Plant Based Meats: Removing the Health Hal0

👩‍🍳A nutritionist's perspective on plant-based meats.
🥬The #1 reason people choose to buy plant-based meats over animal meats is that they believe plant-based meats are healthier.
🥦Nutrition Profile: Unprocessed meats (steak, chicken, turkey, etc.) are some of the most nutritionally dense foods one can consume. 👉🏼Plant-based meats are trickier to determine in terms of how the body processes nutrients. Although vitamins and minerals are added to the burgers to make up for the lack of these ingredients, whole foods contain thousands of compounds that aren't listed on a nutrition label, which assist the body in absorbing the nutrients contained in animal meat.
❗️Risk of iron deficiency: Plants contain iron in a form called non-heme, while animal meats contain iron in a form called heme. Heme iron is absorbed by the body at a rate of around 25-30%, while non-heme iron is absorbed at a rate of 2-9%.
🔬Plant-based burgers are considered an ultra-processed food, because they consist of proteins extracted from plant-based sources in a lab, mixed with additives such as fillers and binders, none of which are "real" food.
🧪Additives------
💩Aside from its use to create bulk in burgers, methylcellulose can also be used as a laxative.
🩸Leghemoglobin creates the "bleeding effect" in the meat, and has little research backing up the health of the product, and some have linked it to colon cancer.
🌱Soy is an ingredient that affects individuals differently, depending on hormone balance. Soy isoflavones are much weaker than estrogen receptors in the body but can bind to estrogen receptors and disrupt estrogenic activity.
🥔Potato starch adds roughly 30 calories/7 calories per gram, without any added nutritional value.
🤢Cultured Dextrose: helps to prohibit the growth of mold, but can also have negative effects on the gut.
🧂Most plant-based burgers contain 2-3x's the amount of saturated fat and sodium, as compared to animal-based burgers.

👩‍💼Bottom line: Eating a plant-based diet isn't bad. However, there are significant nutritional considerations one must take to ensure that appropriate amount of vitamins/minerals are consumed/absorbed for optimal health.

5 Ways to achieve your new years resolution to get healthier

Every January 1st, resolutions are set. 48% of people set a resolution related to fitness, but the average New Year’s resolution lasts 3 months or less (Davis, 2023). Less than 30% of people who set a resolution are still following it by April (Davis, 2023). So, how do you set attainable goals? How do you STICK to those goals? Here is a quick and dirty list of some pointers on how to set yourself up for success this year. (OR, skip to the bottom of this article for my favorite product recommendations!)

1.) Start small. Accomplishing little goals gives you the confidence to build those goals into bigger goals. For example: you want to eat clean, drink the recommended daily amount of water every day, lose 15 lbs, and exercise 5-6 days/week. Those are great goals, because they are measurable, and would indeed help one achieve a healthier lifestyle. However, consider where you’re beginning. If you haven’t stepped foot into a gym in a decade, eat takeout and pizza every night, and Starbucks is the main component of your liquids, you’re setting yourself up for failure if you think flipping all of those habits at the beginning of the new year is going to work. Start with 1-2 goals at a time, such as reaching your recommended daily water intake and heading to the gym a few days per week. As you find yourself more comfortably and consistently accomplishing those goals, add a new one into the mix.

2.) Don’t quit because of one mistake. Every day is a new day. Everyone is fallible. You’ve got this! You can’t change the past, just do better in the future-which can be the next move you make.

3.) Move every day. It doesn’t have to be a formal workout, but just MOVE your body! Most people don’t know that the greatest variable component for total energy expenditure is called NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). NEAT is comprised of daily activities such as walking to the bathroom, cooking dinner, typing on the computer, taking the stairs, doing laundry, and even fidgeting (Chung, et. al., 2018). While small amounts of energy (aka calories) are expended doing these activities, the activities add up throughout the day and can give someone an extra “boost” who is already trying to lose weight and is exercising/dieting. A low level of NEAT is associated closely with obesity, so small caloric expenditures through simple activities are extremely important to your overall daily calorie burn (Chung, et. al., 2018). Every little bit really DOES count!

4.) Do not underestimate the power of accountability. Researchers have found that individuals who consciously decide on a specific goal and commit to doing it have a 50-50 success rate of following through (Newland, 2018). Individuals who have a specific accountability partner and accountability appointment with their partner have a 95% chance of following through (Newland, 2018). Guys, this is a major figure! Whether your accountability is through an alarm set on your phone to check in daily with someone and/or a tracking app, a daily text between you and an accountability partner, or whatever it means to you, get it done. Why wouldn’t you do everything you can to meet goals that you care enough to set for yourself?
My favorite tracking app is Cronometer. It is free, and is the best (IMO) for tracking vitamins and mineral intake in addition to calories, and also allows you to set specific macro goals for yourself.

5.) Give your body what it needs. I do this through vitamin shots, vitamin IVs, and hormone supplements. I’m 39 and have been taking hormone supplements for 5+ years. My husband is 43 and has been taking them since his mid-30s because his testosterone was low even then. You’re never too young to get your hormones and vitamin levels checked, so do it because you can feel even better than you do now! If anything, peptides and vitamin shots are extremely important for virtually everyone because they help to slow down the aging process, as well as fill in the gaps of any nutrients that could be missing on a day-to-day basis. If you’re going to put that much work into your diet/exercise, make sure you’re maximizing those efforts by giving your body everything it needs! Here are some of my favorites (10% off if you use my link!):

Ipamorelin: increases fat burn, helps with hair loss, increases energy, strengthens bones, and naturally increases HGH production (anti-aging!)

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Vitamin B12 “Skinny” Shots: I take these weekly, or bi-weekly if I’m on a cleanse/feel like I’m catching something. These are a huge game-changer. https://regenics.com/?ref=5243 (B12 injections)

I only wish I’d discovered these earlier in life!

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References:

Chung, N., Park, M.Y., Kim, J., Park, H.Y., Hwang, H., Lee, C.H., Han, J.S., So, J., Park, J., & Kim, L. (2018). Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): A component of daily total energy expenditure. Journal of Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry, 22(2), pp. 23-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20463/jenb.2018.0013

Davis, S. (2023, Dec.). New Years resolutions statistics 2024. Forbes. Retrieved on January 11, 2024 from https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-years-resolutions-statistics/

Newland, S. (2018). The power of accountability. Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education. Retrieved on January 11, 2024 from https://www.afcpe.org/news-and-publications/the-standard/2018-3/the-power-of-accountability/

Meal Planning 101

I love to cook and find new ways to make these Midwest recipes that I’ve grown up with into a healthier home-cooked dish. So many of these recipes include simple carbs (aka sugar), cream of ____ soups, and so little protein. How do we make these recipes easier? Little tweaks. It’s not that hard, my friends! I understand that it takes time though, so here are a few tips:

-Look for (and avoid!) the simple carbs in recipes, aka white rice, white breads (not sourdough), pastas, etc. Whole grains aka complex carbs are a game changer. They are full of fiber (helps with cholesterol, feelings of fullness, gut health, etc.), and do not spike your insulin at a high rate like white simple carbs. Slow-cooking oatmeal, whole grain breads and pastas, quinoa, beans and lentils, leafy green veggies, and more are all great choices!

-Cream of _____ soups are full of chemicals, saturated fat, and processed junk. You can easily replace these soups 1-for-1 with a simple recipe (included at the bottom of this post). Much healthier, and you won’t compromise taste!

-Swap out sugar in recipes for Truvia sugar. This will subtract large numbers of calories, and lower the sugar content significantly. Make sure you check the back of the package though for measurements-usually you use half of the amount of sugar that is called for when swapping out for Truvia.

-Add veggies in where you can! This will up the fiber content, help with digestion, add vitamins/minerals, and give you a more well-rounded diet. If you’re making spaghetti sauce, throw in a couple of handfuls of spinach. It looks like a lot, but will cook down and you’ll barely notice it in food. Or add in some pureed cauliflower/carrots to mashed potatoes, muffins, etc. You won’t taste it.

-Protein! Sneak it in where you can, and try to make sure there’s at least a little bit included in each snack/meal. Protein sources include beans, lentils, meats, cheeses (careful with portion size here though the saturated fat doesn’t exceed 10% of your daily calories), nuts, seeds, protein powders added into baking mixes, etc. It’s easier than you think!

I’d love to help you formulate weekly meal plans to assist you in eating healthier. I have my Master’s in Nutrition and have years of experience in the fitness world. Reach out to me and I can help you figure out your macro and calorie goals, and give you a detailed meal plan that fits your goals, taste preferences, and health concerns. Shoot me an email! JennaKosnick@Yahoo.com OR text me, (608) 630-0475. I can’t wait to work with you!!

Happy Gut, Happy Brain?

You may have heard it before: the gut is connected to the brain. It’s a hot topic right now, but is there science behind this, or is it the latest and soon-to-fade trend? Answer: there is a ton of science behind this notion. I’ll try to explain this in the easiest terms possible because let’s be real…you don’t have all day to read this blog post.

Dysbiosis of the gut (a fancy word for an unhealthy gut) has been linked to severe mental illnesses, including anxiety, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and autism, to name a few (Clapp, et. al., 2017). The gut can throw off our Central Nervous System, which is composed of the brain and spinal cord, as well as the Peripheral Nervous System (Clapp, et. al., 2017). The Peripheral Nervous System connects the brain and spinal cord to the limbs, skin, and other organs in the body, regulates involuntary functions such as the heartbeat and breathing, and sends messages to and from the brain and spinal cord from other areas of the body (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Thau, Reddy, & Singh, 2022). Both of these systems are extremely important and can have detrimental systemic impacts if not properly managed.

Bottom Line: If your gut isn’t performing optimally, then your mental health may not be optimal.

Dr. Amy Shah is one of my favorite experts on this subject, and shared in a podcast with Ed Mylett that our gut bacteria even can reverse neurological diseases by producing vitamin B3 which helps to protect the myelin sheaths in our brain, which is extremely important for conditions such as dementia, autism, depression, etc. (Shah, 2022).

You’re probably thinking, “Okay, I get it…but how do I improve the health of MY gut?!” That’s where I can help you beyond the traditional probiotics. https://regenics.com/?ref=5243
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BPC 157 is a cutting-edge peptide with anti-inflammatory and healing properties that is now beginning to be available only from functional medicine practitioners. It is something that is already created in the human body within gastric juices but is incredibly beneficial to many areas when used as a supplement (with little to no side effects). However, it has been studied to be safe and incredibly effective in treating GI disorders, healing the GI lining and ulcers, healing liver and pancreatic lesions, increasing collagen production, regrowth of nerve cells, and has been found to increase serotonin release in certain brain areas (Sikiric, et. al., 2016). It is truly a miracle “drug,'“ and worth trying if you have issues with mental health, stagnant weight loss, GI problems, etc. Follow this link to learn more and purchase directly! https://regenics.com/?ref=5243 (code JENNA10 for 10% off!)

Sources:

-Clapp, M., Aurora N., Herrera, L., Bhatia, M., Wilen, E., Wakefield, S. (2017, Sept.). Gut microbiota's effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clinics and Practice, 7(4): p. 987. doi: https://doi.org/10.4081/cp.2017.987

-Cleveland Clinic. (2023). The Peripheral Nervous System. Retrieved on January 10, 2024 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23123-peripheral-nervous-system-pns

-Rathi, K., & Food, M. (2023). BPC-157 Peptide: Source and dose, benefits. Retrieved on January 10, 2024 from https://muscleandbrawn.com/peptides/bpc-157/

-Shah, A. (2022, May 3). Gut health for mental health.The Ed Mylett Show. Retrieved on January 10, 2024 from https://www.edmylett.com/podcast/dr-amy-shah-groundbreaking-science-between-your-mind-&-gut-health

-Sikiric, P., Seiwerth, S., Rucman, R., Kolenc, D., Vuletic, L.B., Drmic, D., Grgic, T., Strbe, S., Zukanovic, G., Crvenkovic, D., Madzarac, G., Rukavina, I., Sucic, M., Baric, M., Starcevic, N., Krstonijevic, Z., Bencic, M.L., Filipcic, I., Rokotov, D.S., Vlainic, J. (2016). Brain-gut Axis and Pentadecapeptide BPC 157: Theoretical and Practical Implications. Current Neuropharmacology, 14(8): pp. 857-865. doi: https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159x13666160502153022

-Thau L, Reddy V, Singh P. (2022, Oct.). Anatomy, Central Nervous System. Retrieved on January 10, 2024 from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542179/