Powering with Protein

I have seen SO much information on social media from influencers pushing protein powder products. I know that protein is a topic that lots of people like to talk about, but I feel like more often than not people don’t understand the basics.

Not All Protein is the Same

Protein is defined as a macronutrient that is made up of chains of amino acids. Macronutrients are chains for nutrient molecules linked together that your body breaks down and uses for different things. Amino acids are molecules that your body digests and uses for different purposes. These molecules are the building blocks for protein chains. Protein is vital to the structure of organs and tissues within your body. Your body needs 20 different amino acids to function appropriately, and they all have different functions. Out of those 20 different amino acids, 11 of them are produced by your body and they are called nonessential amino acids. The remaining 9 amino acids we must get from food, because our bodies cannot produce them, and they are called essential amino acids. Foods containing all 9 essential amino acids are called complete protein foods and include dairy foods, whole sources of soy (like tofu), eggs and meat (including fish, poultry, beef, and pork).

Why Your Protein Source Matters

Choosing your protein source matters because a food option is going to be one of the best ways for your body to utilize the amino acids being consumed. Complete protein feeds are an efficient and easy way to get those essential amino acids, your body can’t make and then also fuel your body for rebuilding muscle. There are times and ways that nonessential amino acids are helpful for your body, but if you are in a rush and need something quick and easy, reaching for a complete protein food like dairy options can be helpful! Eggs are also an amazing option, but obviously with increasing egg prices that can be challenging for some households. Meat items are all also important to incorporate and if you choose non-meat options reach for a whole soy food item like tofu or tempeh.

Least Healthy City in America

Well the results on in ... the most healthy city in America ... (drum roll please) ... is Washington DC. The American Fitness Index (put together by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation) released their yearly rankings for the the healthiest cities across America. There are 50 cities on the list total. Unfortunately my city, the place where I reside, came in as the least healthy city in America - at #50 Indianapolis, IN. 

Top 10 cities: 

  1. Washington DC
  2. Minneapolis 
  3. Denver 
  4. Portland 
  5. San Francisco 
  6. Seattle 
  7. Boston
  8. Salt Lake City 
  9. Hartford, CT 
  10. San Diego

The criteria that went into these rankings  include the city's desire to focus on wellness, including environmental factors, like walking paths, parks and access to outdoor activities. They also assess personal health and how much Americans in these cities are making a concerted effort to be active. 

For Indianapolis, we have 33% of our population that qualifies as obese (BMI of >30kg/m2). And our parks department only spend $24 per person on maintaining/building park areas. And if you look at the number of people who live within a 10 minute walk from a park, that total is only 32%.  When you compare that to the number one healthiest city, Washington DC, they spend $346 per person on their parks, they have 96.3% of their population within a 10 minute walk from a park. Their obesity statistics are much better at 25% of their population = obese. 

This is a huge difference and if you think about the culture of Washington DC compared with Indianapolis you have more people driving in Indianapolis and less people walking to/from their homes/work. Hopefully Indianapolis can take this information and work to better our parks and provide areas for people to be outside and get active. This is going to have to be a shift in priorities to put more money into the parks department, but I know that it can make a big difference in all of our lives. 

Information/statistics from - www.today.com