riverside_ep.87_wild_and well colle
===
CHRISTA ELZA: [00:00:00] Food isn't just fuel, it's actual information. Our bodies take in the food molecules and converted into energy, converted into information, and I think it's an important concept to grasp when it comes to food and making food choices that when you feed your nervous system, what it really needs.
Everything else does become easier. You just have to start.
Welcome to the Wild and Well Collective Podcast where we believe empowered health is your superpower. We have combined our expertise in medicine and nutrition to bring you the latest research expert insights and success stories of people on a mission to live a big life. So buckle up and get ready to learn how to live wildly well.
SHEREE BEAUMONT: Welcome back to another episode of The Wild and Well Collective. Today we're combining two of my favorite things we could talk about and the benefit that they both have on each other. We've talked a lot about the nervous system here at the Wild [00:01:00] and well Collective and. You're probably a little bit over it, but we know that as one of the foundational pieces to optimal health, regulating our hormones, making sure our body is able to digest effectively, focus all the things that require us to be able to perform at peak performance at our optimal, which is what we know you're here to do.
The other thing that we're talking about today is protein. Now I talk about this till I am blue in the face with my clients because it is so important. To make sure you are hitting your protein goals from so many different levels. We know that protein is a building blocks for a number of our cells. For things like enzymes to muscle repair, hair, everything you can possibly think of, protein will probably play a role.
So what we're gonna dive into today is how protein can actually help nourish your nervous system, like support your hunger levels, regulate your mood, and enhance your mental focus. Protein actually sends your cells a biochemical message that you are safe, [00:02:00] you are stable, and that you are nourished.
Let's just pause for a second. How incredible is it that we don't have to go and take a supplement? We literally getting this from a whole real food source and it's communicating to your body to become right. This is what it means to have a, to be regulating your nervous system where food becomes the foundation.
So a lot of the research is coming out now to support the fact that if you are skipping protein, and the most common time that people skip protein is in the morning, and that has the most dramatic effect. Later in the day, and you're week altogether, right? When you skip protein in the morning, or if you skip breakfast altogether, that drives a stress signal in the body.
Now we know that is even creates a worsened environment for females who are during their menstruating years as well, because of the impact it can have on your hormones. But ultimately, it leads to blood sugars becoming unstable, cortisol levels rising, dopamine staying low, and then the nasty side effects come on.
You start to crave [00:03:00] sugar or ultra processed foods 'cause your body's looking for energy. It hasn't been given the thing that makes it satiated. You find it hard to focus. You might feel on edge or reactive to small things. You might find you crash in the mid-afternoon or you're super snacky. Now, the one of the things I love sharing about this is if you're eating enough protein, it's gonna keep you satiated throughout the day, right?
That's what all of the research is supporting to you. But it gives you an understanding that it's not a matter of willpower. Right. Like when I reflect and I go, oh, why am I snacky? It's like, well, maybe I haven't had enough protein yet. That's the thing that's gonna keep me full. And so it signals to the brain and the body that again, we are safe.
So I'd love for you to share, Krista, what is, there's this incredible study that's really come to light that puts all of this into practice.
CHRISTA ELZA: Yeah. It is interesting the study of how protein affects the body outside of. Weight loss and muscle and things like that, right? And the fascinating study was a randomized study actually that was done in the late, on late [00:04:00] adolescent girls.
And they typically skipped breakfast. And so they took these groups of people and they were split into three groups. So one group had no breakfast at all. One group had lower protein around 13 grams, and then the third group had high protein around 35 grams. So they had these girls eat different amounts and then they did some blood tests to evaluate how they responded to it.
And they did blood work, but they also did a little bit of questionnaire. So they typically, the ones in the high protein group, this was only the high protein, the one that did about 35 grams of protein. They had less cravings throughout the day. They had less late night snacking. But the interesting part was that they also, in blood work, had higher levels of homo acid, which is HVA, and that's a key metabolite of dopamine.
So that means there was higher levels of dopamine in their urine, in their [00:05:00] blood, right? So that means that dopamine was actually creating more motivation. More focus. So it was affecting their mental health as well. And when dopamine is low, when it's chronically low, and we could see this for many reasons, but if you're not eating enough protein.
You can have higher levels of stress, higher levels of burnout. The brain starts to chase these quick hits because it wants to feel better. You wanna feel better. That's why you'll start scrolling. You'll start scrolling the internet. You'll be doing more caffeine, more stimulants, things like that, more sugar.
The brain is unconsciously having you consume things that aren't necessarily the, a long-term help. It's just a quick fix. So protein also contains tyrosine, and that's the amino acid that's needed to even make dopamine. It's important to understand that we have to have building blocks for neurotransmitters so we can have more anxiety and more depression simply because of the diet that we're choosing.
And I know that we're always trying to reach for like a pill and something to quick [00:06:00] fix and that, and a lot of times it really is, it's coming back to like, are we, what is my lifestyle like? And I think it's fascinating that protein goes beyond what some of the talk is right now. Circulating around muscle health.
It's important for mental health too.
SHEREE BEAUMONT: Exactly, and I think we've been programmed as a society to have a higher carbohydrate breakfast first thing in the morning, especially in the western world. In fact, we invented the cereal aisle. Right. And what is cereal? In most instances, it is just a little bowl of sugar and even things like oatmeal, right?
As much as it is a lower glycemic index, food, slow releasing carbohydrate, it's still predominantly carbs. What's another thing people typically have will be a juice or a smoothie, but they're quite often not put a protein powder or something in there that's high in protein. So we are starting our day with this giant blood sugar spike.
Right. And when we do that, it throws our blood sugars out for the entire rest of the day. And I always say that if you do not balance your blood sugars day to day, [00:07:00] you have no charts in balancing your hormones month to month for those women that are menstruating, right? And so it really is important that we start off with this high protein breakfast.
We look at how can we pair it with some fats. So we've got a nice slow release of the protein. We've got a nice slow release of energy. Unless you are training in the morning, you do not need carbohydrates. And this has been proven time and time and time again that is gonna enable you to reduce those cortisol spikes, allowing the natural surge of cortisol to happen in the morning.
And then again, if we need something a little bit later to keep us going and bring up our energy, we can, it supports that neurotransmitter synthesis that Krista was just talking about, and it signals that safety to your autonomic nervous system. So. Looking at things like, can you have some eggs with some cottage cheese in the morning?
Or eggs and bacon or organic, chicken sausages or something. There are plenty of ways to get the protein in, and if you're not someone who's inclined to more of a fuller breakfast, or maybe eating breakfast is a little bit newer to you, [00:08:00] looking at, can you increase. By adding a protein powder to something, right?
Is it in a smoothie? Is it in a cheer pudding? Again, we're gonna stay away from the carbohydrate heavy breakfasts, even if you're mixing the protein in there. 'cause your body doesn't require that. And so even from a metabolic standpoint, minimizing those carbs is gonna help stabilize your blood sugars, which is then gonna support your metabolism too.
CHRISTA ELZA: Yeah, we've all kind of had a wake up call, I think with levels of protein. And me personally, I know that I started doing some of the intermittent fasting, which is a whole other topic and there are some benefits to it, but for most people, I would say. For most of us there are benefits to that, but there's also in that window, if you're not consuming enough protein, let's say you're only eating in a six to eight hour window it's really important
and for me, I know that I would have more sugar cravings in the evening, and I think that's true for a lot of people. When I started to really beef up my beef, no pun intended, here, I, when I don't really eat [00:09:00] beef for breakfast, but I could when I really started to increase the amount of protein that I have in the morning, which I try to get around 30 grams.
Here at my office, I eat like three hard boiled eggs every morning and I buy a lot of things prepackaged pre-made because the fact is I busyness. Is like the killer of like good compliance with lifestyle. So, I buy the Morty boiled and peeled and all that, so all I have to do is grab three out of there.
I add a bit of salt I'll do cottage cheese and blueberries, or I'll do yogurt and granola. But I do a pretty big, like protein forward breakfast now, and it really does help me with. Cravings not only throughout the day. It helps my mood. I don't have as much anxiety or irritability with tasking throughout the day.
And then it really has helped with those evening cravings. And I know that I'm not alone in that. Our natural hunger hormones tend to increase as the day goes on. And so if you're using if you're using natural ways like higher protein. Your brain is getting the nutrients that it needs to [00:10:00] have those neurotransmitter building blocks.
And so you're not grabbing, you're not as irritable. And that's how my personal experience has been as well, that I can think clearer. My moods aren't so wrapped, up and down. And by the end of the day, I feel my mood is better in the evening versus when I've gone all day and really have been without nutrients, particularly protein.
So I can see firsthand how this definitely works.
SHEREE BEAUMONT: Yeah. I love that you shared that, and I love that you shared around irritability because that is actually a number one clue that our blood sugars are out of balance. Right? Before we go blaming our mindset or our mood, let's actually look at how am I keeping my blood sugars in check?
And so this isn't just about breakfast. This is about throughout the day. A lot of the times people will just have a salad and maybe some like completely skip carbs and not even have protein in the salad for lunch. And then they're wondering why they're getting that late afternoon crash. So before you start to blame something else, have a look at your food, right?
Can you go and eat something that's high in protein? Pair it with a fat and some fiber. Again, we don't always need [00:11:00] high carbohydrate diet. And then if time allows for it, go for a short brisk walk. Ideally, get yourself outside and that will reregulate your nervous system too, which is ultimately tying these two things together and how much they support one another.
So if we can take that time to really assess pause. And like you said, even be better prepared to make sure you've got high protein snacks on high protein meals available to you throughout the day. You're gonna be regulating your nervous system on a far deeper level. Therefore, your hormones are gonna be better, your gut health's gonna be better, your energy's gonna be better, your mood's gonna be better, so on and so forth.
Right? All of this is tied together, and if we start with this foundational piece that's gonna make all the difference.
CHRISTA ELZA: Absolutely. I think it's just. As a reminder and kind of to wrap this up, that protein in the morning sends a safety signal to your brain. Wild. You're feeding your muscles and you're feeding your brain all in one. And it also just helps to stabilize blood sugar. Again, regulating that dopamine, reducing cravings, and really help to [00:12:00] support your mood throughout the day.
So there's just so many benefits to it. It's crazy, right? Like, and I know that there's some people that are vegetarian, vegan. There are plant sources. I would say that animal sources are the most potent source of proteins. But, so I, if there's not a religious reason, I always say, okay, can we bring in some kind of animal protein, even if it's fish?
Just because you get more. Bang for your buck, really when you're eating those foods. But I think just noting the complete impact of high quality protein is important here. There certainly are some protein sources in plants, so, however, which way you do it it's, one of the most powerful evidence-based tools for the nervous system resilience is in having adequate amounts of protein, adequate building blocks for those neurotransmitters and.
It's simple. It can be affordable and accessible to most people. And so, whether it's in the form of protein powders, dairy products, animal protein, plant protein start to making protein a [00:13:00] priority, particularly first thing in the morning. Start with breakfast. Don't get overwhelmed with the macros and eat this and that, and how many aim for at least 30 grams in the morning, and that's gonna get you started off in the right direction.
Food isn't just fuel, it's actual information. Our bodies take in the food molecules and converted into energy, converted into information, and I think it's an important concept to grasp when it comes to food and making food choices that when you feed your nervous system, what it really needs.
Everything else does become easier. You just have to start. So I hope you have found this information helpful. Share this with someone that you think could use this information. We always appreciate likes and shares, and we can't wait to see you on the next episode.
If you love this episode, be sure to leave us a review, download, and subscribe. If you know someone that could also benefit from this conversation, please share. That's how we Spread Empowered Health. We'll see you again for another [00:14:00] episode of the Wild and Wild Collective.
