursuit is to bear much fruit.  I am hopeful that this month's challenge will bring me one step closer to living a healthy, God-honoring, balanced life. 

July: Intentional Eating

One of my consistent and daily prayers for my sweet Eden is that she will have a healthy relationship with food, and as I have thought about what that means I continue to come back to the foundational concept that the primary purpose of food is to nourish our bodies.

End of sentence.

Not to create an emotional experience.  Not for pleasure nor creativity nor comfort nor fellowship, although cooking and enjoying an incredible meal can certainly create those wonderful and good experiences.  But in the end, food is primarily for nourishment.  It was literally life-changing when I took on the challenge of buying all of our groceries at Trader Joe's.  This cut out so many of the chemical-filled, unnecessary, unhealthy, emotional-eating snacks my family and I had come to crave.

So this month I am going to continue to engage in intentional, purposeful, mindful eating in a format that will build on some of the habits I have already established.  This could also be called a maintenance month as much of this will be review.  Sometimes maintenance can be a bit boring because it is literally putting one foot in front of the other again and again and again and again... and again and again and again and again.  As mundane as this may seem, the ability to consistently maintain a habit long-term is literally the line that divides the people that like to try new things from those who actually bear fruit.

Habit: While I began this intellectual experience in May with Make Eating Sacred, much of what I am going to do this month will be a continuation of this idea as I seek to be present as I eat, slow down, and listen to my body for signals of fullness.  I will be especially in tune to how my body feels AFTER eating a certain item as I seek nourishment rather than the pleasure that often is only present during the initial eating experience.  I will also be more intentional in my menu planning, looking for foods that will nourish my family.

Challenge: I will continue eating 5-6 small meals a day, as I began in March in hopes of Increasing my Energy.  Specifically, one of my five small meals each day will consist of a protein shake.  This will not only provide my body with an incredibly nutritious and consistent meal, but also help eliminate some of the mindless and emotional snacking along the way.

This will also give me an opportunity to share about these shakes that I have come to crave as they offer so much more than just a nutritious and satisfying meal.  

living water

I have thoroughly enjoyed my month of feeling quenched.  Taking my water drinking to the next level has made a significant impact on my body and health.  I hope to continue drinking my suggested number of ounces daily as a new part of my lifestyle.

Why not, right?

But beyond literal water and physical thirst, I have enjoyed the spiritual parallels much more as water is a biblical concept as it both cleanses and quenches our spirit man.

1. Water cleanses.

While searching for scripture connected with the concept of water, I ran across this well articulated thought: Water not only sustains our bodies, but also is an integral part of our spiritual lives.  The Bible is rich with images of water that symbolize new life, cleansing, and the fulfillment of God's promises.  

Just like water cleanses my cells and allows my body to operate in health, I need this same cleansing experience within my spirit.

2. Water quenches.

The fourth chapter of John shares a story which contains a life changing truth.  "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the [living] water that I give them will never be thirsty.  The [living] water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.' "  -John 4:13-14

In the same way that our bodies are sustained by physical water, our spirits cannot thrive without Christ.  It has been during the painful seasons in my own life of perpetual darkness and unexpected loss that I look back and testify to this quenching of my soul as I have been satisfied in the deepest and most intimate places by this living water.

Because although physical thirst is worth avoiding as it leads to physical death in the most extreme situation, spiritual thirst risks far more eternal results.  Only the living water Jesus offers can cleanse my being and quench my deepest thirst, satisfying my soul both now and for all of eternity.

When I grab for my Nalgene, may it remind me to also reach out for the Living One whose water is always available.

photo credit 

drink all day

It has been harder than I would have thought to drink my suggested number of ounces of water each day.  Of course the first few days I was super motivated and drinking water all the time, but then the more life picked up, the more water I had in my bottle around 7:00 at night.  When I should have been winding down I have been having to gulp it down, keeping me up running to the bathroom all night.

Often when I attempt to create a new healthy habit, I simply forget.  In this situation the issue is not that I do not like water nor that I do not want to drink enough to stay hydrated, but I just forget.  And then I remembered that I am making a choice to successfully implement this new habit into my daily life and therefore I must address this issue of forgetfulness.

So to solve my water drinking woes, I have made a list of practical ideas as to how to increase water consumption:
1. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, with each meal, and before bed
2. Put post-its on the refrigerator and bathroom mirror with the reminder to DRINK!
3. Make it taste good: use a filter, try bottled water, ice herbal tea, add lemon or lime or berries
4. Invest in a water bottle and bring it with me everywhere I go
5. Set a phone alarm each hour as a reminder to drink water
6. Get friends and family drinking water- just seeing others grab for their water bottle reminds me to do the same
7. Study and learn.  The more information I learn about the positive benefits of hydration, the more motivated I become.  This poster shows that drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the human body.  After learning this new information, I am more likely to remember to take a few gulps around these specific times of day.

New information continues to fuel my desire to live a healthy lifestyle.  

This reality that I create my lifestyle by my habits continues to motivate me as I seek to maintain the other healthy ways of living I have sought to create this year. 

just one thing

I have been a wonderful mix of overwhelmed and excited to learn SO many things about health already this year.  I am approaching the half way point in this 12 month pursuit and look back to see how many life changing lessons I have learned as I have sought to implement 6 healthy habits into my life thus far.

Ask God for help.
Value my body.
Increase energy.
Exercise.
Make Eating Sacred.

And now, drinking water.

All for the fruit to bless this little cutie pie.

As wonderful as it has been to learn, it has also been overwhelming as these have been six months full of new information, intentional pursuits, and patience as I continue in pursuing fruit through healthy habits.

And while I believe each of these 12 habits I will implement this year are important, if you are seeking health with me and could only commit to making one practical* lifestyle change, DRINK WATER.  If the ONLY lifestyle change you make is to replace other liquids with water, drinking enough daily to fully hydrate and satisfy your body, this will drastically improve your health.  Even just this one thing can produce incredible fruit in your life.  

*Asking God for help is the foundation of this entire pursuit as we can do nothing apart from Him and that has proven to be insurmountably most effective and life changing.  

Think about how a shower cleanses our skin, washing away impurities and dirt.  Regardless of how dirty you get throughout the day, a nice shower in the evening will clear away all of the grime.   In the same way, drinking enough water to keep your cells cleansed will enable your body to function at maximum energy and strength, JUST through hydration.

Check out all of these other physical benefits that come with drinking water.  I found this image on the blog of a mom who took on the challenge of switching from Diet Coke to water, and now 2 years later is still enjoying the fruit of this lifestyle change!

Not only is the fruit worth the lifestyle change of switching over to water, but why not?  It is free, readily available, easy to maintain, and a great place to begin.  It produces notable changes in short periods of time.  This fruit is holistic.

Maybe you can't afford to buy healthy foods or are unmotivated to exercise or have no desire to make major changes your lifestyle; this one change of drinking water is worth making and even in isolation can drastically improve your health.

Just try it and watch for your body's response.

why not?

Throughout this past week of consistently drinking half of my body weight in ounces of water, I have already noticed benefits!

-I have more mental clarity and physical energy.
-My skin feels more moisterized.  Even though my husband laughs at me about this one, I promise it is true!  This was actually the first thing I noticied the morning after starting this new habit.
-I feel more full and therefore satisfied throughout the day.
-I experience better sleep at night.

This drinking water thing has given the quickest and most noticeable results of any other healthy habit I have created this year.  

Even though I love water, I know a few people who do not.  When those people ask me why to drink water, my response is why not?

1. We NEED water. It is interesting that we could physically go days or even weeks without food but in 7 days our body would literally shut down without water.  God created our bodies with a need for this life giving liquid.

2. Water is healthy.  Our body is 2/3 water.  Just like a shower cleanses away the dirt on our skin, drinking water cleanses our cells inside our body.  Water bathes our cells in life supporting fluids, and these cells are able to function at their peak when given enough water.  Water helps energy transfer throughout the body.

3. Water is free.  Most other drinks contain calories and cost money, while water is free of both.  How much money would you save if you only drank water for a month?  What other foods could you enjoy if you saved some space in your daily calorie intake for life giving foods rather than liquids?

While I do enjoy the occasional glass of milk and my daily bowl of cereal, most of my liquid consumption comes from water.  And I actually crave water.  Our bodies crave what we consistently feed them.  I am convinced water is an acquired taste, similar like coffee.  Any coffee drinker who has pushed past the initial taste aversion now craves a morning cup, and I am confident that it is the same with water.

Why not take on the challenge of drinking half of your body weight in water for just this one month and noting the effects in your body? 

In just one week, drinking more water has given me more energy to play with my precious little cutie.  I am excited to experience more fruit from this habit!