red meat Hamburgers, steak, roast beef, you name it. Meat has long been in the diets of athletes, for obvious reasons. Like all animal-derived proteins, meat carries the complete range of essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. Add this to the fact that there are very few, if any, allergic properties and already meat can be a protein staple. Furthermore, meats are a good source of minerals; first, they provide plenty of zinc - which supports the function of the immune system, joints and tissues - as well as iron, a fundamental element for hemoglobin’s transport of oxygen in red blood cells. While red meats are well endowed with minerals and the essential amino acids, health-conscious consumers should be discerning in the quality of meat purchased. Meat is graded with rankings such as prime, choice, select, standard, and commercial. However, the grades often don’t appear on packaging. A good rule of thumb is to choose the leanest cuts of beef, pork or lamb to avoid high saturated fat content. For example, consumers can select extralean ground beef or pork tenderloin at the grocery store.
poultry Chicken and turkey are the go-to protein sources in the poultry aisle. They offer the entire essential amino acid profile, making poultry a common choice among exercisers. Besides its main role in providing protein, chicken, for example, has less saturated fat than beef; and opting for skinless chicken helps to avoid unnecessary fat and calories, since much of the fat lies directly under the skin. A common question concerns whether there are differences in the nutritional content between light and dark poultry meat. According to Livestrong, the answer is yes: “A one-on-one comparison of the content of both shows that chicken breast offers more of the essential amino acids than dark meat.” This difference, however, is slight. Dark meat still contains greater amounts of iron, zinc and vitamin B than white meat. Of course, it also has more fat, making white meat the lighter choice. Either light or dark meat can help fulfill a daily protein quota.
hemp seeds and protein powder
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total wellness ▪ spring 2012
Hemp is a variety of cannabis that is primarily grown for its fiber and seeds. Not to be mistaken with recreational marijuana, hemp lacks the psychotropic traits popularly attributed to cannabis plants. Nutritionally, those hempseeds are extremely valuable, carrying not only a complete amino acid profile, but also essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Furthermore, hempseeds are a plentiful source of various vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron and manganese. It even supplies, interestingly enough, the polyunsaturated fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLD), which helps fight inflammation. Hempseeds are sometimes ground to make hemp protein powder, which can be found at local grocery stores in different flavors and are easily added to drinks and meals. Hemp is certainly a valuable and unconventional source of protein to be considered.