When I first started on my “get more protein in my day” journey at the beginning of January 2023, hitting my daily protein goals was a bit of a struggle. You can read more about that here. PROTEIN IS POPULAR Protein has become popular in recent years because of the increased interest in health, fitness, and wellness. Protein is an essential macronutrient that plays a crucial role in building and repairing tissues, as well as supporting the immune system and hormone balance. Protein is also important for building and maintaining muscle mass, which is why it is often associated with bodybuilding and athletic performance. Additionally, high-protein diets have been shown to be effective for weight loss and weight management, as protein can help reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness. As a result of this increased interest in protein, there has been a proliferation of protein supplements and protein-enriched products on the market, such as protein bars, shakes, and powders. However, it is important to remember that whole food sources of protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, legumes, nuts, and seeds, are generally a healthier and more sustainable way to consume protein than relying heavily on supplements and processed foods. The “healthy” processed food market is booming but you have to remember its still processed foods. The most healthy way to consume food is to eat it the way nature intended, and this applies to protein as well. GET YOUR PROTEIN MOSTLY FROM WHOLE FOOD SOURCES My goal daily is to get the majority of my protein from whole food sources. Like anything once you find your favorite protein sources, it becomes easier to plan and hit your goal each day. Food prepping each week and having the things you love on hand can also make the process much easier. I will say, there are days when life takes over or it’s difficult to get in the protein grams that you need. I do think a high quality protein powder can definitely play a role in your day. While there are a lot of junky protein powders on the market there are plenty of great ones! I have at least one protein shake or smoothie most days. DISCLAIMER TOP 10 SOURCES OF PROTEIN 1. Meats such as chicken breast, turkey, beef, and pork. Leaner meats are a bit higher in protein than ones that are fatty. Organic is best when…

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ARE KIDS MORE CREATIVE THAN ADULTS? Do you remember when you were a child and you spent endless amounts of time in deep imagination creating? Maybe you loved to draw, color or paint. Or maybe building with Legos was your thing or even singing or dancing. When we are children creating is easy. We have magnificent imaginations that fire constantly. There is this notion that children are more creative than adults. I think optically yes, it appears as though kids are more creative than adults but this is due to a number of reasons. Children express themselves freely and often. Children are not scared or hesitant to put themselves out there. They are naturally curious and open. They explore their environment unapologetically and embrace the wonder around them. They share themselves and their creations freely and live fully in the moment. They are also proud of who they are and what they have accomplished. Their lives haven’t been filled with judgment or comments from others that make them feel less than and keep them from expressing their creative selves to the world. You may wonder when you stopped expressing yourself freely? Or, what led you to slowly but surely share less and less of yourself with the world? As we get older we begin to doubt ourselves and our creative expression. Life experiences begin to pile up. Experiences that brought us down, made us question ourselves, our abilities and made us feel less than. We become conditioned to what society and culture deem acceptable or the norm. We develop beliefs about ourselves, what we are capable of, and the world around us. As adults it can be difficult to fully express ourselves, which can limit our creativity. MAKING TIME FOR CREATIVITY  For some of us creativity has to be something we pencil into our schedule. Something we consciously do. So, what if you consider yourself a creative person and even have a “creative” job? Making time for creativity is important for you too! Having a job in a creative field is great for an innately creative person. However, creative burnout is a real thing. It is possible to lose yourself and your true artistic nature when you force yourself to be creative every single day especially when your creativity is aligned with specific guardrails of the job. Finding a creative outlet that lies outside of your day-to-day is critical to keep you…

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Collagen has been a part of my life for many years now. Initially I learned about it when I was playing around with my diet early in my autoimmune disease healing journey. It was an ingredient used in many Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) recipes. I won’t go into the details in this post about AIP but a big part of the diet is healing the gut, and collagen can help with this. In this post What Are Collagen Peptides and 10 Creative Ways To Use Them I will share a bit about what collagen peptides are along with the benefits, the different types and ten creative ways to use them! WHAT IS COLLAGEN Collagen is the most abundant protein the entire human body. Collagen is protein molecules made up of amino acids. You can think of amino acids as building blocks (or my son’s favorite Legos) for our bodies. There are certain amino acids that are considered essential. Collagen plays a role in many parts of our body including connective tissues, our joints, our gastrointestinal system and our skin. As we age collagen stores in our bodies naturally decline and as the years go by we produce less and less. It may surprise you that this process starts as early as our 20’s. By the time we are in our 40’s our collagen stores are being used faster than our body is able to make them. Over the years I have used collagen in a number of ways. I typically either put it into my daily powdered greens or in a smoothie. It is easy to add to just about anything. There are some mixed thoughts about whether the effectiveness of collagen is reduced when heated. What I have found through research is that you would have to heat it at a very high temperature for this to happen. Still something to keep in mind and to do your own research on before deciding. When you start looking for a collagen supplement you will find there is more than one type of collagen. Each type of collagen plays a different role. TYPES OF COLLAGEN Type I collagen is the most prevalent type of collagen in the body. It helps to keep joints, hair, nails, skin, ligaments and cartilage healthy. From cows, fish, or eggshells. Type II collagen is sourced from both marine and chicken products. Has been found to have the potential to reduce pain in…

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