Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Nutritionist Mindy Barrows helps me dispel some myths about probiotics (our friendly bacteria) and explains why they might be important for summer travel. We also visit with Dr. Andrew Shepherd about getting kids tuned up before going back to school as well as how to know what foods you might be allergic to. Click here to find pod-casts, show archives and ways to listen nationwide. Call with questions at 1-800-281-8255.
 
Exciting News about Protein Drinks / Cautions about Smoothies
Summer heat can sure drag us down, especially in the Dallas area where we seem doomed to set a record for the hottest summer of all time. Salads and lighter food are more appealing. We can even drink an icy meal. However, depending on how is made, there can be a big difference in its effect on us.

Smoothies. This term is loosely applied to pretty much anything you can whip up in a blender. (Remember Dan Aykroyd’s gross Bass-O-Matic on Saturday Night Live? But I digress…) Although tasty and refreshing, smoothies are usually mostly fruit and therefore very high in sugar. (E.g. one of the choices at Smoothie King lists roughly 2/3 cup of sugar.) Whether the sugar that smoothies contain comes from actual fruit or added sugar or the corn syrup the strawberries might be floating in, the effect on our body’s blood sugar is about the same. Sugar in food raises sugar in the blood which raises insulin which tells the body to store fat and causes other problems. Sugar and other refined carbohydrates are also chief culprits in the horrifying trend toward diabetes. They also burn off quickly leaving you hungry again sooner.

Protein Drinks. These can also be cold, refreshing and delicious. Even better, a recent study reveals an exciting benefit. Matched participants were divided into 3 groups and followed for 23 weeks. No group was given diet guidance or calorie restrictions. Each group was given 2 packets/day of a food supplement. All packets contained the same number of calories. However, one group received whey protein, another group soy protein and the third group carbohydrates. They consumed one packet before breakfast and another after dinner. Both of the protein groups fared better than the carbohydrate group. But the whey protein group subjects lost almost an inch more off their waists compared to the other two groups. The whey group also lost almost 4 pounds more fat mass than the soy group did with no loss of muscle tissue. The whey group lost about 5 pounds more than the carbohydrate group.[1]

These results seem all the more remarkable given that the packets these folks took contained calories over and above their normal diet. Those extra calories would have been expected to result in a gain of 22 pounds if the participants hadn’t, without realizing it, eaten less the rest of the day.

So why did whey protein have these positive effects? For one thing those taking the whey protein had lower fasting levels of ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates hunger). Both protein groups also had lower levels of insulin (that fat builder) and spontaneously ate less carbohydrate. We also know that protein helps keep us satisfied longer.

I use this meal replacement powder (also in Chocolate and my favorite, Orange Cream) as the basis for the protein drinks that I often enjoy for breakfast or lunch. It is a smooth and flavorful whey protein with other nutrients and very little sugar content. Check out my article on drink variations as well as Gayle Pruitt’s recipe.

Smaller waist? Less fat? I’ll drink to that!

My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book : Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

Copyright 2011 Martie Whittekin, CCN

[1] Baer, DJ, et al. Whey protein but not soy protein supplementation alters body weight and composition in free-living overweight and obese adults. J Nutr. 2011 Aug;141(8):1489-94.