This is my last share of the season but a goody.  Bringing on a true lesson in life, this one's a keeper.

Last Christmas, Allie broke things off with her boyfriend, Cameron (Michael Muhney). Looking back, she regrets it and no longer believes in the magic of Christmas, but when she meets Ginny, a truly magical being, she gets the chance to relive last Christmas. Determined to make the relationship last this time, she pulls out all the stops but realizes, you can't always change the past and happiness may appear in the strangest places. - IMDb

Here's an adorable movie that will bring a few last notes of holiday cheer.  There is nothing like a good Christmas movie to make your day.

Cynical radio host is banished from L. A. to rural Colorado. He is assigned to co-host with a "love doctor", a hopeless romantic.! They have an on air spat that gets them off on the wrong foot. Their antagonistic relationship gets the whole town talking. -IMDb

Dealing with chronic low energy and pain can be difficult, but if you add a smoothie to your afternoon, you can boost liver and immune function, which will improve your energy reserve. The carbohydrates will give you energy while  the protein will help slow their absorption into the bloodstream, giving a more  sustained release of energy throughout the morning.  It will also get that "sludge" out of your muscles and joints promoting better flexibility.  Dried coconut and oil scrubs away all those opportunistic viruses, bacteria, and yeast that invade the body from time to time.  

The health benefits of cranberry juice include relief from urinary tract infection, respiratory disorders, kidney stones, cancer, and heart disease. It is also beneficial in preventing stomach disorders and diabetes, as well as gum diseases caused by dental plaque.

Due to its high content of vitamin C and zinc, strawberry juice provides a boost to your entire immune system, helping to fight infections such as colds and flu.  Strawberry juice is also known to alleviate conditions such as pneumonia, malaria, constipation, and diarrhea. Its high vitamin C content also helps the body absorb iron from food and aid in raising vitamin and iron levels in the body, preventing anemia.  Strawberries also aid digestion, lower cholesterol and improve glucose tolerance.  Strawberry juice is also beneficial to weight maintenance.  Drinking strawberry juice suppresses your appetite, aiding weight loss and regulation.  

Drinking blueberry juice is healthy for your heart. Blueberries are also rich in antioxidants such as anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid, which are known to prevent and fight different types of cancer. Blueberries are responsible for lowering cholesterol levels in your blood, and can be helpful in preventing diabetes.  For those who already have diabetes, drinking blueberry juice can aid in improving insulin sensitivity.  Consuming blueberries is also beneficial for those who are attempting to lose weight.  

Pineapple juice contains the enzyme bromelain, which is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and digestive enzyme. Bromelain helps reduce inflammation and pain following surgery and encourages the healing of bruises, according to New York University's Langone Medical Center. It may also help reduce inflammation caused by sinusitis. As an enzyme, bromelain promotes good digestion by helping the body break down proteins.

I have found this works best on an empty stomach in the morning ensuring good energy levels throughout the day.

Smoothie Recipe
1/4 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
2-3 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 - 3 small pineapple slices
2-3 tsp. ground flaxseed
1 -2 tsp.. coconut oil (begin small, coconut can be a laxative)
1/2 tsp. raw honey
1 tab. dried coconut, unsweetened 
1/2 - 1 scoop protein powder (rice or pea)
filtered water to  barely  cover fruit

Place all in a blender. Whirl until smooth.  Unsweetened cranberry juice will prevent further UTI infections if you are prone to these.  Rice and Pea protein powders are hypoallergenic and will prevent further flare ups. 

Fibromyalgia Juicing Recipe attempts to address  the dysfunction of  muscle cells and the buildup of lactic acids that can attribute to muscle pain and soreness.  I make this juice blend upon rising every day.  You want to ensure that these essential nutrients get immediately to the cells in need before having any food intake.  

Inflammatory illnesses can respond very well to regular celery juice in your diet. This may be in large part due to two special compounds called luteolin and polyacetylenes, both present in large amounts in celery. It will actually reduce those compounds that cause inflammatory pain.  

Beetroot juice is one of the richest dietary sources of antioxidants and naturally occurring nitrates. Nitrates are compounds which improve blood flow throughout the body – including the brain, heart, and muscles. These natural nitrates increase a molecule in the blood vessels called nitric oxide, which helps open up the vessels and allows more oxygen flow as well as lower blood pressure. It actually cleanses the blood.

Carrots get their color from antioxidants called carotenoids. One of these carotenoids is beta carotene, a precursor to active vitamin A that is responsible for many of the carrot and carrot juice benefits that we know about today. Many studies have shown that beta carotene is crucial for improving immunity in the body, protecting skin and eye health, and fighting free radical damage that can cause various forms of chronic illnesses.

Parsley benefits the body in many ways and is considered a naturally effective treatment for a wide range of symptoms and diseases. Derived from the petroselinum plant, parsley and parsley essential oil have been used as a natural detox remedy, diuretic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent for centuries in folk medicine. Today, fortunately, many studies back up health claims about parsley that traditional populations have believed for many years.

Trust me, it is well worth the time invested it takes to juice each morning.  Look at all the benefits!

2-4 inch square of beet 
2 celery sticks
1-2 carrots
3-7 parsley stems included

Put all through a juicer and enjoy!  Within minutes you'll notice a revitalized energy!

​I am including a list of viable plant-based protein sources.  I know a majority of my diet comes from soothing plant proteins.  I encourage you to ensure you receive both vegetarian and meat sources.  Many plant sources do not contain essential amino acids that are needed for body repair.  
Take a moment and print this resource to add to your refrigerator door as a constant reminder on eating clean.  

I have several responses already wondering, where do I begin?  Many seem astonished that they were ingesting so little protein each day.  It seems the last thing one wants to think about at the end of the day is chewing on some roasted beef.  

"It just takes too much energy," Darlene stated. I have a tendency to stick with comfort foods that go down easy and require little effort.

Well, below you can print the top 11 protein food from Dr. Axe.  Grab a magnet and place them on your refrigerator door.  It is a great place to start.  It will also be an important visual to buy more organic when possible.  

This is a great movie and one I recommend while there is still a pinch of holiday spirit left.

“Holiday Baggage” explores one family’s attempt at reconnection after the soon to be ex-husband, Pete, returns to his estranged family and announces his retirement and impending marriage to fiancé`, Kelly. Before he can begin this new chapter in his life his wife, Sarah, nudges him to plug back into their daughter’s lives during the Thanksgiving Holiday. In so doing, he plugs back into his feelings for Sarah as well. - Dove

This may be on the list of cheesy-girl flicks, but it will warm your heart.  An adorable story of finding true love in the nick of time.  

With her California hometown in the rear-view mirror, Belle heads north on business to facilitate the estate sale of a mansion. While the job is a dream, the client, Hunter Lowell, is not. But, as the two spend more time together, his icy demeanor begins to melt. Although their relationship is budding, Belle's long-time suitor, Tony, arrives, sending mixed signals to Hunter while adding chaos to the holiday season. IMBd

Proteins are body building elements required by the human body. They provide the required energy for the body to function properly and are crucial for the development of muscles. Proteins also facilitate the development of nails, a healthy skin and promote hair growth. Protein deficiency has side effects and can lead to medical conditions.

Protein supports the maintenance and growth of body tissues. The amino acids that make up proteins are used for the synthesis of nucleic acids, cell membranes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and plasma proteins that serve transport functions and exert the colloid osmotic pressure needed to maintain fluid in vascular space. Protein is also the second largest energy store, second to adipose tissue because of the large amount of muscle tissue that is a labile source of amino acids for gluconeogenesis, although carbohydrate (in the form of glycogen) is used between meals as a primary source.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences has determined that 9 amino acids are indispensable for all age groups. They must be obtained from the diet to provide amounts required to maintain health, although the body synthesizes both essential and nonessential amino acids to varying degrees. The essential amino acids are:

• Isoleucine.
• Leucine.
• Lysine.
• Methionine.
• Phenylalanine.
• Threonine.
• Tryptophan.
• Valine.
• Histidine.

The following is an article from John Doulllard, MD focusing on recent patient interventions.  

All year long, and especially each winter, I find myself treating an inordinate number of patients for protein deficiency. Most of them are quite health-aware and have made conscious decisions as to what they include –and don’t include – in their diets. But somehow, despite their best intentions, they find themselves with this very significant deficiency.

Many of these patients are vegetarian. Others, perhaps the majority, have stopped eating red meat years ago but continue to eat chicken or fish once in a while. Though it is my personal belief that a vegetarian diet may be the healthiest, it seems there is something in the way we are doing it that leaves us vulnerable to protein deficiency and its consequences.

Interestingly, many Asian cultures seem to do well eating a vegetarian diet. So why can’t we eat that same way and thrive? No doubt our genetics have something to do with it. Books like The Blood Type Diet and other body typing systems, including Ayurveda, have contributed many insights into this question.
Something not often brought up, however, is that most traditional Asian cultures still have someone in the family who cooks full-time. On my journeys to India I’ve observed the cooks start cooking breakfast before anyone else is awake. Right after breakfast they start preparing lunch. After lunch, they are off to the market to buy food and then, right back at it to prepare supper.

By contrast, here many of us are too busy to cook and eating out has become the standard fallback. We race from one activity to the next, eating just to fill the tank for the next activity. Dining and enjoying a relaxed, home-cooked meal is becoming less and less common. As for the family cook, many moms have silently been elected the family superhero: holding down a job, driving and picking up kids, coordinating all of their activities and, oh yes, cooking for the entire tribe. Needless to say, this doesn’t leave much time for balanced meal preparation.

In trying to whip up our meals in minutes, we have really sacrificed the quality of our nourishment.

I often say that to be a good vegetarian you need to cook at least two hours a day. That’s not to propose a strict numbers rule, simply to emphasize that being a healthy vegetarian takes extra work. And when we consider our current lifestyles, it’s not surprising that many of us don’t actually end up putting in that extra work and our health suffers for it.

So, how can you tell if you are protein deficient? Here are the signs.

Note: To be clear, in this article I am not addressing a pathological protein deficiency. I am referring to a chronic sub-clinical lack of protein that forces the body to adapt and compensate for this nutritional imbalance.

Protein Deficiency Sign #1: Constant Cravings

Carbs, sweets, caffeine, chocolate, pop, candy, pastries, or chips; constant cravings for these non-nutritional foods point to unstable blood sugar. Not everyone with cravings is protein deficient (otherwise we would really be looking at a country-wide epidemic!), but protein deficiency and unstable blood sugar are intimately linked.

Blood Sugar Stability/ Protein Deficiency Home Test

This short test may help discover a blood sugar imbalance that a blood test might not pick up.

1. If you are a vegetarian or rarely eat meat and have a craving for carbs and just don’t feel satisfied until you are filled up on breads, pastas or sweets, you may have unstable blood sugar due to a deficiency of protein.
2. If you are a vegetarian and have a secret stash of candy, jelly beans or dark chocolate, you may have unstable blood sugar due to a deficiency of protein.
3. Try eating 3 meals a day without snacks. If you find you need to nibble or graze on anything other than water, you may have unstable blood sugar and cravings due to a deficiency of protein.
4. A blood test (fasting glucose [goal: 70-85 mg/dL] and Hemoglobin A1c [goal: below 5.5]) is most conclusive and indicated for anyone concerned about their blood sugar.

Protein Deficiency Sign #2: Muscle and/or Joint Pain

About fifteen years ago I had a sudden attack of severe neck pain. I got a massage, saw a few chiropractors, and got Rolfed but nothing seemed to touch this pain. I remember it was in the fall because I had the thought that, I might be protein deficient!

According to Ayurveda, during fall and winter the body starts to store proteins and fats to insulate and rebuild the body during the cold winter months. The body stores much of its protein reserves in the synovial fluid around the joints, to be used to rebuild the muscles and joints after strenuous exercise. When one is protein deficient, this reserve is the first to go. As a result, the joints stiffen and the muscles tighten. This kind of pain does not typically respond to standard musculoskeletal care.

I went down the checklist:
Yes, I had been a vegetarian for many years.
Yes, I did have a sweet tooth and loved carbs.
Yes, I was becoming a snacker.
Yes, it was winter and my joints were stiff and unresponsive to standard care.
The day I realized I might be protein deficient, I had two large whey protein powder shakes and added significantly more protein to my diet. With no exaggeration, my pain was gone by the end of that day. It had just left. No pills or herbs, just more protein!

Protein Deficiency Sign #3: Can’t Sleep Well?

Another concern that can be a result of lack of protein in the diet is the inability to sleep deeply through the night. Without protein, the body tends to crave carbs and sugar in excess. This creates a dependency on sugar for energy. However, sugar and carbs burn quickly, creating highs and lows in energy levels.
Sleeping through the night requires the body to burn fat – a long-lasting fuel – rather than sugar, for a stretch of at least eight or nine hours. If the body is unaccustomed to burning fat and only accustomed to burning sugar and carbs, it will wake up every 2-3 hours looking for its next meal.

A body that is trained in burning fat will be calmer and more able to sleep through the night. Getting enough protein at each meal will help stabilize the blood sugar and avoid the carbohydrate roller coaster in the first place, freeing up the body to learn how to burn its fat.

Protein Deficiency Sign #4: Low Energy, Moodiness, and Stress?The last sign to look for that might indicate a lack of protein in the diet is a feeling of low energy, moodiness, and the inability to handle stress well. Without protein to stabilize the blood sugar, the tendency to experience exhausting highs and lows in mood and energy increases. Over time highs and lows exhaust the body’s reserves and leave the body without the energy it needs to calm itself down.

Yes, the body actually needs energy to be calm, composed, to get through the day smoothly, sedate itself for bed and to sleep through the night.

Ayurvedic Meat Eaters: Solving Protein Deficiency

Ayurveda is a vegetarian system of medicine. In fact, cows are sacred and it is just not cool to eat them. But in the case of protein deficiency, Ayurvedic doctors will prescribe the medicinal eating of red meat. The prescription I learned to resolve a protein deficiency is this:

Eat 4 ounces of red meat a day for two weeks.
As a medicine, not a way of life.
I have used this recipe numerous times for protein deficiencies and have yet to see anything short of a miracle. That said, not all of the vegetarians I have treated were willing to do this, so below I have suggested alternative protein rebuilding strategies. While these vegetarian strategies do work, they never deliver the truly miraculous results I see with the 2 week red meat therapy.

Why Red Meat?

• Red meat is the most acidic of all meats and of all protein sources in general. The more acidic a substance, the deeper it penetrates the tissues and the better is stores. Legumes, beans, seeds, nuts, eggs, chicken, fish, and red meat go from more alkaline to more acidic in this order.
• Alkaline foods are great cleansers. They flush the lymph and help the body detoxify. The more alkaline a food or diet, the more efficiently it will remove waste and toxins.
• On the other hand, the more acidic a food, the less easy it will be to remove or detoxify. While we tend to associate the notion of acidic foods with mostly toxic or comfort foods, many acidic foods are actually very healthy and essential.
• This is nature’s way of balancing: we help rebuild the body in the fall and winter with naturally occurring acidic foods and cleanse the body in the spring and summer with naturally occurring alkaline foods.

If a squirrel ate only broccoli in the winter, the squirrel would freeze to death. Luckily, nature does not make broccoli available in the colder winter months. The harvest during a cold winter was traditionally loaded with meats, grains, and root veggies – all primarily acidic, rich in protein, and rebuilding. This principle of eating naturally with the seasons is the main focus of my book, The 3-Season Diet. 

Options for Treating Protein Deficiency1.  Red Meat. 

Even the Dalai Lama and many of the monks in Kashmir eat meat. If you are not totally offended by this option try the two week red meat blood plan to rebuild protein and stabilize blood sugar:

a) Eat 4 ounces of red meat a day for 2 weeks, preferably at lunch.
b) Have an extra protein source as part of a balanced breakfast and lunch, such as a protein shake (when buying protein powder, look for concentrates rather than isolates).

2. If eating meat is not an option for you, try the following:

• • Have 3 whey, pea, rice, or hemp protein powder shakes a day; one with each meal for a total of 75g of extra protein per day.
  • This is in addition to your regular balanced diet.
  • Eat off the winter grocery list and emphasize the vegetarian proteins and fats listed.

We Recommend
The Benefits of Undenatured Whey Protein Powder

Balanced Diet

While everyone is different and has different needs based on many different factors including age, body type, blood type and cultural background, for most people, a balanced diet consists of about 50% veggies, 25% non-processed starches (whole grains, starchy vegetables such as potatoes, yams or corn), and 25 - 30% protein.

Non-Vegetarian Protein Sources:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Dairy

Vegetarian Sources of Protein

• Seeds
• Nuts
• Beans
• Lentils
• Whole grains: quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, wheat, rice, corn, oats.
• Soy
• Peas
• Peanuts
• Spinach
• Potato
• Sweet potato

If you have these symptoms and suspect you may not be getting adequate protein, please see your primary healthcare provider for a blind test and evaluation of your total serum protein.

Protein Deficiency SymptomsLack of Protein has signs and symptoms depicted in the body changes. In case you experience any of the symptoms or you notice someone with the signs, it is advisable to seek immediate medical attention. Some of these symptoms include:

• Weak and sore muscles
• Increased water retention
• Flakiness, dry skin and rashes
• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Skin ulcers
• Bed sores

• Deep line formations around the toes and nails
• Stubborn wounds that do not heal
• Constant headaches
• Insomnia
• Moody feelings
• Blackouts
• Depression
• Skin color changes

​Non-Vegetarian Protein Food Sources

• Lobster
• Sushi
• Steak
• Skinned chicken
• Roasted Goose
• Beef fillet steak
• Rabbit
• Roasted veal fillet
• Anchovies
• Liver
• Crab
• Pork chops
• Lamb
• Bacon
• Skinless turkey
• Steak, kidney pie
• Tuna
• Eggs
• Venison
• Salmon
• Pork sausages
• Sardines
• Monk fish
• Prawns
• Tilapia
• Venison
• Salmon

• Yogurt

Vegetarian Protein Food Sources

• Peanut butter
• Soya beans
• Tofu
• Potatoes
• Bread
• Goji berries
• Avocadoes
• Bread
• Hummus
• Nuts
• Carrots
• Asparagus
• Seeds
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Bananas
• Pasta
• Grains
• Coconut
• Whey protein
• Pea Protein Powder 
• Bone Broth Powder
• Oranges
• Couscous
• Cheese
• Green Peas

Remember the only way to ensure you are getting enough protein sources is to begin logging your food intake with Fit Bit software or another app like Lose It! Be sure that the application offers an overall protein, fats, and carbohydrate count for the day.  I can tell you it may be very difficult to add protein sources once you find out you are deficient.  Check the list above and begin incorporating your likes over a few weeks. Before you know it, you'll be up to 25-30% protein in no time!  Do be sure to get both plant and animal protein while taking on this new adventure.  

I have always been an avid exerciser, but once I became a victim of chronic illness, those exercise days seemed to stretch further and further apart.  One thing I have noticed is that I am able to walk short spurts keeping my weight from climbing too quickly. 

Past posts had me promoting the Pacer App and utilizing it for measuring my walking distances each day.  But, I came to notice, that it didn't seem to be measuring all my steps accurately.  So, low and behold, my son purchased a Fit Bit 2 as a gift for Christmas.  I immediately noticed it measures steps more accurately and includes short reminders to "get up and move".  

By the second week of ownership, I decided to track my food intake.  Now many of you know me as a staunch supporter of adding protein to every meal to ward off fatigue.  Hence, when I began adding my daily food choices I was shocked to see that I averaged only 16%-18% protein a day.  What happened to the average 30% or so I know is mandatory for optimal health?

I feel we have been bombarded by diets that tote "eat less meat" add more plant foods.  Well, sure that makes sense, but is everyone is getting enough of those plant proteins?  I can bet you that most are not. The simple task of having a delicious salad once a day can become an arduous task once you realize you need to ensure proper protein content.  I believe as a nation we have let this concept slip away thinking we are taking great care of our bodies by just adding more fruits and vegetables.  

Well, of course, this prompted a massive research on the internet wondering what types of illness may be caused from lack of protein.  In fact, when you are done reading this blog type in "protein deficiency fibromyalgia" and you will come up with a host of articles that speak of the evils concerning lack of protein. Sadly, most of these articles do state that there is a problem with FM patients digesting protein, but wouldn't it help us to add a bit more protein then?  I wonder if anyone's doctor out the ever sat down and asked you to log your protein intake?  -Of course not.  It is much easier to offer another pill.

I have noticed remarkable improvement by adding enough protein to my diet daily.  I do this through plant and animal sources.  I am including this stated matter of fact article from Dr. Axe about protein deficiency and prompt you to draw your own conclusions.  Also, take time to download an app like Lose It! and track your protein intake for awhile.  I promise you amazing results if you are at risk for protein defeciency.  

Today, I want to talk about the importance of protein. How protein benefits your overall health in physical performance is crucial to understand. So whether you’re a weekend warrior, you’re trying to lose weight fast or you are an athlete, protein is important for everybody — and just about everyone is deficient in quality protein in their diet.

I’m going to go over how to get more protein in your diet, the benefits of eating more protein foods and how much you should consume. So starting off here, let’s talk about protein and what it does.

Why Protein Is So Important
Protein is the building block of yourself. It’s the building block of your muscles and also is present in the foods that are going to boost your metabolism and fat-burning potential. Nothing is more important than protein. It really is the fuel that motivates and really supports your body in building healthy tissues and cells.
What exactly are proteins? Proteins are considered long chains of amino acids, which are the important molecules we get from our diet. Amino acids can be found in many different types of foods, even vegetables, but the highest sources are those that come from animals – like meat, dairy, eggs and fish – plus to a lesser extent certain plant foods like beans and seeds.

Proteins are used every day to keep the body going. Because they’re used to develop, grow and maintain just about every part of our bodies — from our skin and hair to our digestive enzymes and immune system antibodies — they’re constantly being broken down and must be replaced.

Vital organs, muscles, tissues and even some hormones of the body are made from proteins. Additionally, proteins create hemoglobin and important antibodies. Proteins are involved in just about every body function from controlling blood sugar levels to healing wounds and fighting off bacteria.

Simply put, without proteins life would not exist.

The average person probably needs half his or her body weight in protein a day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need at least around 75 grams of protein a day if you’re trying to burn fat and build muscle the right way. And for many athletes, more than that is going to be essential as well.

Do You Have a Protein Deficiency?
Mayo clinic researcher Jan van Deursen, Ph.D., set out to study the cause of cancer, but soon his research took him in a different direction — what impacts aging? His research revealed that certain proteins play an important, even critical, role in aging.

In his investigation, van Deursen and his team created genetically modified mice that had a protein deficiency in one specific type of protein, BubR1. They discovered that the mice deficient in this vital protein aged four to five times faster than the control group of normal mice.

This naturally occurring protein declines as we age and, in this study, were found to be at deficient levels in the mice’s muscles, heart, brain, spleen, testis and ovaries. The study theorizes that this holds true in the human body, too, with a protein deficiency leading to cataracts, heart problems, kyphosis or muscle atrophy all somewhat common in the elderly. 

Eating too little protein can result in these symptoms as well:

• A sluggish metabolism
• Trouble losing weight
• Trouble building muscle mass
• Low energy levels and fatigue
• Poor concentration and trouble learning
• Moodiness and mood swings
• Muscle, bone and joint pain
• Blood sugar changes that can lead to diabetes
• Slow wound healing
• Low immunity

9 Signs that Your Body Isn’t Getting Enough Protein1. You have high cholesterol
High cholesterol and triglycerides are not just caused by eating fatty foods — they are also a result of increased inflammation, hormonal imbalances and high-processed/high-sugar diets. If you tend to replace protein foods with sugary snacks, refined carbs and packaged convenient goods, your cholesterol can start to rise as your liver and cells process fats less efficiently. Some studies have even found an inverse relationship exists between protein intake and risk of heart disease.

2. You’re feeling more anxious and moody
Amino acids are the building blocks for neurotransmitters which control your mood. Proteins help the brain synthesize hormones like dopamine and serotonin that help bring on positive feelings like calm, excitement and positivity.

3. Your workouts are suffering
You’re probably already aware that protein is needed to build new muscle mass, but it’s also important for sustaining your energy and motivation. A low protein diet can result in muscle wasting (or muscle atrophy), fatigue and even fat gain — it can also be behind female athlete triad. In fact, you can workout more, but see less results if your diet isn’t adequate to support tissue repair or your energy needs.

4. You aren’t sleeping well
Poor sleep and insomnia can sometimes be linked to unstable blood sugar levels, a rise in cortisol and a decrease in serotonin production. Blood sugar swings during the day carry over through the night. Carbohydrates require much more insulin than fat or protein does. Eating foods with protein before bed can help with tryptophan and serotonin production, and they have a minimal effect on blood glucose levels; in fact, protein slows down the absorption of sugar during a meal.

5. You have “brain fog”
Protein is needed to support many aspects of healthy neurological functioning. Brain fog, poor concentration, lack of motivation and trouble learning new information can be signs that you’re low in neurotransmitters you need to focus including dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Neurotransmitters are synthesized in the brain using amino acids, and studies show that balanced diets with enough protein can boost work performance, learning and motor skills.

6. You’re gassy and can’t go to the bathroom
Many metabolic and digestive functions depend on amino acid intake. If your body feels fatigued and run down in general due to protein deficiency, enzyme production, muscle contractions in your GI tract and digestion in general will suffer.

7. Your pants are feeling tighter
Although sometimes higher in calories than carbs, high-protein foods cause increased satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrates or fats do, so they can prevent overeating and snacking. They also help stabilize your blood sugar, allow you to retain more muscle which burns more calories all day, and can reduce cravings.

8. Your menstrual cycle is irregular
One of the most common reasons women suffer from irregular periods and infertility is the condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Two major risk factors for PCOS are obesity and pre-diabetes or diabetes — in fact, insulin resistance affects 50–70 percent of all women with PCOS. Low-protein, high-sugar/high-carb diets can contribute to insulin resistance, fatigue, inflammation and weight gain that disrupts the delicate balance of female hormones (including that of estrogen, progesterone and DHEA) needed to sustain a regular cycle.

9. You’ve been getting injured more often and are slow to heal
A low protein diet can raise your risk for muscle loss, falling, slow bone healing, bone weakness, fractures and even osteoporosis. Protein is needed for calcium absorption and helping with bone metabolism. Studies show that older adults with the greatest bone losses are those with a low protein intake of about 16–50 grams per day. Research also shows that a diet high in amino acids can help treat muscle loss due to aging (sarcopenia).

How Much Protein Do We Need, Exactly? 
Each person is unique in terms of their exact protein needs; your body weight, gender, age, and level of activity or exercise all determine how much protein is best for you, and your needs likely vary a bit day to day.

• According to the USDA, the recommended daily minimum intake of protein for adults who are at an average weight and activity level is: 56 grams per day for men, and 46 grams per day for women.
• However these are considered minimum amounts, so they might be too low if you’re very active, pregnant or ill.
• These amounts are equal to eating about 0.36 grams of protein for every pound that you weigh, however some people find that they feel better when they increase their protein intake and aim to eat about 0.5 grams of protein for every pound.
• This higher recommendation would translate to a woman who weighs 150 pounds eating about 75 grams of protein daily, and a man who weighs 180 pounds eating about 90 grams.
• If all the math seems confusing, remember that most experts recommend consuming about 20–30 percent of your overall calories from protein foods.

The Top Protein Foods
Knowing what to eat, how much, and when can be overwhelming for many. It seems today in order to stay healthy and keep your family healthy you need a degree in nutrition – and even with that there all seems to be conflicting evidence and studies. I want to help to simplify this sometimes confusing topic for you.

When it comes to protein there are a few basic guidelines to follow; first you must understand that you (and your loved ones) need to consume protein on a regular basis; secondly, you must eat the right kinds of protein for it to have the desired, positive impact on your health.

Overall, eating a mix of plant-based and animal-based options is the best approach to getting enough protein. Some call this approach the flexitarian diet. While animal products have more protein per calorie than most plants do, eating too much meat, dairy, fish or eggs everyday isn’t the best idea and has its own drawbacks (such as being less environmentally sustainable, more expensive and more acidic).

Vegetarian proteins often double as a great way to get more fiber, antioxidants, electrolytes and other nutrients, so try including them in your meals often in place of meat.

• Vegetarian and vegan protein options that still provide a good deal of amino acids include: all types of beans and legumes, especially adzuki beans, mung beans and lentils; nuts and seeds such as almonds, flax, chia and hemp; unprocessed/ancient grains like oats, buckwheat, amaranth, farro or quinoa. It’s an added bonus if you consume sprouted nuts, legumes and grains since this helps make their amino acids more absorbable once eaten.
• Even some vegetables have a fairly high concentration of protein, especially considering how low in calories they are. Veggies which help boost your protein intake include: spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and mushrooms.
• When it comes to using protein powders, several new and noteworthy types have recently hit the market. These include pea protein, cricket protein (yes, made from ground-up bugs!) and also bone broth protein. There are many benefits to consuming these types or powders since they offer much more than simply protein – for example, bone broth protein also supplies collagen and glucosamine which are great for your GI tract, joints and skin.
• For meats, the best forms of protein you can be getting are going to be things like grass-fed beef, organic chicken and turkey, and wild-caught salmon.

Protein Health Benefits
Getting protein in your diet is greatly beneficial, and the biggest benefits of protein include fat burning, helping muscle recovery and helping heal cuts in the wound. And if you have any sort of injury, protein is essential. It’s also essential for:

• Fighting diabetes in balancing up blood sugar
• Brain function
• Any issue you have in terms of depression and brain issues
• Cholesterol

There is study after study showing that protein is essential for your body.

And last but not least, it’s important for muscle recovery. So if you’re trying to recover from an injury and also want to improve your overall energy, getting more protein in your diet is essential.
When buying protein, make sure it’s from organic, natural sources. One of the issues we run into today is all of our conventional restaurants, our conventional grocery stores, they’re not selling grass-fed organic protein. And if you’re eating conventional protein, it’s loaded with hormones, antibiotics, steroids and other chemicals that will actually destroy your health.

So get more protein in your diet. I’d even recommend keeping a food journal; write down what you’ve eaten the past three days, and then add up the grams of protein you’ve actually gotten in your system.
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You also can go to the website nutritiondata.com and actually look up the amount of protein in the amount of food you’ve consumed, or else do it for the next three days and see how much protein you’re actually getting in your diet. -Dr. Axe