May is Mental Health month! Last year we did a 3 part series on Mental Health, so we're throwing it back to Part II - 33 Things you can do for better mental health. Check out Part I here and Part III here.
Protein for Mental Health
Did you know Serotonin and Dopamine are both made from protein (or more specifically amino acids)? If you're not getting enough, or in the right form, your brain and emotional health suffers.
"When the proportion of calories intake by protein increased by 10%, the prevalence of depression was significantly reduced, both in the United States and South Korea."
Meals only May Continues
Q: Why don't we count non-animal source proteins?
A: There are several reasons behind why we don't count the incidental amounts of "protein" found in plant foods when tallying up our '30g of protein at each meal' target.
Amino Acids - Plant sources do not contain the right amount or the right proportion of the 20 amino acids we need (9 of which we are required to get from the diet). It's like getting a delivery of plywood, when you actually needed 2x4s.
Bioavailability - although a plant food may contain "protein", the ability of the human body to digest and assimilate those amino acids is pretty poor. So if we count those grams, we're counting proteins that YOU didn't actually get. It's like getting a delivery of 2x4s, but they're locked in a box and you don't have the key.
Ridiculous portions - Because they come packaged with so much other stuff, it would take such huge portions of plant based foods to meet our 30g protein target that it defeats the purpose of trying to eat better. For example it would take 833 cal of Quinoa or 788 cal of almonds to get 30g of protein, whereas you can get the same amount from 140 cal of chicken. It's like getting your 2x4s, but packaged in so much styrofoam and plastic that your yard is now overflowing with garbage.
Workouts for the Week
Monday May 6
Tuesday May 7
Wednesday May 8
Thursday May 9
Friday May 10
Saturday May 11
Sunday May 12
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