by Erin Stokes, ND, Medical Director at FoodState®
In my naturopathic practice, a simple piece of advice, which I share with almost everyone, has made a positive difference in the daily lives of many patients. Time and again, people tell me about how this one sentence I wrote down for them was so practical, easy to follow, and yielded real results.
What is it, you ask?
“Where is my protein”
Now, you may be scratching your head, thinking, “Really, that’s it?!”
So, let me explain.Let’s use breakfast as an example. A standard American breakfast is a bowl of cereal with a glass of juice. This carbohydrate burst will send blood glucose levels soaring, only to crash shortly afterwards. This is not a good scenario.
The healthier alternative scenario is that before your first meal of the day (and at every meal), you ask yourself the question, “Where is my protein?” If you are having a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice, you will get a very minimal amount of protein from the milk in the cereal, but not a significant amount. Let’s ask again, “Where is my protein?” Perhaps it is a hard boiled egg, or if you’re having oatmeal, you add a few tablespoons of plain greek style yogurt and raw almonds on top, or maybe you decide to have a piece of salmon with greens on the side for breakfast. I think you get the idea.
You want to ask yourself this simple question about protein at every meal. Why? Adequate amounts of protein stabilize blood glucose levels. Think of your blood glucose as your fuel for your body. If you don’t eat enough protein and your glucose levels drop, you impact not just energy, but also stress in a negative manner. The low blood glucose levels correlate directly with low energy. In addition, when glucose levels drop, the body compensates by secreting cortisol from the adrenal glands, the center of our stress response.
In my work, I strive to set people up for success. Often people say they are “too busy to eat”. And breakfast can be one of the most challenging times, as many of us are on a tight timeline in the morning. Smoothies have become a popular option, and I support that as an alternative for protein intake, provided these smoothies are not high in sugar. A protein powder such as INNATE Vegan Protein can be an asset for convenient protein intake any time of day. It is naturally sweetened with stevia, and can be easily blended into a smoothie in just a couple minutes. This formula steers clear of major food allergens, since the protein source is pea protein. While a whole food diet is always the first answer to the question “Where is my protein?”, the realities of modern life certainly hold a place for a healthy protein powder option.
Do you have a simple, yet powerful piece of advice you often share with patients that has made a positive difference in their lives? We invite you to share with the practitioner community!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Dr Adam Killpartrick
As a functional medicine practitioner the question I’m asked most often is ‘Why?’. ‘Why is my cholesterol high?’ ‘Why is my thyroid underactive?’. ‘Why don’t I have any energy?’.
I also get the same question from fellow practitioners when I suggest a specific supplement for them to apply to a patient.
This question has inevitably come up relative to Adrenal Response®. And the standard answer is that the formulation is stellar. Within the formula you’ll find two incredible lead ingredients for supporting adrenal health.* First is the patented Ashwagandha extract, Sensoril, which contains 8% withanolide (rather than the standard 2.5%). Second is Holy Basil, which exhibits powerful adaptogenic properties.*
Often practitioners then go deeper to ask the next key question, ‘Why are these two ingredients so incredible?’. That’s the REAL why. They want to know WHY and how these things work in the body to support the health of the adrenal glands.*
Holy Basil contains Ursolic Acid. This is perhaps one of the most powerful compounds in
botanical medicine. It has demonstrated the capability to support healthy blood sugar levels and healthy levels of inflammatory cytokines.* It also supports healthy levels of 11B Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Enzyme, which in addition to being a mouthful to say, is responsible for converting cortisone to active cortisol.* By supporting a healthy level of cortisol conversion we’re able to provide the healthiest possible response to stress.*
What are some of the ingredients/formulations you’ve always used but have never stopped to ask WHY you use them? It could be something as straightforward as Vitamin C. Your answer might be, ‘Because it supports a healthy immune response.’ But WHY, what is the mechanism that makes that happen? Same with Vitamin D. And CoQ10. It is important for us to believe in what we are giving to our patients and by us asking the WHY it allows us to be fully invested and confident in the solutions we provide.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
As a functional medicine practitioner the question I’m asked most often is ‘Why?’. ‘Why is my cholesterol high?’ ‘Why is my thyroid underactive?’. ‘Why don’t I have any energy?’. I also get the same question from fellow practitioners when I suggest a specific supplement for them to apply to a patient.
This question has inevitably come up relative to Adrenal Response®. And the standard answer is that the formulation is stellar. Within the formula you’ll find two incredible lead ingredients for supporting adrenal health.* First is the patented Ashwagandha extract, Sensoril, which contains 8% withanolide (rather than the standard 2.5%). Second is Holy Basil, which exhibits powerful adaptogenic properties.*
Often practitioners then go deeper to ask the next key question, ‘Why are these two ingredients so incredible?’. That’s the REAL why. They want to know WHY and how these things work in the body to support the health of the adrenal glands.*So here it is:
Ashwagandha contains the active constituent called withanolide. These compounds work in a really unique way to support the body during times of stress.* Specifically, the withanolides serve as important hormone precursors that have the potential to convert into human physiologic hormones as needed.* The theory is that when there is an excess of a certain hormone, the plant based hormone precursor occupies cell membrane receptor sites so the actual hormone cannot attach and exert its effect. And if the hormone level is low, the plant based hormone exerts a small effect. So the advantage of Sensoril over other standardized extracts lies in this higher concentration. Ultimately this creates the potential to exert a greater effect on physiologic function.*Holy Basil contains Ursolic Acid. This is perhaps one of the most powerful compounds in
botanical medicine. It has demonstrated the capability to support healthy blood sugar levels and healthy levels of inflammatory cytokines.* It also supports healthy levels of 11B Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Enzyme, which in addition to being a mouthful to say, is responsible for converting cortisone to active cortisol.* By supporting a healthy level of cortisol conversion we’re able to provide the healthiest possible response to stress.*
What are some of the ingredients/formulations you’ve always used but have never stopped to ask WHY you use them? It could be something as straightforward as Vitamin C. Your answer might be, ‘Because it supports a healthy immune response.’ But WHY, what is the mechanism that makes that happen? Same with Vitamin D. And CoQ10. It is important for us to believe in what we are giving to our patients and by us asking the WHY it allows us to be fully invested and confident in the solutions we provide.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Disclaimer: All data and information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. Innate Response
Formulas makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for the content. All information is provided on an as-is basis.
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