We are made of protein, minerals, and fat... but mostly protein.  Yet protein is largely ignored as a vital nutrient in this country except by bodybuilders.  Proteins are the molecules of life.  Everything in your body depends on the proper usage of protein.  Your DNA is protein.  Your blood cells are protein.  In fact every cell in your body is primarily protein.  So you need to eat good quality protein to make a good quality body.

All proteins are not created equal.  In fact all proteins are very different from each other.  There are three primary ways of measuring the quality of a protein.  One is through a chemical score that compares the amounts of the different amino acids in comparison to what a human body needs.  (Amino acids are the little molecules that proteins string together to make the huge protein molecules.  Certain amino acids are called essential because you have to get them in certain ratios and quantities to be able to use the protein.)

The second is the Protein Efficiency Ratio (P.E.R.), which measures the amount of weight gain divided by the amount of a particular protein consumed.  The idea here is that the higher the ratio the more use the body is making of the protein.

The third and most widely used measure is Net Protein Utilization (NPU) which is a measure of how much of the protein you consume is actually converted into protein you can use in your body.  The standard all proteins are compared to is egg white as it has a value of 94 -100%.  Egg white is considered to be the most perfect protein for the human body.

Proteins from plant sources are generally poor proteins because most of the protein is wasted and burned for energy because the amounts of essential amino acids that the body has to get from the plants are low in plant proteins.  Without the right essential amino acids present, the human body can't use the rest of the protein to reassemble it into what the body can use.  The solution to this drawback is to combine different plant proteins based on just which amino acids are deficient.  For instance the deficiencies of rice protein are nicely counter balanced by the strengths of pea protein and vice versa.  So consuming both of these together will produce a protein source with a much higher net protein utilization (NPU). 

Animal sources of protein are usually pretty good as they generally have a good supply of the essential amino acids...but considerable variability exists.  For example the NPU of some different proteins:
94% Egg Protein.
83% Milk Protein with 10% egg.
81% Protein from fish.
73% Meat Protein.
66% Soy Protein.

Next to egg and whey protein, fish is about the best source of protein - but it has contamination problems.  If the fish is wild caught you have to worry about mercury levels and if it is farmed it will be full of antibiotics and pesticides.

An exotic source of very good protein is blue-green algae like spirulina.  Its major drawback is that it tastes like lawn clippings and will run you $25 to $80 a pound.  So although good, it is not very practical.

Personally I use both egg white protein and whey concentrate.  Plus my Miracle Bread has a huge amount of protein in it, which is a regular part of my diet.  It serves equally as bread, as crackers, and as desserts. 

Everyone needs protein, but this is especially true of older folks who just don't like to cook much anymore.  They typically are very deficient in protein, which promotes their muscle wasting and resulting muscle weakness.  In fact it was for older folks that I designed my Miracle Bread initially.  But consuming protein smoothies daily is also a good way to go if you are not into cooking plenty of protein foods to eat each week.

This is also super useful for anyone doing weight training.  To get the maximum muscle growth after a weight training session, train on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and follow the session with a protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing the session. 

How much protein is enough?  60 to 75 grams of protein daily seems to be a minimum for health.  Obviously if you are working heavily or training and trying to build muscle you will need more than this (perhaps twice as much.)  So how much is that?  Well if you are talking about a nice steak as your sole source of protein, you are talking about 10 to 12 ounces of steak per day - quite a bit.  (By weight, raw meat is only about 20% protein - the rest is mostly water and fat.)  Visually that is three servings the size of the palm of your hand each day.  For an average teenager or adult male this may be quite normal, but how many seniors eat that much meat every day?  Too many seniors I know live on bowls of cereal - which has almost no protein (the milk is only about 7 grams of protein per cup.)

Most everything contains some protein (except sugar) so just eating will meet some of your protein needs.  That is why pasta lovers, vegetarians, and junk food addicts that don't actively watch their protein consumption don't get sick right away.  It can take years for the chronic protein insufficiency to degrade the immune system and general tissue integrity to the point that they know they are simply not healthy. 

My recommendation - protein shakes.  No, not the sugar filled canned stuff from the store or the also sugar filled pouches, but some freshly blended protein shakes made at home.  They only take a minute to whip up, and can be made with much better ingredients and without the sugar.  The variety of recipes and options will keep you entertained for years (if you like variety.)  You can throw in berries, nuts, coconut milk, fresh veggies, spices and herbs, raw chocolate powder, the list goes on and on.

My typical morning/all day shake is made of:
    4 cups of filtered water
    ¼ cup raw almonds - blended in the water to make almond milk
    ¼ cup egg white powder
    2 Tbs. Whey concentrate or Clearvite pea protein
    1Tbs. Raw unsweetened chocolate powder
    1 Tbs. Psyllium seed powder
    2 Tbs. Chia seed
    1 tsp. Dr Dave 8x sweetener
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    2 tsp. glycerin
 
For protein I suggest egg white.  Whey concentrate is good but contains lactose so is a problem if you are lactose intolerant (which most adults are to some extent).  Whey isolate is the other common form of whey.  It has less problems with the lactose but higher issues with allergenic proteins in it.  So unless you are allergic to eggs, I would go for the egg white protein for a protein shake.  Soft cooking whole eggs is more nutritious, but the whole idea here is to help those who don't want to cook several times a day.

When I was searching for egg white powder for my miracle bread I found every brand but one also contained sodium laurel sulfate - a foaming agent.  This stuff is nasty for you.  Usually you see it in your shampoo because it makes a nice lather.  They put it in egg white powder for commercial use in making egg white meringue.  I could only find one manufacturer that left it out and sold the egg white just as a protein supplement.  Ryan, in their offices, just sent me a dozen 4 ounce sample boxes of their instant egg white protein to see if you my patients might like to use it as a protein supplement.

So, these samples are available to the first 12 people that come by and pick them up.  Four ounces is equivalent to 29 egg whites or roughly 10 servings of 10 grams of protein.  This is 100% pure egg white with absolutely no chemicals, additives, or preservatives.  I use a couple tablespoons per shake or actually I like to make up about 5 cups of shake in the blender at the beginning of the day, drink one cup and save the rest for use throughout the rest of the day.  Many of you have seen me sipping my protein drink from my Mason jar at my break.

If there is interest, I plan to carry the egg white protein at the office for my patients.  A good daily source of protein is a valuable step in supporting your health.


Enjoy,


David  

A couple years ago I wrote about cooking with coconut milk.  At that time the only coconut milk available was imported in cans from Southeast Asia.  Now you can get it in the health dairy section at the grocery store in cartons just like regular milk.  But this is watered down compared to the best imported coconut milk, which is more like thick cream.  I have tried all the varieties available at the local Asian markets and my very favorite for flavor and consistency is Chaokoh brand.  It is ridiculously overpriced on Amazon, but I have it in the office for only $1.95 a can.  

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About Dr. DeLapp

Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years.  He began experimenting with  medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis.  In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education.  Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic.  He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice. 
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health. 
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities. 
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth.  The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework.  Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.

Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor

Ellen Flowers FGM
Spiritual Life Coach

 

 

Catherine Cummings

 

 

Jin Shin Jitsu

 

 

Lorena Morales

 

 

Massage Practitioner

 

 

 

 

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