Tag Archives: benefits

Parenting

Magnesium Salt Baths: Our Family Routine

5 Comments

Almost every day for the past two weeks, Going Mom has been making a magnesium salt bath for us to soak our feet in at night. Our family has been well-informed of the benefits magnesium has to offer for a while, but only recently started the magnesium salt bath.

Most of the general population is deficient in this vital element; yes, that means you probably are lacking! Poor food quality from low-nutrient soil, excess caffeine, chemicals like fluoride and chlorine, and stress all play a role in depleting our magnesium levels. Do you have any of the signs in the graphic below? If so, magnesium might be all you need to relieve your symptoms.

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Finding a natural source of magnesium is better than resorting to medicine which only masks your symptoms and never cures the problem. My wife and I were taking an oral form of magnesium from Natural Vitality called Natural Calm.

We like the unflavored version, but they have Lemon, Raspberry, Orange, Cherry, and Raspberry Lemon flavors as well. All Non-GMO and free of sugar. Whatever you choose, all you do is add 1 1/2 teaspoons of powder to a small 4 ounce glass of water, let it fizz, then drink. Just be careful, if you up the dose, you’ll have a little….eh hmmm, gastro issues. I speak from experience. 🙂

The thing is, is that magnesium taken orally may not be the best way for our body to absorb the mineral. Poor gut health and the aforementioned stress (I know we all deal with it!) are the major reasons for this malabsorption.

Plus, since our skin is our biggest organ, it has a super ability to absorb nutrients and deliver to the body, and rid the body of toxins from the environment or the vast array of cosmetics that people use. Thus, we’ve created a new nightly routine of magnesium salt baths.

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Every night, while I prepare dinner, Going Mom, prepares a magnesium salt bath using Epsom Salt (which becomes magnesium in water) or Magnesium Flakes. There’s a long list of benefits, but here are a few of the most important ones.

Magnesium Epsom Salt Bath Benefits

As much as I hate to face the fact, we are all getting older, and kids sure can put a toll on us from playing with and caring after. Giving our body a break with a simple magnesium bath just might be the answer to rejuvenate us and prepare us to face a new day of kids, work, and life in general.

While I don’t have any quantitative measurements to give you, I will say that our family of three have all been sleeping better lately. Yes, even our crazy toddler sleeps fairly soundly all through the night. Soaking our feet for around twenty minutes (unless someone has an unexpected potty break) sets the tone for a peaceful dinner (usually) and an overall calming night (again, usually).

I’m no doctor, so I can’t promise your ailments be relieved when you introduce either oral, topical, or both forms of magnesium, but I am confident you will notice some form of beneficial change. The best thing is that there little to no side effects for at least trying, so give it a shot and see how your life improves. It certainly has made us a happier family!

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Going Healthy, Going Strong

Is Protein Powder Really Worth It?

2 Comments

Just the other day, I set out on the simple task of finding a new protein powder that wasn’t filled with junk. Before I knew it,  2 hours had passed as I perused the plethora of options for this popular supplement!

This made me ponder whether I should really stress over the different types, flavors, functions, and brands. I recently shared the benefits of protein and making it complete with all 23 amino acids, so it’s obviously an important macronutrient. But, do we really need protein in powder form, and, more importantly, is it even worth it?

You can find protein powders made out of things you’d never expect.  We all know the common whey protein, which is broken into concentrates, isolates, and even goat whey protein. Other popular varieties are soy, egg white, and casein. Some less common, but still good types are rice, hemp, and pea proteins, but did you ever hear of beef protein powder?

Paleo Beef Protein Powder

Beef is an excellent source of protein, but having it in a smoothie seems a little odd. I might try it as long as the ingredients are good, but it’s also one of the most expensive forms. Expensive and very processed! I mean, I can accept processed beef when it’s put through the grinder, but how much has to happen to turn it into a flavored powder?

Can you really see yourself paying a premium to drink beef protein powder that’s Blue Raspberry, Peanut Butter, Cherry Vanilla, Fruit Punch or other some other flavor? MuscleMeds has all of these flavors if your answer is yet, but it’s filled with artificial colors and flavors that I avoid in any product.

MuscleMeds Carnivore_Beef Protein Powder
Carnivores like meat, not blue raspberry powder….

Anyway, back to the question at hand.  Do I really need protein in the form of powder instead of enjoying freshly cooked chicken, beef or fish? There are also many sustainably caught and packaged canned options like tuna, salmon, and sardines I always have around. These are just as quick and the ones with pull tabs require no can opener to lug around wherever you go. My current favorite are canned anchovies in water, and even my 2 year old daughter loves having the “little fishies” with me.

Whole food sources of protein are obviously the better choice since powder, no matter how clean, organic, or super-duper ultra filtered it is, is still highly processed.

There are many healthy plant based protein powders packed full of enzymes, superfoods, cleansing herbs, and they taste good too.  I have tried several and enjoy them in smoothies as well as many recipes. But in retrospect do I really need all of these “extras” in a protein powder? Isn’t that what a good vitamin or, better yet, having a diet rich in whole foods should provide?

I was all about buying this high quality Garden of Life Raw Protein, but then thought about how I like to cook a lot with my powders.  Wouldn’t cooking pretty much make the whole “Raw” aspect obsolete? Then I just paid a premium for higher quality protein and destroyed the premium part. And again, there are plenty of whole food based multivitamins that will give you everything in these superfood protein powders.

Maybe I will break down and buy a raw protein powder just for mixing into drinks or no-bake recipes like these No-Bake Quinoa Almond Protein Cookies as they are great to take along when traveling for a healthy snack option both kids and adults will enjoy.

quinoa almond cookies

I have used many protein powders, both good and bad over the years. Currently, my favorite brands are Legion, BiPro, and Naked Nutrition. If you haven’t tried my healthy Legion Banana Vanilla Protein Pancakes recipe, I highly suggest you do…..fast!

protein pancakes

As you can see, I enjoy protein powder and by no means am I quitting the stuff, but maybe not stressing over the the slew of extra ingredients. Now I when I’m in the market for a good protein powder, I focus on the one thing that matters, the protein!

Setting guidelines before you make a purchase will help save a lot of time and stress when choosing a protein powder. Trust me, I would really appreciate having those 2+ hours back!

Here are the main things I look for in (or not in) a protein powder:

  • No artificial sweeteners…EVER!
  • Non-GMO, preferably organic
  • If whey protein, I typically prefer that it’s sourced from grass-fed cows not treated with antibiotics
  • Very little to no sugar (less than 3g per serving); prefer no sugar and only stevia or unsweetened
  • No added soybean or other oil
  • No nonsense “super pump” marketing/gimmicky ingredients
  • Short, simple list of ingredients; unless it is the raw green food kind

These guidelines for a quality supplement will narrow your options in a good way. Yes, it usually means higher prices, but I’m willing to pay more when it comes to things that go in my family’s body. Plus, as long as you’re not relying on powder as your main source, it should last a while.

What type or types of protein powder do you use?

Do you get caught up searching for the “right” protein powder or anything else?  Too much information makes too much confusion sometimes!

Food, Going Healthy

5 Benefits of Protein + How to Make it Complete

2 Comments

Protein helps fuel and build us as we grow, then maintains our bodies throughout adulthood.  Many of us only think of protein as something for the big, bodybuilder types, but it’s something we all need.

protein, complete protein, amino acids, healthy, food

Yes, protein powder is good as a supplement, but whole food sources should be our main source of this vital macronutrient. A few of the benefits provided by the macronutrient protein are:

1) IT BUILDS, MAINTAINS AND REPAIRS CELLS: As you grow your body needs protein to construct every single cell including your bones, muscles, skin ,vital organs and your blood vessels.

2) IT IS USED TO PRODUCE IMPORTANT CHEMICALS: Antibodies are built using protein and are a key part of your immune system which helps your body fight disease. Enzymes are also constructed from protein and act as a catalyst for many important reactions in your body including digestion.

3) IT REGULATES IMPORTANT BODILY PROCESSES: Your body’s cells cannot move fluid directly, instead they produce proteins which attract water. These proteins can then be sent out to areas where fluid needs to be absorbed allowing a fluid balance to be maintained throughout the body.

4) IT HELPS YOUR BLOOD CLOT: When your skin gets cut and starts to bleed, your body responds by producing fibrin, a stringy protein that forms clots. Once the fibrin has clotted, your body then produces another protein, collagen, which forms scar tissue and permanently heals the cut.

5) IT CAN ASSIST WITH WEIGHT LOSS: First, it has a greater thermic effect than carbohydrates. This means that by eating protein you burn more calories during digestion and boost your metabolism. Secondly, studies suggest that protein can suppress your appetite by helping you feel satiated longer.

Protein is made up of 23 amino acids, 8 of which that are essential.  The 8 essential amino acids are “essential” because our bodies cannot produce them alone, and therefore needs to acquire them from food sources or supplements.

The 8 essential amino acids are:

– Isoleucine
– Leucine
– Lysine
– Methionine
– Phenylalanine
– Threonine
– Tryptophan
– Valine

The other 15 non-essential amino acids we can produce on our own are:

– Alanine
– Arginine
– Asparagine
– Aspartic Acid
– Cysteine
– Glutamic Acid
– Glutamine
– Glycine
– Histidine
– Ornithine
– Proline
– Selenocysteine
– Serine
– Taurine
– Tyrosine

A complete protein includes all 23 essential and non-essential amino acids.  Incomplete proteins may have a few, but not all of the essential amino acids needed by our bodies.  Animal products like seafood, poultry, beef, dairy, etc. are the most abundant source of complete proteins.

Complete Protein Examples

There are many vegetarian sources such as quinoa, buckwheat, soybeans, etc. that are complete as well. Don’t think you need to avoid incomplete proteins though, they can be paired together to form a complete protein.

Incomplete Protein Examples

Follow these four principles to obtain a complete protein by pairing incomplete protein foods:

1. Combine legumes with grains – a classice example is rice and beans

2. Combine nuts or seeds with legumes or grains
3. Combine animal products with any vegetable product
4. Add a small amount of meat to a meal of vegetables

protein, complete protein, amino acids, healthy, food

Only eating foods that are complete proteins is expensive (especially for those constantly hungry little ones running circles around us!), so the ability to combine food to provide us with all 23 amino acids is, well, essential. A popular dish that’s healthy (usually), tasty, and budget-friendly is rice and beans. This is a staple meal in many cultures and can be made to feed a crowd with little expense.

It’s worth pointing out that incomplete protein sources do not have to be consumed at the same time. In order to reap the benefits of a complete protein, just consume different sources over the course of the day.

A helpful basis to begin combining foods for a complete protein

Try experimenting with different combos to come up with your own complete protein meal.  Get your kids involved by creating columned lists of different complementary foods and have them choose what to eat for lunch or dinner. Healthy fat and carbohydrates also play an extremely important role in giving our body what it needs to thrive, but without protein, we just wouldn’t be complete. 🙂

Do you have any favorite dishes that make up a complete protein meal?

Have you ever thought about the quality of protein you’re eating before?