If your body was a house, the protein would be the bricks. In fact proteins are the building blocks of all living things. Heard of amino acids? This is what our bodies break proteins down into and then very cleverly they get rebuilt into any number of essential things, like tissue and body systems so we can function.
We need around 22 amino acids to be healthy. But 9 of these are considered essential to our health, and we can only absorb them from the food that we eat.
False.
Really it depends on your body weight and how active you are. In New Zealand the average man is 84.7kg and the average woman is 72.1 kg so really anything from around 45g to 65g would be healthy, to put this into context, one 300g steak has around 80g of protein in it alone.
That’s a big fat no: variety is the spice of life, and seems to be the key to getting that range of important amino acids.
Let’s have a look at some pros and cons of animal vs plant proteins.
When it comes to protein it is important to remember that the package it is being sent in, is absolutely just as important as the contents.
In no particular order…
Legumes, beans, soy and lentils.
High in protein, high in fibre, gluten free and packed with vitamins and minerals.
Mushrooms, peas, spinach and other vegetables.
Vegetables of all sorts can be high in protein, the key is once again to get a good range. You’ll be surprised how much protein there is in the produce section.
Quinoa, almonds, seeds and nuts.
High in protein, and high in fat. Not necessarily a bad thing if you have removed saturated fat from your diet and you are living fully plant-based. A great source of iron too.
Oats, grains and rice.
Lower in protein and higher in calories than legumes but these are also a great source of fibre.
There are now more plant-based protein supplement options than there have ever been.
Because these days people are so keenly tuned into where their food is coming from. Pea protein powders are now common place alongside whey and collagen products, especially for athletes and gym goers who are looking for the boost in their diets to help with muscle repair and growth. If the question is “Can I get enough protein from a plant-based protein powder to build muscle?” the answer is a resounding YES! On top of a healthy varied plant-based diet, a protein powder supplement can be very helpful.
We like Nuzest Clean Lean Protein powder, it contains the world's highest protein content of any vegetable protein and it is gluten-free and lactose-free making it easily digestible.
No thank YOU! The great thing about being plant-based is that its easy to get enough protein but hard to get too much, proving that a vegan, vegetarian or the newly coined “flexitarian” (eating vegan meals regularly) is an exciting evolution in rethinking what a “healthy diet” means.
]]>Well you should thank them for their advice, because we are learning so much more about vitamin D deficiency. Getting some extra sunlight was once a lifesaving treatment and could potentially be just what you now need to improve all aspects of your health.
Vitamin D is needed in the body to help with the absorption of calcium. No Vitamin D = no calcium.
Without calcium being absorbed properly you are prone to all sorts of conditions which might seem unrelated to how much sun you are getting, but it could be just the thing you are lacking.
Exposing your skin to the sun for just 20 minutes per day is all that is required for the ultraviolet B rays to interact with the cholesterol in the skin which provides the body with the energy to synthesise its own vitamin D.
Benefits of having good Vitamin D levels
By far the most cases of Vitamin D deficiency are due to the lack of exposure to the sun’s rays.
Therefore, some people are at higher risk than others, depending on a few factors.
Seasonal
It is common for your Vitamin D levels to drop during autumn and winter.
Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a serious condition that is linked to low Vitamin D levels. SAD is a form of depression and if you or someone you know is having symptoms, seek medical help immediately.
Geography
People who live closer to the equator tend to see a lot more sun than people who live closer to the poles or higher altitudes.
Testing shows that where you live has an important role to play in your vitamin D levels.
Everyday life
If you work in an office or somewhere with very little natural light, like a hospital, it may well be that you will go the whole day without ever seeing the sun. It has been said that it is important to get at least 20 min each day to avoid being deficient.
It is also worth pointing out that having too much exposure to the sun is quite harmful to your health due to the over exposure to the harmful UVB rays.
Weight
People with higher than usual body fat levels struggle to synthesize the pro-hormones in the same way.
This means that people who struggle with obesity are at much more at risk of being deficient. Furthermore healthy levels of Vitamin D are also connected to weight loss.
Age
As with many things, when you get older your body simply becomes less efficient at producing vitamin D, and as mobility decreases getting that ever important time in the sun becomes less likely putting elderly people at a much higher risk of deficiency.
From 1918 - 1920 the Spanish flu, which was a deadly H1N1 influenza A virus, was sweeping the globe.
Due to the lack hospital beds many of the patients were nursed from outside in tents and often in the sun. They noticed that these patients seemed to fare much better than the ones who stayed inside. In fact, before antibiotics became the standard treatment, "ventilation open air therapy" was how other respiratory diseases like tuberculosis were managed.
Now with COVID-19 we are seeing even more evidence that sunlight is indeed germicidal, and can potentially kill viruses.
Days where corona virus cases have fallen do coincide with a burst of sunny days where people are spending more time getting sun on their skin and also healthy amounts of vitamin D.
We really have only started to scratch the surface in this blog when it comes to the science, but we do know it is vital for living a healthy life, which is what we are all about at ibuy. So yes, today is a great day to start eating your lunch outside in the fresh air and sunlight!
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Over a period of days (not hours) bones, marrow, skin, feet, tendons and ligaments are simmered in water forming the broth, it is this slow cooking that causes the normally “left out” and non-digestible parts of the animal to break down and release all the nutrients, amino acids and minerals that are important for healthy-ageing. Unfortunately in modern times we have removed this part of our diet due to convenience. It is now normal to have lean cuts of meat with the bones already removed when we buy them.
It is super good for your gut.
The gelatine in bone broth allows for the natural healing of the lining in your stomach and promotes the growth of the good bacteria that live in there. You probably already know that having a healthy gut is essential to your overall health, but it could also help by improving any food sensitivities you might have.
Bone broth is also a beauty product.
Bone broth contains natural collagen which helps the skin form elastin and other compounds that you need to have a youthful skin tone and texture by increasing hydration levels and reducing lines and wrinkles. Collagen is also fantastic for your hair and nails, making them grow stronger and faster.
It boosts your immune system.
When we talk about the immune system in the body, where do you think that would be located? Turns out it is mostly in your gut! And having a healthy, functioning, robust gut system is the best way of improving your overall health and immunity.
There are now bone broth products everywhere that have extra additives and flavours. If you have a sensitive stomach, (which you might if you are buying bone broth) it would be a good idea to choose a pure and versatile product like Meadow and Marrow’s Natural Bone Broth Concentrate which you could use in a number of different ways.
Here are some ideas:
If you haven’t tried bone broth yet, you should! It could be the game changer you have been looking for.
]]>Or woman for that matter. Ageing is truthfully unavoidable, but healthy-aging and beauty treatments are now a $250 billion dollar (and growing) industry, so it seems that everyone wants to avoid at least looking any older. Researchers believe that they are finally digging into something that is showing some real promise and it turns out that the answer was found within us this whole time, in fact, it is found inside every living cell in the world, A compound called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD for short.
Scientists have been studying NAD and the role it plays in the aging process since 1906. They have found that this “fountain of youth” compound fuels the mitochondria, which is the source of energy for every cell. The prevailing theory is that the decrease in mitochondrial function is linked to the ageing process. Think of mitochondria as the battery in your phone. The less juice it has, the worse it functions, and NAD is the juice!
Low levels of NAD are associated with higher risk of accelerated ageing and even heart disease. People who suffer from Parkinson’s disease have also reported an improvement when taking an NAD supplement. In other words, you definitely don’t want to be walking around with your phone on 1%, it is time to quickly plug into a charger.
In 2004, a landmark study by Dr. Charles Brenner uncovered a unique molecule called nicotinamide riboside. Yes another fun word to say, but we can call this NR for short. This is an exciting new development because NR was found to be able to sustainably support healthy NAD levels in people.
NR is a vitamin that is found naturally in milk, but only in small amounts. A scientist named Dr. Brenner has since patented a way to collect NR and has exclusively licensed and developed it as NIAGEN®.
Tru Niagen is an efficient NAD precursor – meaning it supports your NAD levels every time you take it!
Walking around with your phone fully charged would feel pretty great wouldn’t it?
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