Smoothie Power, Part 2

In my first Smoothie Power blog post (which you can read here) I shared with you the wisdom behind breaking your fast with a liquid meal (AKA a smoothie).

In Part 1, I dug into the fiber component of our powerhouse smoothies–it’s a favorite of mine because I’ve enjoyed the benefits of FiberMender for a long time: great digestion (you know what I mean by that), being comfortably full without being bloated enabling me to go up to 5 hours without having to snack and of course, the gut-healing qualities in our FiberMender and how that translates in the weight loss department.

There are 3 components to a powerhouse smoothie that will ensure satiety, deliver remarkable nutrition and keep your body in check.

Those 3 things are protein, fat, and fiber.

Today I want to talk about protein.

The science is abundant: protein (specifically collagen) is one of the most important nutrients for metabolic function and is necessary to build every cell in our bodies.

Protein is crucial, especially for women who want to build lean muscle, maintain or lose weight and keep functionality and mobility a part of their lives–post-menopausal women need a little more protein than they did when they were younger.

One recent study showed that 20 grams of protein in the morning for women, (35 grams for men) created actual changes in brain chemistry–changes in hunger hormones specifically that resulted in the ability to stay in control of eating throughout the rest of the day.

Lean muscle (we all want muscle–especially the kind that looks good in a sleeveless blouse) is built through the proper understanding and consumption of protein. Without adequate protein, your body will use what available protein it has for deep metabolic healing and function– to heck with your arms!

Collagen is responsible for forming your body’s skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. As we age, we lose our ability to manufacture a sufficient amount of collagen–supplementing with collagen (specifically in a drink for instant access) makes this a non-issue.

Not only is collagen a needle mover for aging skin, but it’s also helpful for those dealing with acne–extra collagen means extra help in correcting skin issues.

It’s critical for healing, too. And quite necessarily, your needs for more collagen go up if your body is in a healing crisis. This is why I also recommend drinking tons of bone broth for anyone going through illness or recovery from surgery or an accident.

The body replaces damaged muscle and skin tissues every 4 months anyway, why not replace those tissues with healthier, more vibrant cells?

Collagen (protein) is very slow to digest (that slows down gastric emptying and keeps you full longer) and requires work by the body to break it down. This increases the number of calories and heat the body has to use to make it happen–again, another boost to the metabolism.

All of these reasons are why we formulated Perfect Paleo Protein–it’s a collagen-based protein powder that works within to get you all these benefits I just discussed. I’ve seen it myself after taking it for several years now–my skin looks young and vibrant and I feel great!

I am in the middle of a business trip that I sandwiched a few days of vacation in between. During this trip, I’ve brought my travel blender and am doing my own smoothie challenge.

The goal is to take advantage of the liquid meal’s bioavailability as the first meal of the day, the most important meal that breaks my fast–and yes, I’ll be doing intermittent fasting some days–maybe not all, but certainly some.

I’ll also be availing myself of the gym at the hotel–this might be a vacation/business trip but it’s an opportunity too, to take advantage of this beautiful setting on a beach and stay on track.

NEXT: Read Smoothie Power, Part 3 (Fat)

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