Tag: amino acids

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choosing collagen

Choosing Collagen

 You may have heard that collagen is something that benefits hair, skin, nails, or joints and choosing collagen can be a challenge. All true!

Collagen is a type of protein that’s vital for youthful-looking skin, and you need it for strong muscles and tendons.💪 However, your body’s ability to make collagen declines with age.😟 All of this is why we like supplementing with collagen.

If you’re curious, here are the key things to look for when choosing collagen as a supplement.

Collagen Product Checklist

  •  Does it have all 9 essential aminos? The 9 essential amino acids that your body needs to support protein synthesis are phenylalanine, valine, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, leucine, and lysine. These are important building blocks for all proteins, including collagen. But collagen by itself has only 8 essential amino acids, so aim for a collagen product with all nine.
  • Does it provide collagen types I and III? There are at least 28 types of collagen, but the most abundant is type I, which is found in your skin, joints, bones, tendons, and all over your body. Type III is a collagen protein found in your skin that decreases with age. So you’ll want both type I and type III in your collagen supplement.
  • Does it have vitamin C? Your body can’t effectively produce collagen without vitamin C. It aids in collagen synthesis and helps protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Your body can’t produce vitamin C on its own, so you’ll need it in your diet or your supplement.
  • Does it include biotin? Also known as vitamin B7, biotin is another nutrient that can help support healthy hair, skin, and nails. Also, biotin deficiency has been shown to lead to hair loss and skin and nail problems. So make sure your collagen supplement has this one.
  • Is the source grass-fed? Most collagen supplements come from animals, so it’s best to choose a product that is sourced humanely and sustainably. For bovine collagen, choose one that is grass-fed and pasture-raised. This means that the animal was raised humanely and fed only grass so that it’s as close to their natural diet as possible.
  • The most complete collagen product is Shaklee Collagen-9

🤔 Looking for something that checks all the boxes?

If you want a collagen product that’s sustainably sourced and contains the key nutrients above, check out Collagen-9™. Collagen-9 includes the missing amino acid that makes it a complete protein. With 10 g of collagen per serving, plus 100% DV of vitamin C and biotin, it might be one of the best things you add to your nutrition routine.

There are 3 options for Collagen-9:

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optimizing your protein intake

 Optimizing Your Protein Intake

Did you know there are 5 ways to get the most out of protein in your diet?

🍲 Quantity

We learned the basics of how much protein we need earlier. By aiming for at least 20+ grams at each meal and snack, you’re off to a great start at optimizing your protein intake!

🏆 Quality

Quick refresher: Proteins from animal sources are considered high-quality as they contain all nine essential amino acids. Other than soy, pistachios, and pea protein, most plant-based sources are not complete but can still meet your protein needs as part of a diverse diet that fills in missing aminos through daily variety.
Now let’s look at three other ways to get the most out of your protein!

🍚 Pairing

Better together. A little magic happens when you pair certain proteins and foods. For example, eating grains with legumes (like rice and beans) can provide a complete set of aminos. Whole wheat bread and peanut butter also make a complete protein together. Plus, eating protein with other nutrients like fiber-rich vegetables can improve digestion and nutrient absorption while optimizing your protein intake.

🐟 Variety

Your body benefits from a diverse protein intake. Don’t limit yourself to a few old standbys like poultry, meat, and dairy. Mix it up with fish, seafood, and plant-based options like beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. Each source offers a unique blend of amino acids, the building blocks of protein your body needs to function properly.

🕒 Timing

Spreading your protein intake throughout the day can help you build and maintain muscle mass and support recovery. It also helps keep you feeling satisfied and less hungry throughout the day. This is why we’re aiming to eat plenty of protein at each meal, rather than eating it all in one meal. 
Another thing to consider is incorporating more protein as you snack. Here are some great protein snack suggestions to optimize your protein intake…
🌟 Tip: Anytime you eat a snack, pair it with a protein source. This not only ups your protein intake, but it’s also better for quelling hunger and keeping blood sugar levels balanced.
Here are some great examples:
Greek Yogurt + berries
String cheese + cherry tomatoes
Hummus + carrots
Cottage cheese + peaches
Almonds + strawberries
Hardboiled egg + cucumber
Nut butter + apple slices
Shaklee provides even easier grab-n-go high-protein snacks:
  • Life Shake is one of the best high-protein snacks. It has over 20 grams of protein!
  • Shaklee Meal Bar is what I love to grab when I need something quick. They’re perfect to stash in your car, desk, backpack, or purse. These chewy bars keep me feeling satisfied with 20 g protein and 6 g fiber. They come in three tasty flavors.
Do you see a way you could optimize your protein intake even more?
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high food costs

Dollar signs in an orange circle. Depicting the rising high food costsWe have all experienced the sharp increase in the high food costs these last three years. But in the past few decades the nutritional value of our food has decreased dramatically. Even when we select good foods we have to make very careful choices and pay more high food costs for a cleaner option. It does cost more to go organic. It does cost more to go non-GMO in our food choices. And it ishigh food costs can be mitigated with this clean food product that builds health more expensive to select meat products that do not contain growth hormones.

There is one food that can check all the boxes for eating clean and optimal nutrition. That food gives 20 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, 24 vitamins and minerals, Omega 3 fatty acids, ancient grains that provide prebiotics and it’s non-GMO. It also contains healthy digestive enzymes and it’s powered by leucine.

As a side note:

  • Prebiotics provide food for the healthy bacteria in your digestive tract.
  • Enzymes help with the overall digestion process.
  • Leucine is an amino acid that helps to preserve lean muscle mass.
  • The protein also contains all 9 essential amino acids, those your body cannot produce.

That is a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to selecting food. It’s difficult to get a food this clean and this nutritious in one serving.  So why wouldn’t you make this a selection for part of your daily food intake?

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Gym workout success

Picture this, even if you don’t do it.  We are searching for gym workout success.

You go to the gym. You may have been going for months, maybe years.  It is January.  As you look around you see a lot of new people in the gym.  They are filling the cardio equipment and many of them are wandering around the equipment trying to figure out how to use them and what they are for.   I call these people the “NewYearsResolutionites”.  Have no worries. They will most likely be gone by the middle of March.

What these “NewYearsResolutionites” don’t realize that the results they are seeking are made “in the kitchen”.  This means that working out alone will not deliver the goal of weight loss or muscle toning or gain.  The workout is important, but the fuel for the results is equally or more important.  What one eats before, during and after the workout or exercise puts the body in a position to move toward success.

That is what I do.  I help my clients feed their body in such a way that theyRunning legs with the word CONFIDENCE Gym Workout Success can experience the most from their workouts or exercise.   I can help create a plan that fits that person and build more confidence in their own process.

Reach out if you know someone who wants to have body success in this new year, especially with their gym workout success.

Be well. Perform well. Stay well.

Tim

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Shaklee Distributor in Dallas discusses protein and muscle loss.

Shaklee Distributor in Dallas discusses protein and muscle loss.

Protein has power
It’s imperative for the growth, maintenance and repair of all body tissues. It’s also essential for making enzymes – catalysts to all life processes, and hormones -important chemical messengers that circulate through your bloodstream and target specific cells, where they generate a wide range of biological responses. It also helps your body maintain electrolyte balance and fluid levels, provides a source of energy, and helps your body fight off disease. These are the powers of protein!
These powers are made possible by consuming adequate amounts of dietary protein from a variety of lean meats, fish, and poultry, as well as soy and milk, which supply the body with amino acids, the basic building blocks from which the body can make its own body proteins.

Age-Related Muscle Loss: After about age 40, most adults lose anywhere between 0.5% and 1% of their skeletal muscle mass each year. This gradual loss may go unnoticed because it might be masked by an increase in body fat that happens at this time. However, this chronic muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, is estimated to affect about 30% of people over age 60 and may affect more than 50% of those over age 80. Insufficient protein intake can contribute to  muscle loss and research findings suggest that protein intakes modestly above the present recommended dietary allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight will enhance muscle mass in adults who regularly perform resistance exercise.

Protein intake in older adults also appears to have a more beneficial effect when consumed within an hour or so of resistance exercise. Emerging research also suggests that protein may minimize sarcopenia. Findings in older adults suggest that increasing leucine, an amino acid in protein, intake may help restore the protein synthesis response to
protein-containing meals, which has been shown to diminish with age.

Protein intake is difficult because we are often avoiding proteins because of the high fat content in many protein sources.  One way to get more protein into your diet is to use a high quality protein supplement.  But beware of the market-there are many brands out there and they are not all they are cracked up to be.  One brand that uses only non-genetically modified protein sources.  That brand is Shaklee.  Try their energizing soy protein or their meal replacement protein Cinch.  You won’t be disappointed.

Dallas Health Helpers is a Shaklee Distributor in Dallas.  We are dedicated to the health and well-being of all and we advocate the use of safe alternatives.  One should avoid use of drugs and drastic programs that can cause problems now and in the future.  For more information go to our web site at http://HealthHelpers.MyShaklee.com or call 214 770 9596.  Be well, Stay well.