Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps us to (amongst other things) build muscle and stabilise blood sugar. These are both really important when it comes to fat loss. But it can be difficult to get enough protein, particularly if you’re vegan or embracing more of a plant-based diet for environmental reasons. Many people turn to protein powders for this reason, but are they actually healthy for you?
When it comes to weight loss, the best way to get your protein is through a whole food source. This is because foods like cold cuts, hot dogs, patties, while all containing some form of protein, are heavily processed and usually loaded with unhealthy fats (such as canola/rapeseed oil, which is inflammatory to the body) and fillers like corn, grains, sugars, sweeteners and flavour enhancers: These all can cause blood sugar imbalances and/or insulin spikes, which undermines fat loss efforts. (This includes, by the way, plant-based versions of these meats.)
The added issue with meat in products like cold cuts is that they’re usually of inferior quality and are likely to have been treated with antibiotics and, depending on where you are, sometimes steroids. Because of other health implications, these additions can also have an effect on how well you burn fat.
But protein powders are a convenient way to give your protein intake a boost, so what to do? Well, not all protein powders are created equally. Some of them contain just as much junk as the food-like products I previously mentioned. Others offer a nutrient-dense solution to your protein needs.
So the exception to the rule of “always get your protein from a whole food source” for fat loss would be protein powders, as long as they have come from a whole food source (such as whey, pea or hemp) and are free of fillers, sugar and additives (like sweeteners and flavour enhancers). In addition, you want to make sure that protein powders are supplementary to your diet rather than your only source of protein.
Look for whey powder from grass-fed beef that’s humanely raised, and organically farmed plant based ingredients where possible. This will ensure you’re not adding any extra burdens for your body to cope with when trying to manage your weight. Here is a list of higher quality protein powders on the market today, to give you an idea on what to look for when shopping!
One of the best ways to incorporate protein powders into your diet is to add them to a green smoothie! Want to know more about how to make a green smoothie geared towards weight loss? Let me know!
Psst, have you heard? I have created a special blueprint session: The Holiday Stress Survival Solution! See below for details!
The goal of this session is to help you to find a way to deal with stress eating over the holidays, so that you’re not sabotaging your weight goals. Over the course of 90 minutes we will:
- Get clear on how stress eating is challenging you;
- Get specific on how you want the situation to look instead;
- Put together an action plan on how to get through the holiday season while avoiding sabotaging your weight goals, which you can take away with you and implement right away.
So if the idea of being stuck in the stress-eating cycle is so distressing it makes you want to eat (I’ve been there) and you can’t face another New Year being further away from your goals than the last, this session could be a game-changer for you!
The investment for this kind of session would normally be £155, but as a special holiday deal, I’m offering The Holiday Stress Survival Solution for £100.
If you want to see if this is a good fit for you, schedule a get-to-know-you call for a chat with me about it here: https://ellouiseheather.youcanbook.me
Or if you know this is an offer you want to take advantage of to get ahead of the holiday stress, you can go ahead and BUY NOW and an email will be sent to your PayPal email to get your session booked in!