WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The Healing Hour: Come and Get Your Protein, Part Two

Episode Date: April 30, 2024

The protein party isn't over: Adriana and Erika discuss more health benefits of a high protein diet and some easy ways to incorporate it into your diet.

Hello and welcome to The Healing Hour where we bring you your weekly dose of healing. I'm your host, Adriana Azarian. And I'm your co-host, Erica Kaiva. And we are here this week as every other week to help you become your healthiest, happiest, happiest, fullest selves. And today we are going to continue our conversation from last week about protein. The importance of it, health benefits of a high protein diet. So we're going to be talking about the science behind that in the first half of this episode. And then we're going to be transitioning into practical ways.

to implement more protein into your diet. But first, we have to discuss our weekly healing moment. Yeah, I've been noticing that every single time we go in to talk about our healing moment, it ends up involving coffee and coffee shops and the friends that we go to to these coffee shops. But you know what, that's okay. But this time we went to a different coffee shop. So it's different. Are you guys ready for this?

Strap in. We went to jelly beans. We went off campus to Jilly Beans, and we had coffee with one of our dear friends and had a very deep conversation about dreams. I think that could be an episode topic in the future. I think that would be a really interesting episode topic. There's so much to unpack. Your dreams can tell you a lot about your psychological health. They really, really can.

So that was a very healing conversation. Yes. And one that we might continue and do on the show at a later date. Yes. Shout out to Summerlin. We love you. We love her. Erica, what did you order?

I got the spinach feta tomato quiche, which is high protein. And it has lots of vegetables in it. So, live in the dream with that one. That sounds very good. And I got their belly rub latte, which is white chocolate and caramel. I love the balance there. Thank you. Because you have a very balanced meal, like, you know, very healthy with the keish.

You have your fats, carbs, and protein. Then you have something sweet on the side. Mm-hmm. Very balanced of you. I had a the fud they call it. It's a honey cinnamon latte. Usually I get it with almond milk, but they were out, so I had coconut milk instead. Anyhow.

Erica, were you much of a coffee drinker before coming to Hillsdale? You know, I was. Were you? I always had it in the mornings with my family. That was kind of something we all did. We just drank coffee together before heading out for school and work, etc. And how did you usually have it with milk and sugar? Milk and sugar.

Yeah. I could never do straight black coffee. Really? I don't expect the people that can, but I cannot do it. Really? Yeah. I'm kind of the opposite. When I came into Hiltow, I wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but if I did have coffee,

it had to be, like, pure black. But now I'm getting into more sweet things with milk. Nice. So, anyhow. Is this more of a freshman year thing? More of this year. Freshman year, I think I was still in my, like, black coffee is the end of good coffee phase. But now I'm like, you know, sometimes you got to enjoy life.

Mm-hmm. So, so true. Yeah. All right. But on that note, yes. Previously, on the healing hour, we talked about the positive impacts of protein with keeping you full throughout the day and that reduces cravings. And also the fact that like when you consume a lot of protein, like you spend more calories digesting that. So, you know, it's that can be a calorie burning endeavor in that way.

And it also helps build muscle, which also burns calories for you. Exactly. That's great. But the benefits don't stop there. We are picking up with the Experience Life article titled High Protein Diets, Health Benefits and Controversies by the Lifetime Health Team. And Benefit 5. Bone health. Yeah, bone health. So it says high protein diets stimulate calcium absorption, bone turnover, and production of insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1. IGF-1 stimulates osteoblast activity. Oscelebrasts secrete the matrix for bone formation. They're kind of important. A higher intake of animal-based proteins increases IGF-1. What do we think about that? Well, I mean, I want to have healthy bones my whole life.

Yeah. So I'm pretty happy to hear that I'm feeding them well. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. And like, I feel like sometimes, like, as younger people, we don't always think about, like, bone health and, like, how osteoporosis can be a huge problem. Mm-hmm. Because, like, we just kind of, I don't know, it's in the future. I don't know. It's unfortunate that it happens.

But really, like, the diet that you have now and, like, the health choices you make now, like, really affect that. So, like, getting high protein and high calcium in your diet, like, will keep your bones healthy so that they can continue to serve you later on. Yeah. I actually was reading this thing today that was like things I wish I had told myself when I was in my 20s and it was to take care of your health because the older you get, the harder it is. So, I mean, however old you are now, you're never going to be any younger than you are now. So you might as well just get started.

It was kind of why I took away from that. So, and especially for women, because osteoporosis is a problem for women. So don't let the red-pilled high-protein men scare you into thinking that eating high protein is not good for you because you want to protect those bones for us. long as you can. Yeah. So in addition to helping with the production of IGF1, it says that protein has a positive effect on the parathyroid hormone, which affects bone health, and it also increases stomach acid levels, which is actually good for you because it enhances calcium absorption. When stomach acids are low, calcium doesn't get absorbed as well. So I think that's really interesting. This is really interesting. It also talks about stress resilience. Yeah. I didn't realize that

protein can help with your immune system and keeping you healthy even in times of stress. Yeah, and they're referencing a study. It says that healthy resistance trained men followed a diet for two weeks, which was designed to match 60% of their usual calorie intake. One group ate a high protein low fat diet and the other ate a moderate protein, moderate fat diet. The higher protein group experienced less fatigue, more satisfaction with the diet, less stress, and less mood disturbance than the moderate

protein group, which I think it's like a really interesting study and definitely a really good pointer that we should consume more protein. But as the great Milton Friedman said, figures are figures. And you have to be careful with figures. Because like I'd be interested to know more about the study because it's like it is high protein low fat. So it's like, where is the effect of the less stress coming from? Could it be from the low fat? You know, I personally feel less stressed when I eat more fat. No, no. Yeah. I'm sure that, yeah. I personally am pro fat also. Yeah. So I just that's really interesting that the study is like, you know, oh, low fat. Yeah. You know, that, that keeps you from being stressed when really, I think fat helps you also not be stressed.

Yeah, that's just me. Every time you see a study, just like, be sure to like think about, you know, like the, I don't know. Consider the factors. Consider the factor. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, okay, the average person needs to eat 0.8. Their weight times 0.8 is how many grams of protein you should eat. If you weigh like 150 pounds, 120 grams of protein per day. Nice. That's a lot of protein. That is a lot of protein. But it's totally worth it. It's totally worth it and it's totally doable if you know the right foods to eat. Tell us what the right foods to eat are. So I'm a big proponent of Greek yogurt. What's your favorite brand? This is not sponsored. Well, I like Faye, 5%. I like the full fat stuff.

Yeah, yeah. People often think that peanut butter is a high protein food. It is not a high protein food. Because for two tablespoons of peanut butter, that's 180 calories and only eight grams of protein. Not really, I mean, it's great, eat peanut butter by all means. But it's not a high protein food with that ratio. But it's still a good little protein boost, you know? Yeah.

It's a good little addition onto already high protein foods. So I like peanut butter on top of it. of Greek yogurt with protein powder. And that's like 40 grams of protein. It gives me full forever. Okay. The article talks about chicken breast and chicken thighs. Meat.

I mean, obviously meat is very high in protein. Pork. Yep, pork. Pork is good. Filet mignon. Love pylignon. Eggs we talked about last episode. Cottage cheese.

People don't expect that. Yeah. Cottage cheese was a huge trend in the protein world last summer. People were making everything. They were making desserts, snacks. like high protein mac and cheese was cottage cheese i think it's like it's very versatile yeah what's your favorite cottage cheese dish oh i made this really good high protein mac and cheese with this like it was chickpea pasta and then i blended cottage cheese with um and like i heated it up and like melted um shredded

cheese and i think i added some milk to it and it was a high protein mac and cheese and it tasted like regular mac and cheese but it was really good because it was high protein so it's much more filling than regular mac and cheese um but i also seen people make like cheesecake with it. I don't know if that's good, but, but I just like a good bowl of cottage cheese straight up with fruit. Oh, so good. Really good. Yes. Ooh. What kind of fruit? Like pineapples are good. Apples are good. Baries are good. Because it's a very mild cheese. So you can, you can go sweet with it. You can put honey on it. You can kind of treat it like yogurt. But I like this one brand. I think it's called good culture because it has added probiotics

to it. Ooh. Yes. It has a good flavor. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes. I usually go the salty root. So at home, my parents really like to make cottage cheese with chives and pepper mixed in. And then we eat them with crackers.

That sounds good. That's such a good high protein snack. Yeah. Like a great high protein appetizer for dinner. One cup of cottage cheese has 25 grams of protein. That's amazing. That's almost enough for a full meal. I mean, you shouldn't have just cottage cheese for a meal.

But that's as much as you need in a full meal. Yeah. That's recommended. I love protein powder because it helps me get to my goal and it's much, it's also versatile. And it's a, it's like, it's just an easy addition. You know, I don't always have time to make myself eggs and cottage cheese. By the way, eggs and cottage cheese is also really good. That sounds really good.

Yeah, like you just mix it in with your eggs and you scramble them. Okay. Okay, so not necessarily on the side. Like scrambled in. Yeah, like scrambled together. It's really good. Oh, I have to try this. It's really good.

I like to make it and then put it in a burrito and then it's a high protein breakfast burrito. That sounds so good and now I'm hungry. We also just had dinner and we were hungry again. This goes to show you that protein foods are very delicious. But yeah, protein powder is very convenient for a college student just to mix that with Greek yogurt and you already have like 35 grams of protein. Do you ever make shakes with it? Oh, yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have a blender at college right now.

Alas. But yeah, that's also a good way of getting protein. Do you ever bake with protein powder? I do. I made, my mom and I made this really good high protein banana bread last summer. And we put protein powder. It was just like regular, regular recipe. We add protein powder.

And it was a high protein dessert. That's perfect. Isn't that fun? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Are you a protein powder type person? On occasion.

Yeah, I don't have it with me. college, but my mom is like, well, she was into making shakes for a while and occasionally still will. And then what we like to do, we like, we have this banana muffin mix that we're really into that we often get. And we will mix the protein powder into that and have high protein banana muffins. See, so protein goes good in banana desserts. Exactly.

If you take nothing else away from this, it's that. Yeah. Do you get like the flavored protein or? Yes, I get chocolate flavored protein because I like chocolate. Nice. Also, collagen powder is really good. I've heard that. Yeah.

So that's also worth looking into. It has less protein, but it's really good for your skin health and other, your hair health. So we've talked about the ingredients, but Experience Life has another article called High Protein Snacks by Samantha McKinney. Ooh. And what do you know? The first thing she talks about is cottage cheese. I'm telling you, it's having its moment right now. It really is.

Yeah, and she talked about, actually, it's funny. She talks about much of the same stuff that we just discussed in the article. It's like topping the cottage juice with berries or diced fresh pineapple, mixing it with diced scallions and radishes and topped with a few shakes of pepper for a more savory taste. I didn't even read this part beforehand. Didn't notice that. Wow. Or you could serve it like hors d'oeuvres in the middle of a plate full of carrot sticks,

pepper slices, and salad. using the cottage cheese as a dip. Hmm. Yeah. And if the texture bothers you, like I said before, blending, it's really good. Yeah. Because a lot of people have issue with how, like, chunky it is, and that is understandable. You know what else is really good is, so I used to always put honey on yogurt.

But it has come to my attention that you can also, and obviously this is, obviously you can do this. But you can also put maple syrup on yogurt. And it is delicious. I hadn't thought of that. It's delicious. That sounds like it would be really good. That's really good. Yeah.

A little Greek yogurt, maple syrup, berries, maybe mix some berries in there. Some granola. Ah! Sounds so good. Ah! Okay, protein boosted hummus or guacamole? I never thought about that.

Yeah, well, she talks about, because people often think that hummus is a high protein food, but really it's not. Oh. But she says mixing collagen peptides, there's the collagen, can help boost it without adding much flavor. That's a good idea.

Definitely. The powders, I'm telling you, they make everything more convenient. Boiled eggs. I think we talked about that in the last episode. But so easy to make. She says put everything bagel seasoning on that, and I support that wholeheartedly. I put that on everything. I even put it on my cottage cheese.

Really? When I'm not making sweet cottage cheese. It's really good on cottage cheese. Everything bagel seasoning is also having its moment. As it should. Preservative-free beef jerky or meat sticks. It seems like you'd be hard to find a preservative-free version of that. It's out there.

I just have, I don't know, I'm not really a big fan of preserved meat. Yeah. I'm usually not either, but there are like these meat sticks that they sell at a store close to our house with like pepperjack cheese inside. And it's like turkey sticks with pepper jack. Interesting. I didn't think I would like it, but I really did. Okay. Do you like protein bars? I do. Well, there are like very specific brands that I like. Usually I don't really like the taste.

Okay. I like my protein bars to taste like a candy bar and by that point they're usually not healthy. Yeah. A lot of artificial sugars and things like that. But I know you're really into protein bars. I am. Although, yeah, I really like Aloha bars. Mmm. Those are delicious because it's like basically all whole ingredients and it's like 14 grams of protein, which isn't as high. has other brands, but it's more natural.

So I think it's a good trade-off. And it has a lot of fiber and healthy fats. So I feel pretty good when I eat that. There's a little bit of sugar. But it's cane sugar. It's not like, you know, aspartame. Yeah. And I also like RX bars.

Those are a pretty good option. Those are pretty natural. And lately I've been into IQ bars. Ooh. What are those like? So they have 12 grams of plant-based protein. They're vegan. Okay.

RX bars have protein because they have egg whites, in them. But Aloha has vegetable protein and so does IQ. So just there are different options out there. But I really like them because they're low sugar. I get the chocolate flavors. They have chocolate peanut butter and this brownie flavor that's really good and almond butter chocolate chip. They taste good. I like them. That sounds really good. Yeah. I really like Alani bars. Oh yeah. Which do have a lot of sugar in them, be advised, but they taste amazing. And in moderation, that's fine. Yeah.

Yeah. It's like a good thing if you're hungry and you need a quick boost. Yes. But don't make that like the prime center of your diet. Yeah. Yeah. I like, I used to, what I used to do is I used to break up a protein bar into my Greek yogurt. Ooh.

And then be kind of like a little ultra protein boost. Yeah, kind of like, you know, like blizzards from Dairy Queen. Mm-hmm. Kind of like that, but a healthy version. A healthy blizzard. I love it. Yeah. That's kind of, you know, not quite the same.

But same idea. Yes. Yeah. What time are we at now? We're at 19. Okay, we're getting close. How do you feel about those, like, the yogurt cups that they make for children where you can shake in M&Ms or Oreo pieces? Those are pretty sugary.

Yeah. So I'm sure they're really good. I don't, most yogurts, believe it or not, aren't that high in protein unless they're like Greek yogurt. Yeah, I believe it. Yeah. Because I got this, this whole, this yogurt from. Trader Joe's because we went to Indiana. We went to Indiana for the solar eclipse.

We stopped at Trader Joe. That was a very healing moment for us. That was a very healing moment for us. We stopped at Trader Joe's and I got this yogurt and I was looking at the nutrition label because I like to know what I'm eating and it was like only seven grams of protein per serving. And I was like that's so interesting because like Greek yogurt has 15 to 17 grams of protein per serving. So it's kind of, you know, the same amount like three quarters of a cup or two thirds of a cup, whatever. So it's kind of interesting. You have to like, people often think, oh, it's yogurt, therefore it's high protein, but usually it's how it's made.

Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, though, I'll take the seven grams of protein if the yogurt tastes good and isn't super high in sugar. But this yogurt did not taste good. Oh. Yeah. Then no. Yeah.

It was very, it was like the European style at Trader Joe's. If you like sour things, that's great. But for me, it was just a bit too sour. Yeah. And I usually like strong flavors. So. But Greek yogurt for the win, if you are trying to meet protein gold. Well, Herica, this has been a beautiful episode.

This has been a beautiful episode. I love cooking and I love telling people how to cook and what foods to eat. Sharing ideas. Oh, before we go, I want to talk about lentil pasta and chicky pasta a bit more because those are really good alternatives to pasta if you are trying to meet a high protein. Also, high fiber diet because if you can make it right, you don't really notice that it's different. Adriana fed me chickpea pasta two weeks ago. Wasn't it so good? It was so good.

The Bonsa brand of mac and cheese is great for college students who don't have time to make themselves super elaborate high protein meals, but also if you'll need to eat a lot of protein. Yeah. It tastes really good. It keeps you full. It's just perfect. Sometimes what I do is I will add Greek yogurt to it, just a little bit, to the sauce. And then it makes even more high protein. Until next time

You can email us, as always, at Your Doseof Healing at gmail.com That's Your Doseof Healing at gmail.com If you have any questions or concerns or comments We'd love to respond to them. Yes. Signing off with your host, Adriana Azarian and your co-host, Erica Kaiva.