Achieve optimal protein intake: Best Protein Foods and Muscle Monitoring

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, Registered Dietitian, and this week’s topic is Achieve Optimal Protein Intake with the best protein, foods and muscle monitoring. So last week we kind of talked about the basics of why protein is so important and how it impacts your body. And this week we’re really just highlighting more of how to monitor if you’re truly getting what your body needs outside of blood data. But then we’re also talking about the types of protein foods that are going to provide the best tools and resources and raw material for your body to thrive.

Understanding Protein and its Benefits

(00:52):

A lot of people understand the importance of protein. I don’t think this will be too complex, but I will dig into some of the specifics of choosing quality protein and complete proteins, but then taking it a little bit deeper because yes, you want your blood numbers of protein to be adequate and in range, but one major thing that you’re trying to accomplish with consuming protein rich foods is muscle sparing. So how do you know if you’re truly able to optimize that as well as maintain normal amounts? So we’ll get into how do you monitor your muscles and the feedback that you can get from that that can tell you, Hey, maybe I do need a little bit more protein. Because even the lab data, and I don’t know that I mentioned this last week when I talked about the protein, but the lab data is not perfect.

 How To Choose A Really Good Protein Source

(02:07):

So it can be influenced by fluid fluctuations. So that makes it complicated. If maybe you’re dehydrated and not maintaining your hydration status consistently, that could influence those numbers. Whereas utilizing some type of monitoring system a few times a year would truly give you some good feedback on am I losing muscle and what do I need to do about it? And that would go outside of just your food, but it requires the food piece with the exercise piece, and it gives you real good feedback when you have these monitoring that can assess how well you’re truly doing with your protein intake. So let’s kind of dig into this whole gamut of protein and how to choose a really good protein source and how to monitor how well it’s impacting your muscles. So we know that proteins contain amino acids and we know that there are 20 different amino acids.

Complete, High-Quality Protein

(03:25):

Nine are essential that your body does not make. And this is where it’s super important to make sure you’re getting those essential on a daily basis so that you are maintaining your protein stores. So what is a complete protein and a high quality complete protein? So a complete protein refers to the proteins containing all of the essential amino acids. Those are the ones that your body doesn’t make and they’re super important to lots of functions in your body. Your body can synthesize the other non-essential amino acids, which is why they’re considered non-essential because your body can put different amino acids together to make that non-essential. So the essential ones are the ones that your body can’t utilize the other non-essentials to make the essential, if that makes sense. So you have to get it from your diet and not all proteins are equal. And there are a variety of animal-based and plant-based proteins that can fall in this complete category.

So Are There Differences In The Quality Of These Essential Amino Acids?

(04:42):

And when you think of complete protein sources, these are the ones that you will want to make sure that you have one of these at minimum in your diet on a daily basis. So if you are going through this list and you’re like, okay, I’m good at this. I do some of these proteins on a daily basis, you’re likely going to be doing a good job getting what your body needs of these essential amino acids. So are there differences in the quality of these essential amino acids? And the answer can lie in a very, I would say, controversial area. And when I look at it through the lens of nutrition, I look at it through the lens of the benefits that it can provide you. So when I think of the animal proteins, I rank them a little bit higher than the plant proteins, the complete, and when it’s dialed down to just the complete proteins.

Where the grass fed and grass finish meats come in

(05:48):

So there’s complete plant, there’s complete animal, I kind of like the animal a little bit better and have a belief that all of us need a little bit of animal protein in our diet on a regular basis to sustain all of the nutrients that our body needs. It’s just an easier way because some of the plant complete proteins don’t contain some of these other benefits that the animal proteins do. So let’s kind of take a step back. When you’re thinking about animal proteins, what are those that would be like beef, fish, poultry, any of the dairy proteins, lamb, all of that is going to encompass an animal protein. So anything that comes from an animal is considered a complete protein. Now, you can go a little bit further when it comes to the quality and that’s where the grass fed and grass finish meats come in.

Significance of Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Meat

(07:03):

And I just want to take a little time and explain and. Explain this piece of the importance or significance of a grass fed and grass finished meat because it can enhance your nutrient profile by consuming these. So now I will preface this to say that, hey, I grew up on a farm. My dad would do grass, he would do grass fed, but he would do grain finished. So it was not a hundred percent grass fed, grass finished. So what that means is, and this is what a lot of farmers would do because it’s very economical if you have the pasture land. If you have the pasture land that all of your cattle can graze on grass, then it costs you nothing because you’re not doing anything extra. But the one thing I would say that my dad would always comment on is that he liked to grain finish because it was so lean that you had to add some oil to cook it.

What about winter time?

(08:20):

So he felt like the flavor profile was different and it was just not as tasty of a product that he felt a little bit of grain was needed to increase that fat ratio. So again, that is from by family’s farm perspective, and I buy both. I buy grass fed, grass finished, I buy grass fed, grain finished, I will buy both. I think getting in that grass fed and grass finished meat rotating that in is a good thing. And here’s why. Because when you are allowing this animal to graze on the grass that’s available, and one thing that you could be thinking is, okay, what about winter time? What do they consume when there’s no grass to be seen on the ground because of the snow? And that’s where the hay, like when the farmers cut all the hay, and that is where they will feed it during the winter.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: 

(09:35):

They take all these big round bales or big square, huge big size of a small electric car. That’s what feeds the animals during the winter. Again, that’s how they can maintain that grass fed grass finished year round. And again, it is economical to the farmer. It just the end product is very different, but they do find that grass fed and grass finished beef does have higher amounts of the omega fatty acids. And again, omega fatty acids is great for inflammation. It supports your brain health, it helps your heart health. There are benefits of having adequate omega fatty acids. One study did show that the impact of omega fatty acids. Specifically DHA and EPA on the synthesis and breakdown of skeletal muscle proteins and the research suggests that omega three supplementation may enhance muscle protein synthesis and reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting muscle growth and repair.

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid): 

(10:53):

So again, you’re getting that extra, let’s say raw material in your beef. When it’s grass fed and grass finish, you’re going to get some omega fatty acids from that product. So it’s a great way to get that extra nutrients by just spinning a little bit more at the grocery store. Or if you have a farmer’s market that you can go to even better. I know around here we have a website and it is a company that has connected the farmers to the consumers. 2020 really ramped this up and allowed the farmers to go right to the consumers. I can have farm fresh produce, meats, eggs, anything delivered right to my house or to a central pickup location. So again, find out in your community what is available to you and you can get it direct from the farmer and that you’re cutting out the middleman.

Lower Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio: 

(12:01):

You’re not going to the grocer where they’ve had to truck it from who knows where, and it’s been in coolers and they cut things and pluck things and harvest things sooner so that it will allow its time to make its way from one side of the country to the other. So anytime you can get something from a local farmer, you’re going to get a higher quality product because of that. Now we can step back and say, okay, now a lot of these big farms will ship right to your house. So that’s great too in the aspect of I think, I think they have something where they ship meat right to your house. I think there’s a seafood company that does the same. So any of those options are great options and you are going to get a higher quality product and get extra With the omega fatty acids, they additionally have antioxidants and micronutrients, so they have zinc, selenium, vitamin e, a beta carotene, all of these vitamins and minerals are elevated in some of the grass fed, grass finished meats.

Antioxidants and Micronutrients: 

(13:23):

So again, I think the more you can step back, look at pricing at your local store and say, okay, could I do this round? Or maybe if they have sales, you pick those up at that time and the rest of the time, maybe it’s not grass fed, grass finish, it just says grass fed. So if it is both, it will say both. If it says grass fed, then it’s grass fed and grain finished and you’re going to have a little bit more fat marbling in the meat. So again, you find what works for your family. But again, I do think there is value in it. What about the benefits of wild caught seafood and farm fresh to wild caught hands down, I would always pick the wild caught. Doesn’t mean I would never eat a farm, farm raised type fish, but they’re missing out on some of the qualities that you get from a wild caught seafood.

Benefits of Wild-Caught Seafood

(14:32):

And again, when you step back and you look at the animals grazing and living in the wild, that is their natural habitat. That is how they maintain a healthy existence. And when we mess with that, that really just alters the benefits in a way that you may not really even understand. So the wild caught seafood does have higher amounts of omega fatty acids. Of course you’re going to have a good protein quality and a lot of these wild caught in the smaller level. So when you go into these small seafood canned seafood, that’s when you’re going to get lower contaminant levels. So I think a lot to consider when you’re making choices. Here’s how I approach it. I do the best I can the majority of the time and I never put pressure on myself to maintain this standard at all costs because my mental wellbeing of not having to go to five different stores just to get a specific brand or food product or availability and it’s just not worth it to me.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

(16:08):

I think my body can handle some of these things fine and not, I don’t have to get super concerned. And I know the camps, the natural world camps, I love them and I get frustrated with them at times because in essence this whole food fear of, oh, you should never eat this or you should never eat that is very counterproductive. I would never say don’t buy conventional raised vegetables or regular ground beef. I want you to have vegetables, fruit, and protein. And if you can do the grass fed and the grass finish, awesome. If you can do organic produce, awesome. If you can’t, awesome too, you are going to be okay. And it’s one of those things that you have to just start slow, pick your battles, know your boundaries and let it roll off your back because you can get caught up in some of this stuff that is just overwhelming and just creates a lot of fear that now you’re afraid to eat a non-organic banana or a non-organic berry or whatever, just soak your berries in some vinegar water and it’ll be fine.

Protein Quality: 

(17:51):

And I think that’s where you’ve got to understand that there is validity to this information. So I’m not downplaying this, I’m just telling you that sometimes your mental wellbeing and the stress of feeling like, Hey, I have to do all these things and that’s holding me back from hitting my health goals and keeping me sick, unless your healthcare team has given some specifics, I would not worry so much about that. So let’s take the approach of general wellbeing. Healthy bodies and our bodies can handle a lot and does handle a lot. So when you have the opportunities to minimize that, you minimize it. If you don’t, that’s okay too. You can support your body in different ways that doesn’t impact your budget. So these low contaminant levels are when it comes to the mercury that can be found in seafood and just the different waters that they swim in, it does impact what they have in their meat.

Low Contaminant Levels: 

(19:06):

So if you can choose a wild caught seafood, it is great to choose that over a farm raised because of the additional health benefits with having the omega fatty acids and just a really good overall protein quality with low contamination levels now. So what’s better the plant or animal proteins, because plants have really, really been ramped up in their importance. And I would say the best way to look at this is we need both and you need a lot more plants than most Americans are consuming, but I say that with animal proteins are still important too. And one study compared animal and plant proteins and found the animal proteins are more easily digested, so they’re more readily available for amino acid synthesis. However, modified plant proteins enriched with essential amino acids were found to digest and absorb similarly and according to the study, animal and plant proteins reduce the risk of age-related diseases like sarcopenia, which is muscle loss, highlighting the importance of considering the overall health impact of the diet rather than the isolated nutrients.

Incomplete Plant Proteins

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Vegans who don’t consume meat for protein can also choose from many other options. So I’m not trying to convert you from a vegan or a vegetarian that doesn’t really do many animal products. I’m not trying to convert you, I’m just saying you have to be very intentional. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian to really hit those numbers. Personally, I believe life is easier when you include a little bit of animal protein in your daily diet so that it helps meet all of these protein and vitamin mineral micronutrient needs that is otherwise super complicated to get when you’re a vegetarian or vegan. I would say more strict, very, very strict type of vegan or vegetarian. So what about incomplete plant proteins? So plant-based diets, of course are very popular and for good, good reason because we need both. Your body needs the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, the antioxidants, the polyphenols, that animal proteins do not provide those, so you have to get them from the plants.

Complete Plant Proteins

(21:58):

So I think what occurs though is that people, they rely on the wrong type of plant sources. It’s the pre-made prepackaged things and they’re truly not making quinoa rice, they’re not making sweet potatoes, they’re not making these plant-based foods, they’re buying sweet potato chips and counting those as a plant. So not really the same in quality or delivery to your body, and that’s where you have to just really challenge yourself. But incomplete protein or plant proteins are still good and are helpful. So here’s how I approach it. So say you have an incomplete plant protein, say like beans, they’re not a complete protein with rice. Those make it a complete so you don’t have to do it at the meal, but during the day, as long as you’ve had some complete protein. So that’s why I say at least once a day have a meal that has an animal protein in it and it will help with all of those incomplete plant proteins so that you can have those amino acids available to make everything that your body needs or to have everything there so that those incomplete plant proteins can be utilized because you have the complete proteins available.

Some Complete Ones

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So some complete ones, I’m going to go through these quinoa, spirulina, amranth, chia seeds are all great complete protein sources and provide a variety of different benefits from each of ’em. Quinoa is going to have some good fiber. Same with amranth, which is really very similar in texture. It’s just like a tiny piece of rice and they’re a great way to have some additional protein at a meal. Personally, you have to keep in mind that it’s going to take twice as much quinoa as it would a piece of chicken or beef or lamb or pork. All of those would be more volume, which I think for bariatric patients it makes it complicated because your belly space is so limited. Spirulina is this blue-green algae and it is a complete protein and you can actually add it to smoothies, juices, or any types of drinks that you’re doing.

Healthy fats

(24:54):

It does turn it kind of a green color, whatever you’re making, but it is a complete protein and you could add it to things to boost the protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, it’s going to have all of that and in an abundant way, chia seeds, that one to me is so easy. Healthy fats, protein, fiber, it’s great added to smoothies and yogurts and puddings and even your water. So again, it’s something that helps hit your goals and it’s kind of doing a couple of things. That’s why I like doing the proteins that also have fibers so that it can be a multipurpose type of product. So if you’re thinking about, okay, now what about my muscles? I need to protect my muscles. Maybe you your forties and your fifties and you’re trying to kind of ward off or reverse or repair the damage or the muscle loss that has occurred, especially after bariatric surgery.

Best Protein Foods for Muscle Building

(26:09):

I’d say a lot of patients lose muscle from that as well as some of these GLP one medications. I’m seeing that as well. So what are your best resources for building that good muscle tissue? And that of course is those animal proteins like beef, chicken, fish, Turkey, pork, eggs, yogurt, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempe. Those are all great sources of protein that can give you the essentials so that you can help maintain and hopefully even go up on your protein stores. And some of you might be thinking she hasn’t talked about protein powders, what about protein powders? And I am not against protein powders, and I mean at certain times protein powders are your best option, especially right after bariatric surgery. You are going to need a protein powder because you can’t physically fit in enough animal protein or plant proteins complete. So we’re talking about the complete proteins. You can’t consume enough volume of these physically, so that’s why you need the liquid protein shakes. So there’s nothing wrong with doing protein powders, but the goal is that you work your way out of protein shakes and bars as you progress with the diet. So you don’t want to get stuck on, I just drank protein shakes and eat protein bars during the day and I eat one meal that is not sufficient. And that that makes it complicated because there’s so much that goes into that.

Your Food Relationship Disordered Eating, Why Are You Not Eating Food?

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You question your food relationship disordered eating, why are you not eating food? Is there a tolerance issue? Do you have a stenosis? Do you have an ulcer? What’s going on? Why are you not eating food at your meals? Protein supplements are intended to be supplements, not meals. So that’s where you can’t get confused. So yes, at the beginning you utilize these protein shakes, but as you progress, they should be getting less and food should be getting more. That’s where you have to question yourself, what am I using? What am I doing? And why am I relying on this? I have no issues. If you did a protein shake once a day and you still had consume three meals, have no issues with that. Some people truly need that.

Why Is There Some Tolerance Issues That Is Causing This?

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I just have issues when I have patients that will come to me and they’re not eating much food at all except maybe one meal and the rest of the meals are shakes or bars. And one, you’re not even coming close to meeting your calorie needs by doing protein shakes and bars so low in calories in comparison to what a meal would be. So that’s where you have to dig a little deeper and find, okay, what’s going on? Why is there some tolerance issues that is causing this? So whole food protein sources are my first pick and would definitely steer you in that direction and finding as many foods as possible to get you the nutrients that you need. One study found that individuals consuming whole food proteins gained significantly more strength and muscle mass than those consuming protein supplements. So again, more evidence that whole foods are going to be your best sources and that’s why you should work your way out of the protein shakes and supplements and rely mostly on whole real food.

Protein Powders:

(30:36):

The whey protein isolate is usually the most highly absorbable, highly tolerated, it is animal-based. And so if you’re vegan, vegetarian or you have some intolerances or allergies to the proteins in dairy, then you may not tolerate it. And I do have patients that cannot tolerate it because of the proteins and it’s not the lactose because whey isolate protein is 99% lactose-free. So it has nothing to do with the lactose for the most part, but those proteins, you still have those casein proteins that could contribute for some people. So again, I think you have to personalize this. And if you can’t do the whey protein isolate, then do a pea protein. And that’s what our plant protein is. It’s a pea protein, a complete pea protein that’s in the low FODMAP category. So it is great for those individuals who have digestive issues. It’s less likely to cause GI problems when you utilize this protein powder.

The Superiority of Whole Food Protein Sources

(32:00):

So it’s our organic revive plant protein. So it’s a great resource for somebody who wants a complete protein but has digestive issues or is vegan vegetarian or has some intolerances to dairy foods that the way isolate has not always worked great for you. That would be my second best option. So let’s talk about monitoring your muscle. In essence, we need to protect our muscles and we know as we age that our muscle mass goes down. So if we’re talking about maintaining adequate muscle mass as you go through life cycles and different phases of life, protecting that muscle mass is step one. And if you start early, that puts the odds in your favor. If you start in your thirties and forties with this mindset when you get in your fifties, then when you’re losing muscle more rapidly in your fifties, but even more 60 and beyond.

How Can You Monitor? How Can You Gauge Where You Sit?

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So you have to get things going in your forties and fifties if you truly want to protect your muscle because what they find is the age-related sarcopenia, it is really hard to gain that muscle tone back and that muscle mass, that lean muscle mass that is so easily lost, it is really hard to gain it back without being super intentional. So how can you monitor? How can you gauge where you sit? And this is where monitoring with different devices and one of them is a bioelectrical impedance analysis or a BIA. And this measures your body impedance by sending a low level electric current through the body estimating the lean muscle mass and your body composition. There are several benefits to this BIA because it can, one, it’s super simple, it’s quick and it’s pretty easy to do. I do this at my doctor’s office.

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA):

(34:36):

She recently changed. So some examples of this is like the InBody and the BODpod. You can Google these you InBody, I N B O D Y and then BODpod B O D P O D. And you can say InBody near me or BOD pod near me and see where there’s an office that you can have this done. And what this will do is really just where you’re holding onto a machine and the current goes through your body and it measures your muscle mass, your water and your fat mass. It’s a great way to truly monitor progress and to determine how well you’re doing with your current regimen. So let’s say that you were kind of on a, I’m getting a routine down and I’m new to strength training or resistance training. Maybe you’re shifting your proteins, fats and carbohydrates and you want to make sure that you’re truly getting what your body needs.

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA): 

(35:58):

This would be a great way. Last week we talked about the blood tests to do and that’s great, but this is truly focusing on the muscle. We are evaluating how well your muscles are responding to your exercise, all the activity and movement that you do, but then also your dietary intake of protein, how well it is serving your muscles. Are we providing enough through your diet and are we providing enough through your activity that we are lining up and meeting your needs? So a bioelectrical impedance analysis or a BIA is a great way to evaluate this. The top one really is a DEXA scan. I would say the negative is it’s more expensive. So you can get these BIAs cheaper. You can usually do BIAs at gyms. Some doctor’s offices may have ’em. I know that in our non-surgical program when I was at the bariatric center, we had a Tanita scale and that was used and it’s another BIA that could be used.

DEXA Scan

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And really, as you’re losing weight, what are you losing? Are you losing muscle or are you losing fat? And again, that is a way to know. So if that’s something that you are working towards, then especially if you’re doing some of these GLP one medications. Oh, I would definitely get a BIA find someone who is local to you that has an InBody, a Tanita scale, a BODpod, something that can measure your muscle, your fat and your fluids, and assessing that at least a couple times a year, maybe more if needed. But the DEXA scan is really the most accurate and it’s measured by using X-ray that determines your lean muscle mass, your bone mineral density, and your body fat percentage. So the drawback, again, like I said, is the cost. So you’re going to get a BIA cheaper than a DEXA scan unless I guess this sounds awful. But if you’ve met your out of pocket and this is something that your insurance covers, then I guess that would be the time to do it.

Skinfold Measurements: 

(38:41):

At least it would be assessing it the most accurate way. And if you’ve never had a DEXA scan, especially as a female, this is something you should be doing to get a baseline. I think I had my first one at 35, maybe I think 35 was my first one. So I will have that data. I have those to look back on to watch my patterns and trends and that’s good information to know what I’m doing is working or not. And do I need to pivot and address my bone health or do I need to address my muscle? All of those things matter. You can also do skinfold measurements, and that’s with a skin caliber. Gosh, I remember back in college learning how to do this. I would say this is rarely used. Most places don’t do this, in my opinion, human error. It is harder to do unless you’ve done thousands of them, you’re probably pretty good at it.

keeping This Real And Simple, Just Do Your Own Body Measurements

(39:51):

But for most of us who didn’t do it that often, it’s easier to make mistakes in my opinion. And it’s only truly given you one set of data. It’s not. You can’t measure the fluids. We’re really just measuring the fat and the muscle to know the difference. You can also keeping this real and simple, just do your own body measurements. And the only drawback with that is is that you really won’t know. If you’re losing fat or muscle because you’re just measuring basically your shape. Which is good, but it doesn’t always guarantee that what you’re measuring is just true fat loss. It could be that you’re measuring, you’ve lost the muscle as well because you’re just measuring inches. And then strength progression. Now this would be good if you compared this with your body measurements, if you assessed your strength. So if your doctor does those hand grip tests or some type of strength assessment or even a trainer kind of assessing that. That would be good in combination with the measurements.

InBody and BodPod: 

(41:20):

Lastly, as photos, of course photos can really give you the visual and let you see. But I would say sometimes with body dysmorphia that sometimes is complicated. And maybe not as easy to utilize as a tool. And again, it doesn’t really tell you are you losing muscle, are you losing fluids, are you losing fat? What are you losing? Because that stuff does matter. So what can you do to optimize your muscle mass and. Balancing it out so that you maintain strength, your mobility? I mean, think long-term. What do I need to do? What do I need to be able to do? I think of things like I need to be able to get myself out of bed. So I still need to have some core muscles. I need to have some strength in my arms and my legs. I need to be able to go to the bathroom by myself, be able to cook on my own.

Additional Muscle Monitoring Techniques

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So I need to be able to have the endurance to stand in front of a stove, in front of the sink to do my dishes. All of these things matter. And this is why you want to maintain your muscle mass. And again, protein foods help you maintain this resistance and strength training help you do this. So make sure that you’re consuming adequate protein. And this is we’re working with a Registered Dietitian, your bariatric team, a healthcare professional. Well, I won’t even just say a healthcare professional. It needs to be a Registered Dietitian in most states that’s truly giving you those macros. Please don’t get this from your gym trainer. This is out of scope for them. I would just go with your best option of using your bariatric team or get your hands on a Registered Dietitian or CNS A certified nutrition specialist. They are equally trained like RDs because just putting someone on a high protein diet does not.

Body Measurements:

(43:57):

Yes, anybody could do that. Okay, we can all agree that anybody could say go on a high protein diet. What happens if you’re someone who gets kidney stones, gout? You have high uric acid levels and it’s going to tip you into gout or kidney stones. Just taking that advice from a trainer or just from a nutritionist who’s taken a certification course, they’re not assessing that. They’re not asking for that lab data because that’s not their training. They don’t have five years of training in nutrition and the science and the whole body. Again, use your bariatric team because you will have access to a Registered Dietitian. If you don’t have a Registered Dietitian, reach out. I’d love to work with you. Be happy to work with you and guide you in the right direction because it matters. And if you want to optimize your results, then make sure you’re getting a licensed professional that is practicing in their lane.

Strength Progression: 

(45:07):

So protein, you need to consume enough protein rich foods from complete protein sources, plant or animal or a combination of both. You need to think about post-workout nutrition. So after you workout, you should be consuming no less than 20 grams, preferably 30 to 40 grams. If you’re a female, it needs to be 30 to 45 minutes after that workout, that intense workout. So not after a walk or a yoga session unless the yoga was hot yoga or other more intense yoga. There are some Pilates can be hard as well, and you’re really work in muscle. So you would want a protein rich food. Again, definitely no less than 20, but for my females, especially Peri and menopausal females, I want you hitting 30 grams of protein minimum and it needs to be 30 to 45 minutes after the workout. And then so if you are doing resistance training as well, so if you want to optimize your muscles. This is what we’re talking about, you’re going to make sure you get adequate protein, you’re going to fuel your body immediately after the workout and you’re going to do some type of strength or resistance training because this is what’s going to preserve and rebuild muscle.

Body Fat Percentage: 

(46:44):

So again, something that is super important and needs to be highlighted more. Again, the next one is stay hydrated. Hydration is super important and especially when it comes to maintaining your muscles and just your overall health. Hydration is key. And then of course rest. You can’t go too crazy on the workouts. But then also, so you need rest between workouts. Especially if you’re a menopausal female and other people, depending on what you have going on. It may be contraindicated to be working out every single day. You might have to build in rest days. And some of those rest days can be walks. So that can be considered a walk. So you can do something every day. You just can’t do something intense every day. So making sure you get adequate rest so that your muscles can recover and support you well. But then also you think about the sleep piece, you have to rest and sleep for that repair to occur.

Strategies to Optimize Muscle Growth

(47:57):

So if you’re not sleeping at night, that matters. Because you’re not going to have that window of time to actually repair. Let’s wrap this up. So protein is essential for your lean muscle mass post-workout recovery and just your overall health and consuming complete high quality protein sources from animal and plant food sources. Provide all of the essential amino acids to support this lean muscle tissue. And although protein powders can supplement your protein intake, whole food protein sources, provide. The additional nutrients that you may be missing just from protein powders. So if you want to monitor what your efforts are doing for your body and that lean muscle tissue. That is what you would want to consider doing A BIA DEXA scan or some type of assessment like that. So that you can truly monitor. Are you losing muscle or are you losing fat?

What Are You Losing?

(49:11):

Are you losing fluids? Or if you’re on that weight loss journey, what are you losing? And then we can pivot to make sure that you are meeting your needs more appropriately. So this is why it’s so important to work with a skilled practitioner like myself and any type of Registered Dietitian. Especially on your bariatric team. Because they truly can have the skills and the resources that you need to get to that next level. And to support you during a weight loss journey, maintenance phase, any phase of or season of life, they should be skilled. And if not, if you find that your team doesn’t have all the resources. Or maybe they don’t have enough time in their day, reach out. I’d love to work with you. Our gastric health membership is a great place to land and a great place to get the tools and. The resources that you need and the ability to actually work with someone who’s been in this industry for. I’ve done weight loss for

Conclusion

(50:26):

27, 28 years now, and is something that. I definitely take very serious and have a passion for helping people with. So I hope you guys have enjoyed this topic. I know it’s maybe pretty simple, but yet you learned something with some of these monitoring systems. That could maybe help you understand a little bit more about your body. And help you meet your goals a little bit quicker. So you guys have a great day and we’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.

Listen, Learn, Enjoy…

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