A foodie's quest to turn up the heat through strength and conditioning with whole food and a hungry mind.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Mindful Monday: Protein Powder is not Food


I’ve been making and reading a lot of protein powder based recipes as of late, and wanted to make a statement to anyone who wants to hear/read it. Protein powder is called a supplement because it is meant to “supplement” your daily intake of this essential macronutrient.

Grillled chicken on salad is hard to beat for quality protein and taste!

I am guilty of thinking as protein powder as a replacement for real food protein sources in the past. Not so anymore! Great tasting protein powder is a joy to cook with in place of flour, add to smoothies, or just hold you over when you need a healthy quick fix. But we really need to get the majority of our protein from whole food sources since these have an abundance of additional vitamins and nutrients not found in a powder.


Ok, so maybe some whole meal powders have all of the extras, but it’s still processed no matter how you look at it. Plus, it’s good to have something to actually chew with various textures instead of just drinking.

Perfect Protein meal of whole grain rye toast with mixed beans, veggies and quinoa. Simple and delicious!

Of course you should still enjoy protein powder creations like these sugar free brownies!!
Beans, lentils, eggs, nuts and nut butters (yum!), chicken, fish, lean meat, whole grains, and more are perfect examples of healthy protein sources.

My favorite portable and versatile protein.

Maybe this is nothing new to you, but hopefully it helps others make real food a priority and not depend on powders and such for their nutrition. Here are several posts I made in the past with regards to protein; they are all very informative and useful to people of varying knowledge on the subject.


5 Healthy Ways to Add Protein to Your Salad
Complementary Proteins
Protein Primer
Healthy Stevia Sweetened About Time Whey Protein Review


Q: How do you get real food protein sources in your life? Are you guilty of depending too much on just mixing a powder to get enough of this vital macronutrient?

Have a wonderful week!

4 comments:

  1. i've definitely been guilty of depending too much on protein powder - however, this clean eating challenge has forced me to think outside the box ... jar! :) plus, whey protein is insulinogenic (great for post work out) but can spike insulin during the day when you don't necessarily want it spiking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comments. Great info about the insulin spiking qualities of whey powder during the day. Hopefully you're finding some equally tasty protein options for your challenge!

      Delete
  2. I think you read my mind with this post. I need to cool it lately with the protein powder. A few weeks ago, I wasn't able to get to the grocery store, so I was literally having smoothies of the stuff for 2 meals a day. EEEK!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean! I just found myself adding it to so many things I was cooking or just smoothies and it hit me like a brick........that hits really hard!

      So, I decided to post about it. It's so good and easy, but real food is the answer!! Thanks for reading!

      Delete