Essential Nutrients

As I have said, and will continue saying, protein and fats are essential and the foundational structure of all living organisms. Carbohydrates are not important to health. Whole foods such as eggs, beef, pork, lamb, sheep, seafood, fish, nuts and seeds, provide portions of fat with protein. As a result, our bodies require fats and protein to be eaten together to optimize the effects of both for total and complete health.

Here are 10 evidenced based and scientifically backed benefits of the mighty protein according to Kris Gunnars BSc. of Healthline.com:

1. Reduces appetite and hunger
2. Increases muscle mass and strength
3. Helps in the formation of bone
4. Reduces late night cravings
5. Increases metabolism and fat oxidation
6. Decreases blood pressure
7. Maintains long-term weight loss
8. Does not harm healthy kidneys
9. Repairs injuries after trauma
10. Maintains strength in your senior years

Never In Isolation

Protein doesn’t posses these attributes simply by being protein… protein requires fats and oils to behave in the way that it does.

Dr. Lebedow demonstrated that if a starving dog was given fat or protein alone the dog would continue to starve and ultimately die. However, if given, simultaneously, a protein that was a sulfur-containing amino acid (such as, methionine and cysteine) and an EFA-oil, the starving dog would rebound with vibrant life. Sulphur-containing amino acids are reused for the formation of body proteins needed for growth, tissue maintenance and enzyme production. Essential fatty acid oils can not be manufactured by the body so have to be supplied by the diet.

Dr. Rosenfeld showed that a diet high in protein and low in carbs, or one that was high in protein and high in carbs, would both cause obesity. However, once he added an EFA to either diet it resulted in less obesity and improved food utilization and energy production.

The biochemical and cellular rationale as to why fats and oils are so valuable and effective to our health are as follows:

1. Fats digest over 5-8 hours whereas carbs and protein are digested more quickly, say 2-4 hours
2. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) increase metabolic rate and help mobilize and burn saturated fatty acids
3. Our body loses its cravings for food when its need for EFAs is satisfied. Eating sufficient amounts of EFAs will help you feel fuller faster.

Make Your Diet More Effective

The famous Atkins and Zone Diets are traditionally high protein and low fat diets. The challenge was that people were plateauing before their weight loss goals, after a month or so, and could not lose more weight. Research from Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon from The Weston A. Price Foundation, shows that switching your metabolism from glycolysis to ketosis is one of the healthiest ways to lose weight and boost healthy clinical markers that prevent diabetes, cancer and thyroid problems. Also, protein breaks down as amino acids. Amino acids break down as glucose to be used by the cell’s mitochondria for ATP production as an energy substrate. If you are consuming too much protein this begets serum hyperglycemia, yielding excess glucose and subsequently fat storage or refractory weight gain. Consuming fats and oils (except trans-fats and hydrogenated oils) with quality protein will trigger lipolysis of dietary and stored body fat – this is nutritional ketosis.

This is why I advise my customers that purchase NSP 92% Milk & Egg Protein to mix it with half & half or whole milk and drink it slowly- over a half hour.


Lastly, assays and measures of protein utilization and quality, such as Protein Efficiency Ratio P.E.R., measure of Biological Value B.V. and Net Protein Utilization N.P.U. have been used to measure the nutritive value of protein’s digestibility and amino acid spread. They rarely measure the interdependence of protein and lipid chemistry. I have read hundreds of articles and books of empirical data, independently funded research and double-blind studies that were performed by highly reputable, esteemed and respected scientists, organizations and academics that I base this article on.

Please reach out to me at NSP Nutrition for further discussion of this blog. Or write a comment. Again, thank you for visiting our website.

Derrick Smith BSN/ NC w/22 years experience as an RN and 30yrs with NSP.

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