Issue #63: Is Protein Good or Bad?
Good morning. It’s Thursday, November 10th. Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from today - time to finally commit to the local Turkey Trot.
“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.”
From the Lab: The Power of Protein
Take Action: Chew Your Food
Speed Read: It's a Bird, It's a Plane
Thursday Night In: Grass-Fed Slider Sweet Potato Bun
Moment of Fun: Promises, Promises
The percent of muscle we rebuild each day. That means we rebuild our entire body every 2-3 months. (Source)
From the Lab
Muscles need three things to grow:
Stress (resistance training)
Recovery (24-48 hours after training)
Protein (essential amino acids)
Lifting breaks down muscles, but then mTOR rebuilds the muscle during recovery to build it back even stronger - if it has enough fuel (protein). In a study, just 5 hours after eating protein, it was shown that 11 percent of it had transformed into new muscle.
Protein is also the signal that activates mTOR so that the synthesis exceeds the breakdown - leading to muscle growth.
One amino acid in particular that builds muscle is leucine. Here’s a list of foods high in leucine:
If you’ve been following the longevity research from books like Lifespan (Dr. David Sinclair) and The Longevity Diet (Dr. Valter Longo), then you may recall that mTOR is bad and too much protein (especially from animals) is bad.
Seems like the distinction here is an acute response vs. chronic levels. Protein will drive up mTOR and IGF-1, but when paired with strength training this can be a good thing. As Dr. Layne Norton states in this video, it's really the standard American diet (which causes insulin insensitivity), not the normal cycling of protein that is bad.
Take Action
*Don't worry - we aren't here to make you do math (unless it's our Brain Games) or convert from the Metric System. Here's a converter calculator from lbs to kg. If you weigh 180 lbs, that's about 80 kg so you need roughly 100g of protein per day (see examples).
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
Eating REAL FOOD on the go is hard. Most packaged food is full of added sugar, fake sugar, weird flavors and a host of ingredients most of us can't even pronounce. SANS Meal Bar is a meal replacement bar made from only REAL FOOD ingredients.
SANS believes everyone should #eatwithout by:
Reading the ingredients
If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it
Eat what makes you feel good
SANS is offering Thrive25 readers 50% off their first 12 pack of meal bars AND free shipping. Click HERE and use code THRIVE at checkout!*
*Discount only applies to (1) 12 Pack and does not apply to subscription orders.
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Calling All Leaders: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has released his report "The Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being." 86% of U.S. workers report at least one thing at work negatively impacting their mental health. See the full report to learn how to set up an environment to improve the health of your team. (Full Report)
In Need of an Upgrade: Designs of our current airplanes date back to the 1950s…as any frequent flier will tell you - it’s time for an overhaul. NASA has initiated a design competition for new airplane designs. The winner will get funding to build a full-scale demonstrator. Get ready for terms like transonic truss-braced wings, blended-wing bodies and double bubbles. What do you think planes will look like in 25 years? (WSJ)
Almost Underdog Story: Defending champion Liverpool survived a scare from Football League One team Derby County, 3-2 in penalties in the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup. Derby County sits two levels below the Premier League, not quite as low as Wrexham (for now 😉), but close. The best analogy would be MLB’s Houston Astros winning 1-0 in extra innings against…Double A middle-of-the-pack Akron RubberDucks. (EFL Carabao Cup)
Thursday Night In
Here's a great dinner to get that protein we're talking about - with all the good stuff from sweet potatoes, super spices (like rosemary), and fat from avocados!
Pro Tip: Top with Primal Kitchen Ketchup or Avocado Mayo! Click HERE
Moment of Fun
Roger always keeps his word...
Thanks for joining us today!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
Got feedback? Tell us what you think at team@thrive25.com
Want this direct to your inbox? Sign up here
Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
To health!
Sign up for free:
The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.