
Hello again,
Do you include a protein source at each and every snack and meal?
If you do, you'll maximize the time and energy you're putting into your exercise routine for the best possible results with the least amount of effort. Perhaps it's contrary to what you may have heard, but it is very important to balance meals and snacks with carbohydrate-rich and protein-rich foods together. A meal with carbohydrates alone is problematic because glucose levels shoot up and then crash down. This can leave you feeling tired, hungry, and weak - and gives your body an easy opportunity to convert that meal to fat.
When protein is included, however, you will not only stay full longer, but glucose levels will stay more consistent, your metabolism will work more efficiently, and you will feel energized for a longer period of time. Protein and carbohydrates interact. Carbohydrates are digested in about two hours, but proteins take longer to digest. When the two are eaten together, proteins slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates, and energy from carbohydrates is released slower.
This is a good thing.
In addition, eating carbohydrates with protein means the carbohydrates will be used as energy, sparing the protein for use building and repairing muscle tissues - their primary function.
If you'd like, I'll happily offer suggestions on the very best protein sources, please let me know and I'll be happy to reply with a list.