> Food and Nutrition > Diets > high protein/low carbohydrate

It’s morning. It’s early, and you’re craving that regular coffee fix. Consider this: protein shakes are refreshing, provide quick energy and are a wonderful alternative to North America’s most popular caffeinated drink.

Protein is vitally important to optimal health. This fact can’t be overstated. Billions of cells require the building blocks of protein, called amino acids, to rebuild and regenerate the body’s tissues and cells. There are 20 amino acids, 12 of which are synthesized by the liver. The remaining eight must be obtained from food. The richest sources of amino acids include legumes, eggs, nuts, seeds, fermented soy, whey protein and fermented dairy products.

The average person should make protein 15 to 20 per cent of their diet. However, some people have greater protein requirements than others. If you are very active or pregnant, or if you exercise strenuously or do heavy labour, you will need more protein than if you’re a couch potato. Unfortunately, women rarely get enough protein in their diet due to food choices and calorie restrictive diets. Yet protein serves many important functions in the body.

Heart Protection

Protein is essential to a healthy heart as it keeps our insulin levels stable. What does insulin have to do with heart disease? High insulin causes certain enzymes to convert lipids in our bloodstream into heart- and artery-damaging substances. This is why diabetics are prone to cardiovascular disease. Small protein meals throughout the day have been recommended for diabetics and those with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as an effective measure in the treatment and prevention of heart disease and to maintain healthy insulin levels.

Lower Cholesterol And Triglycerides

Results from more than 50 studies have proven the cholesterol-lowering benefits of soy protein in the diet. Twenty-five to 50 grams of isolated soy protein is effective in lowering total cholesterol and LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

Fat-Burning Powers

Whey protein not only contains amino acids, but it also contains alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptides, lactoferrin and glutathione precursors. Each component in whey protein has a unique action, and, when combined, they have powerful healing capabilities.

We also know that eating protein several times throughout the day keeps us alert and full of energy, but it also keeps our fat-burning furnace revved up and burning calories. A protein meal can enhance your metabolic rate and burns more fat compared to a high carbohydrate meal. Even consuming protein once a day, at breakfast, will help your metabolism and curb your appetite all day, because when we are fulfilled nutritionally, the body stops craving food.

Plant Nutrients Fight Cancer

Soy, long revered as the yellow jewel of Asian diets, may provide powerful protection from breast, prostate and colon cancers. Soy foods are rich in many plant nutrients including sterols and sterolins, inositol hexaphosphate, saponins, genistein, daidzein, lignans and protease inhibitors. Several of these have been extensively researched for their anti-cancer effects.

The isoflavones genistein and daidzein, which are abundant in soy, are anti-cancer agents that may reverse or retard the cancer process. Genistein has been shown to interfere with angiogenesis, a process that cancer cells use to grow new blood vessels that ensure their survival. By halting the production of new blood vessels, genistein starves the cancer.

Soy is also very high in the lignans, which are structurally similar to estrogens and work as weak estrogens or anti-estrogens to remove excess estrogens that may be harmful or cancer promoting. Lignans have also been shown to balance estrogen metabolism in women and men.

Stronger Bones

Soy and whey protein are both important in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Soy in particular has been shown to increase bone density and bone mineral content in the lumbar spine. Researchers also believe soy may inhibit bone breakdown. We know that adequate estrogen in the body is required to keep bones strong. In one study, researchers compared genistein (found in soy) to steroidal estrogen. They found that one milligram per day of genistein was equivalent to five micrograms per day of steroidal estrogens in maintaining bone mass.

Whey protein has also been researched for its ability to promote bone formation. Whey protein activates osteoblasts, the cells that form bone, and also increases total protein and collagen. Whey protein combined with soy should be part of your osteoporosis prevention or treatment program. Another excellent benefit of soy and whey is that they are relatively high in calcium and magnesium, both important for bone health.

What About Fermented Soy?

Non-fermented soybeans contain enzyme inhibitors that can block protein absorption. They also contain hemagglutin, known to decrease the ability of red blood cells to properly absorb oxygen and distribute it through the body. When soy beans are fermented–as found in tempeh, miso, tofu and fermented soy powder–the fermentation process deactivates hemagglutinin and enhances protein and isoflavones absorption.

Traditional Asian diets contain mainly fermented soy foods--not isolated soy protein or whole soy beans. Fermented soy powders also provide more absorbable forms of the isoflavones genistein and daizein. One study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association compared the effects of consuming fermented soy to unfermented soy. The reasearchers’ conclusion: fermented soy provided an increase in the availability and absorption of the isoflavones in soy.

For all these reasons, it makes sense to ensure your diet contains enough protein to fulfill your body’s needs. So the next time you’re reaching for the grinder, why not reach for the blender instead and replace your morning coffee with a protein power shake.

Tasty Protein Shakes

Add your favourite protein powder to either of these tasty shakes for a high-protein snack or meal replacement.

Strawberry Milkshake

Banana Milkshake

Source: alive #243, January 2003