Weighing In On Whey (And Other Dairy Products)

Yesterday I left with a cliffhanger... ok well maybe not a cliffhanger but I did mention not to make the smoothie recipe with 100% whey protein. You might be asking yourself "why not." The answer is simple. INSULIN!! In the very first blog I talked about how food is like a drug and carbs control insulin, protein controls glucagon and fats control eicosanoids.

It turns out that milk and milk products like whey and cheese act like both a protein and carbohydrate. Meaning if you were to make the shake from yesterday's recipe with 100% whey, you would have had too much insulin production in your body. (Note everyone's body is different and you should always consult with a doctor before making changes in your diet.) Too much insulin is a bad thing. It can lead to several things like weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.

Message:

-Milk and milk products (whey, yogurt, cheese, etc) act like a carbohydrate and a protein in your body stimulating BOTH insulin and glucagon.

-Too much insulin will make you tired and can cause you to gain weight and be prone to type 2 diabetes

-Yesterday's recipe with 100% whey protein would cause too much insulin production and would not be recommended

-Tomorrow’s blog: Insulin "Friend" or "Foe"

Recipe: Balanced Smoothie

I've been talking a lot about food but haven't given any recipes. So today I want to share with you a great smoothie recipe which is great for a meal. I'll give you a woman's portion, a man's portion, and what I eat (I heavy workout routine so this is the recipe you will want if you have an intense workout plan)

Ingredients	Women's Portion	Men's Portion	Ankit's Portion
Strawberries	1 cup	1 ½ cups	2 cups
Blueberries	1 cup	1 ¼ cups	1 cup
Peanut Butter*	1 ½ tablespoons	2 tablespoons	2 tablespoons
Soy Protein**	20 grams	27 grams	N/A
EAS 3 Protein Blend**	N/A	N/A	36 grams

*Only use natural or organic peanut butter. NO ADDITIVES LIKE SUGAR

**Use soy, egg I use a 3 blend (soy, casein, whey protein) because I've learned what my body can handle. Starting off I recommend using soy or egg protein. DO NOT USE 100% Whey with this recipe. SEE TOMMOROWS BLOG FOR THE REASON WHY.

Directions:

Mix the fruit (frozen or fresh) into the blender slowly.

Add water/ice as needed to get the right texture.

Add in protein powder.

Add in peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Message:

-Being vegetarian can taste good

-DO NOT use 100% whey powder in this recipe at first. Tomorrow's blog will explain why.

A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still A Rose

It can be hard to be a vegetarian at times. The Vegetarian's Review is here to help you along the way.

I want to talk to you today about the different types of vegetarians. You never know, some of your friends might fall into one of these categories.

Type	Red Meat	Foul (birds)	Seafood	Eggs	Dairy(milk, cheese, etc)	Animal products (honey, etc)
Semi- Vegetarian	USUALLY NO	MAYBE	MAYBE	YES	YES	YES
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES	YES
Ovo Vegetarian	NO	NO	NO	YES	NO	YES
Lacto Vegetarian	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
Vegan	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO

Then we have the other category:

• Su Vegetarians – They are like vegans but they will not eat any vegetable/fruit that will kill a plant (onion, garlic, potatoes, etc)
  
• Fruitarians – Anything that can be eaten without hurting a plant and no animal products are allowed (fruit, nuts, seeds, etc)
  
• Macrobiotic Vegetarians – Mostly whole grains and beans but some do eat some fish
  
• Raw vegetarians – Raw fruits/vegetables/nuts/seeds and no animal products
  
• Flexitarians – They eat vegetarian when they feel like it (these are the not so committed folks)
  

Message:

-There are many different Vegetarians

-I'm a Lacto-ovo Vegetarian but I try to write for all vegetarians.

A Journey of a 1000 Miles Begins with 1 Step

I want to talk to you today about how came across the way I eat. I work out at CrossFitCFT and my coach told me to change my diet to the zone diet. His advice was simple… get the book “A Week In the Zone” and follow the plan for 2 weeks and you WILL notice a difference. So what did I do? I ignored him for 4 months. Finally woke up one day and said maybe I’ll give this whole zone diet a shot. Guess what, he was right! I have to tell you I haven’t felt better in my whole life! In just a few days I had more energy and felt better than I have ever felt in my life.

Message

-Try something! It doesn’t matter where you start, the point is you are starting.

I'm A Vegetarian And I'm Always Hungry!!

You may have noticed that your vegetarian diet may leave you hungrier than you'd like. You ask yourself "I ate a lot of food but I'm still hungry!" I can tell you I definitely feel your pain. I've been a vegetarian since I was 12 and until recently I have battled with my weight and appetite control.

Now I was a fat kid growing up with a face as round as the moon and a belly so big I couldn't see my own toes. In high school I was a wrestler and a cross-country runner and my weight started to come off but I noticed that I was scrawny! I couldn't put on muscle no matter how much I was lifting weights and working out. College came along and guess what happened? I stopped working out as much and ate everything I could eat in sight (while still being vegetarian). I ballooned from a fit trim 174 to 230 at my peak!

At this point I needed to make a change so I got my tubby butt into the gym and just tried to cut back on food. I saw some results but again I was HUNGRY!!! Then I came across a book called 1 week in the zone. Here is the summary:

1) Food is a drug

Carbohydrates = Insulin production

Protein = Glucagon production

Fat = Eicosanoids production

2) If you don't balance the 3 hormones your body will not feel well and will cause you to be hungry, tired, bloated, etc.

3) I wasn't eating enough protein in my diet!

When all three hormones are balanced your body is in the zone and performs optimally. Now as a vegetarian I got enough carbs and fat but protein was the 1 thing that I was lacking at every meal! Fat and Protein help slow the absorption of carbohydrates into your system. Too many carbs in your system too quickly will have a yo-yo effect on your insulin and that will cause several problems such as hunger and tiredness.

By adding enough dense protein (eggs, soy, whey, cheese) in a meal I noticed I was never hungry with what I thought was a small meal. I say dense proteins because your body only releases the hormone glucagon with a dense protein. MOST NUTS AND BEANS DO NOT COUNT AS PROTIEN! Take a look at the nutritional information on the package. You'll notice most beans have more carbs and nuts have more fat than any other nutrient (carbs or protein) so your body treats them as a carb or a fat.

Message:

-Eat a dense protein with every meal!

-Dense proteins for vegetarians are soy, tofu, whey, cheese, eggs, and egg whites.