5 Easy Ways To Increase Your Protein

You’ve heard it many times before that you need to eat more protein but how do you get it in you increase it in your everyday foods? Here are 5 simple ways how:

1. LSA = Linseed, sunflower seeds, and almonds all ground up. It contains protein (2g per tbls), fibre, magnesium, omega-3 ‘s vitamins E, D, B’s, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc and more.  Add it to oats, muesli, sprinkle it on toast or pop it into a smoothie.

2. Eggs = high in protein & essential nutrients  a large whole egg contains roughly 6g of protein, and contains choline, zeaxanthin lutein , as well as just about every vitamin and most minerals (except vitamin C). Have a boiled egg as  snack, add it raw to your smoothie, and add boiled egg to your salads.

3. Whey protein powder: a good quality whey protein powder is easy to add to your diet by: adding it to porridge, smoothies, baking (basically your imagination is your limitation especially when it is unflavoured) Boomers is my favourite & you can find it here :http://bit.ly/1d4Mdh2 

4. Nuts/Seeds: adding nuts/seeds to every day snacks is easy ie: apple & almonds, yoghurt with chia seeds, garden salad & pine nuts, Greek salad with sunflower seeds (again your imagination is your limitation)

5. Beans (edamame beans, pinto, kidney, black, garbanzo, navy – just to name a few,): packed full of dietary fibre & about 40g protein per cup adding beans into your daily intake is simple. They are high in thiamine, folate, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and manganese. Add them to salads (ie: chickpea, edemame, capcscium corn, onion quinoa), add them to mince dishes, casseroles and stir fry’s.


For more information on increasing your protein in your diet simply email naednutrition@gmail.com

Improve Your Mood With Food!

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Here are some simple ways to improve your mood with the foods you’re eating.  Avoid refined foods & increases whole foods is a simple way to help improve your mood & here are some more examples.

Firstly about our neurotransmitters Serotonin and Dopamine. 

Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter in multiple functions including regulating sleep cycles, influencing mood, learning, pain perception and the immune system When serotonin is too high you may feel sluggish, when serotonin levels are low you will have intense food cravings particularly for carbohydrates. To increase your serotonin ingesting foods high in it’s precursor (tryptophan) is the most simple way. Foods high in tryptophan include, turkey, cream cheese, ricotta, meat , poultry, and some seeds and nuts

 Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brains pleasure centre. When dopamine is low it may enhance boredom, lack of interest and motivation, poor communication and depressive activity. When it’s too high it may cause you to be more aggressive, take more risks and have distorted perceptions of reality. It too has a precursor called tyrosine, which is also a precursor to L-dopa, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These are responsible for alertness, increased energy with quicker, more accurate reaction times. Tyrosine is found in eggs, meats, poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, legumes grains and avocados,

Endorphins are chemicals that the body releases to cope with pain, and promote a positive state. A food substance that is closely related is phenylethylamine, which is found in chocolate! Yes that’s right chocolate. Phyenylalamine unfortunately only lasts in the body from 10-20minutes when ingested and why so many people reach for chocolate when they are stressed.

Feeling cranky? When was the last time you ate?? Regularly eating & keeping and your blood sugar levels level with good quality protein, low glycaemic index foods, plenty of fresh fruits & vegetables & essential fatty acids will improve your mood dramatically.

Feeling anxious? Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, mackerel, avocado, nuts and seeds have shown extensive research support for both the prevention and treatment of clinical depression, mood and anxiety disorders. They are essential for brain and nervous system function and are required for myelin synthesis.

Other nutrients suggested to improve mood are magnesium, folate and other B vitamins,.

References

Gropper SS, Smith JL, Groff JL 2005. . Advanced Nutrition for Human Metabolism 4^th Edition. Wadsworth  Publishing USA

Juhl, J 1998, Fibromyalgia and the Seratonin Pathway,  Alternative Medicine, Review, vol. 3, no.5, pp. 367-375.