This week’s content looks at how eating more protein can improve your lifespan and how to correctly practice gratitude to get health benefits.
#1: Double Your Protein Double Your Life
We are not over fat, we are under muscled
– Dr Gabriel Lyon
The importance of muscle mass is understated. While there is a positive correlation with aesthetics and how strong you look and feel, the importance of muscle mass is more than skin deep. Skeletal muscle is key to regulating insulin, blood sugar, and our overall health-span and life-span. On The Model Health Show’s interview with Dr. Gabriel Lyon, she discusses the importance of skeletal muscle and its impact on all aspects of your health and the “Lyon Protocol”, her diet protocol designed to improve your muscle mass quality.
Here’s how you can implement the Lyon Protocol 2.0:
- Eat 30-40g minimum of protein per meal. As we age, most of us should be doubling our protein consumption. Protein is key to maintaining and building muscle, especially as we age. When you are 40+, consuming more protein is important as we may not process it as well as when we were younger.
- Use high quality food sources. This applies to buying veggies, fruits, meats, dairy and eggs. You want nutrient dense protein sources like lean beef, yellowfin tuna or skinless chicken which are high sources of lysine, leucine and methionine. These 3 amino acids are important and key to building and maintaining quality muscle mass.
- Avoid ultra-processed foods in bags or boxes. Fresh whole foods are ideal. Look at the ingredients and avoid polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) that contain vegetable, corn or soybean oils. These oils are highly prevalent in processed foods.
- Weigh your food. Keep doing this until you get an idea of what you’re putting in your body and what portion size is appropriate for you. Use apps like My Fitness Pal or My Macros Plus to log this.
- Understand serving sizes and macronutrients. You want to become familiar with what serving sizes look like when listed as grams, ounces, or milliliters if a liquid. In addition you want to know the amount of fats, carbs, protein and fiber in each serving.
NOTE: For the full “Lyon Protocol 2.0” in a 20 page PDF file with details and references to studies, you can sign up to her newsletter on her website
Notes:
- “Muscle-centric medicine® harnesses the power of this system to heal the body, improve metabolism, build better body composition, and combat the diseases associated with aging.” – https://drgabriellelyon.com/
- Muscle is the largest organ. An important endocrine organ where brain health, glucose regulation, and insulin resistance begins.
- We’ve been focusing on the wrong tissue, adipose fat when the key is skeletal muscle.
- There is very little evidence that eating too much protein leads to development of cancer.
- The quality and type of amino acids in protein matters, but food labels typically overlook this. More info on food choices and details about the quality of food can be found in the “Lyon Protocol 2.0”.
References, sources and more:
- Source: Muscle-Centric Medicine & Why Protein Is The Key To Sustainable Weight Loss – With Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
- Related studies:
#2: A Gratitude Practice that Actually Works!
Turns out that the most potent form of gratitude practice is not a gratitude practice where you give or express gratitude, but rather, where you receive gratitude…
– Andrew Huberman
Scientific studies have shown that implementing a gratitude practice in your life can not only provide psychological benefits, but, surprisingly, great physiological benefits as well through reducing inflammation markers. Huberman discusses simple methods to practice gratitude to achieve these positive benefits and why the traditional way of practicing gratitude is not as effective.
How to create a gratitude practice that works:
- Reflect on when others have shown gratitude towards you. Think of a very specific time where somebody is showing you true gratitude for something you’ve done and the feelings this evokes. Example: A co-worker writes you a letter thanking you for helping them out on a specific project.
- Reflect on when others have shown gratitude to someone else. Think of a detailed story where they were helped by someone else, who showed great empathy or compassion, and in return showed they were grateful for their assistance. Example: A story of Holocaust survivors making it out alive and those who helped them.
- Use real experiences when reflecting. Use inspiring real experiences or somebody else’s experiences of gratitude. Of humans helping other humans. List out the struggle, what help was received or given, and how it impacted you emotionally.
- Practice gratitude 1-5 minutes a day. Do this gratitude practice between 1-5 minutes and anytime of the day to receive benefits.
- Don’t lie to yourself. Stories and thoughts used must be genuine narratives of gratitude. Lying to your brain does not work. Example: Somebody gives you money out of generosity versus the same person reluctantly giving you money.
- Breathe calmly when practicing. Use calm breathing exercises to enhance the effects of your practice.
NOTE: Most gratitude practices involve writing down what you are grateful for and thinking about it a lot. Most studies show this is not very effective.
Notes:
- The human brain is very embedded in stories and it is how we organize information in the brain. Like subjects from gratitude studies, listening to these well crafted stories of gratitude shifts our physiology
References, sources and more:
- Source: THE SCIENCE OF GRATITUDE & HOW TO BUILD A GRATITUDE PRACTICE
- Related Studies:
