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The Wellness Blueprint: With Dr. Caleb Davis
Welcome to The Wellness Blueprint with Dr. Caleb Davis, where we uncover the secrets to living a long, active, and pain-free life. Hosted by Dr. Caleb Davis, an orthopedic surgeon and fitness enthusiast, this podcast is your ultimate guide to musculoskeletal health, injury prevention, and wellness.
Dr. Davis combines his expertise as a shoulder and elbow specialist with a passion for empowering people to take charge of their health. From deep dives into cutting-edge restorative medicine to practical tips on avoiding surgery and optimizing recovery, The Wellness Blueprint offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to preserve their body and thrive at every stage of life.
Join us each week for professional guidance, fascinating medical discussions, and actionable strategies that help you move better, feel stronger, and stay functional for years to come. Whether you're an athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone looking to age gracefully, The Wellness Blueprint provides the tools to design a healthier you.
The Wellness Blueprint: With Dr. Caleb Davis
Episode 20: Protein Paradigm: Exploring Its Role in Health and Nutrition
Unlock the secrets of protein beyond the muscle-building hype. What if your protein intake could influence your hormones, immune function, and even your metabolism? Join us for a captivating journey through the history and science of protein.
We explore the vast landscape of protein sources, from traditional meats to innovative supplements and discuss how protein bars and shakes have transitioned from niche bodybuilding products to everyday essentials. Nicole shares her personal experiences with protein supplements, highlighting the importance of choosing options that cater to both ethical considerations and digestive sensitivities.
Embark on a practical exploration of how to meet your daily protein goals, with insights on the balance between whole foods and supplement convenience.
Learn about the bioavailability of different protein sources like whey, casein, and egg protein, while also considering the challenges of plant-based proteins. We delve into the nuances of maximizing whole food protein sources, providing actionable tips for balancing protein intake with hydration and budget considerations.
Whether you're navigating the lean versus fatty meat debate or seeking low-fat options with seafood, we've got you covered with practical advice to inform your dietary choices.
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Hey everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Wellness Blueprint. I'm your host, dr Caleb Davis, and as usual, I am joined by my better half, the lovely and talented Nicole Davis. Hey, everybody. Nicole, thanks for being here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1:We're going to be discussing a topic that's very close to my heart today, and that is protein, the macronutrient. That is a big, big buzzword in nutrition and probably something that's been on a lot of people's minds, something that everyone's heard that they need more of. But it's not about just building muscle. It's a vital nutrient that impacts everything from your hormones to your immune system and even your metabolic rate. We're going to do a comprehensive discussion on protein, so grab your notebook and let's get started.
Speaker 2:You know who normally is badgering me to eat more protein.
Speaker 1:Who might that be?
Speaker 2:That would be Dr Big Guy.
Speaker 1:You know how Dr Big Guy got so big?
Speaker 2:By eating all the meat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lots of protein. Yeah, it's going to be a good one, Just like a lot of the topics we cover on this show. Everyone has a vague idea of what it is and why it's important, but we're going to try to get into the nitty gritty details, which I love to do. I don't know if our audience loves it, but I love it. Let's start a little bit with the history of protein. Before protein was identified as a distinct macronutrient, people intuitively valued meat as a crucial part of their diet. Ancient civilizations considered meat a symbol of strength and vitality. The ancient Greeks associated meat consumption with physical power, and in medieval Europe, meat was often reserved for the elite due to its perceived superiority in nourishing the body. Nicole, do you know what I mean when I talk about a macronutrient?
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm familiar with protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those would be the three macronutrients. There's lots of subcategories of all those types of foods, but when we think about what food is made up of, we break it into three macronutrients. And you nailed it so fast. Forward to 1838, a Dutch chemist named Gerardus Mulder identified protein and named it after the Greek word protos, meaning first or primary. So already the Dutch, they knew that protein was important. Early studies recognized its importance for growth and tissue repair, but it took decades to really fully understand its biochemical role. You already have mentioned meat. Obviously, meat's the first thing we think of when it comes to protein. But let's talk a little bit about supplements. Do you know what the most popular protein supplement is?
Speaker 2:Whey protein.
Speaker 1:Yep, you nailed it again.
Speaker 2:We have a lot of that in our house.
Speaker 1:We sure do? Whey protein initially believe it or not started off as a byproduct of cheese production, so it was actually just thrown away as a waste product and they had no use for it. Around the mid part of the 20th century, researchers discovered that it's high in an amino acid called leucine, and it's also easy to digest and rapidly digested. Casein protein followed as another product, and this is a slower digesting alternative. And then, after the popularity of protein powders and protein drinks, alternatives started to be developed, like hemp and pea and soy protein for people who wanted to have a plant-based alternative. Nicole, what can you tell me about your experience with all these different types of protein powders and supplements?
Speaker 2:well, I've tried a fair amount of them. I will say that certain types of whey protein make me have to go to the bathroom more frequently than not.
Speaker 1:Have you been able to? Oh, wait, hold on.
Speaker 2:I didn't even say the word what kind of bathroom are we talking about? We're definitely talking about the pooping variety.
Speaker 1:All right, we're about three minutes into recording and we talked about poop.
Speaker 2:We're talking about the pooping variety. All right, we're about three minutes into recording and we talked about poop.
Speaker 1:You asked, buddy, I just you, just no, you mentioned it first. You said that certain proteins make you have to go to the bathroom. That is early on our standards of talking about poop. So there you go everybody. So protein bars and shakes began appearing in the 1980s mainstream, and this was advertised as a tool for athletes.
Speaker 2:Probably also bodybuilders right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as bodybuilding started to get more and more popular, especially in the mid-70s, protein supplementation started becoming more popular. But it started really hitting popularity and mainstream in the 80s to 90s. But now they're really everywhere. It's not just for athletes and bodybuilders. It became something for busy professionals, people who are always on the go, trying to get their macronutrients in. Out of all the proteins you've tried, is there one that you favor or you prefer?
Speaker 2:I do enjoy Orgain If I'm interested in more of a vegan version of proteins that's majority pea-based.
Speaker 1:Now, do you use Orgain because you have ethical dilemmas with eating animal-based proteins, or is it more of a? Doesn't upset your stomach so much.
Speaker 2:It's kind of both. I'm going to be honest with y'all I eat meat right, but I sometimes feel guilty about it, so every once in a while I can assuage the guilt by using that.
Speaker 1:But have you found that whey protein upsets your stomach a little bit?
Speaker 2:more. Yes, whey protein does. If I just take I don't know if it was optimum nutrition or something I took that and I was like whoa, I'm really having to go quite a lot. However, there is a higher end brand, I think it's from Nutrex, and there's something about it that makes it a little bit better. I don't know if it's whey isolate. It's in our pantry, I could go grab it.
Speaker 1:No, it's okay and I'm not really looking to call out any particular brand. Some people have different fillers and artificial sweeteners and other things that might make it upset your stomach. I'd say that it's not uncommon that whey protein upsets people's stomachs, especially of drunk and large quantities.
Speaker 2:I will say I did not think about the chemical reaction between whey protein and things like apple cider vinegar. Apparently, if you mix those two together, it will explode.
Speaker 1:In your stomach.
Speaker 2:Nope, just in the kitchen.
Speaker 1:Oh I see, Tell me more. That sounds like there's a good story behind it.
Speaker 2:I was trying to mix my apple cider vinegar and I have a couple of like green veggie scoops that I take and some almond milk and my protein powder, so I was trying to mix all that stuff in along with amino acids. I was like you know what, let's just get it all in one go.
Speaker 1:You sound like a mad scientist.
Speaker 2:I am.
Speaker 1:So you put this all in an Erlenmeyer flask and put it on a Bunsen burner or what?
Speaker 2:Oh, I really just put it in a shaker cup and closed the lid and started shaking it. And then when I opened it it was like a poof. And when I opened it, it was like a poof.
Speaker 1:Did it explode all over your face like a Looney Tunes cartoon?
Speaker 2:It really did, yeah, and all over our kitchen I had to vacuum. It was embarrassing.
Speaker 1:I wish I'd been there to see this. I missed all of this action.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was pretty entertaining.
Speaker 1:I was probably off saving someone's life at the moment?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 1:So let's break down. What is protein? So we've talked about it's a macronutrient, but what does that really mean? All proteins, by definition, are made up of smaller units called amino acids. I think amino acids is something that's also in the general public vocabulary, but maybe people don't know exactly what that is. There are 20 amino acids in total, and they are often referred to as the building blocks of life. These amino acids combine various sequences to form proteins that build and repair tissues. They produce enzymes. They help produce hormones. They support your overall bodily function. Now, of these 20 amino acids, nine of them are considered essential, meaning your body cannot produce them on its own.
Speaker 2:Is that why there are different things out there that say EAA?
Speaker 1:EAA would refer to essential amino acids. We use the word essential because a lot of different things. Your body can actually take the constituent parts and create chemical compounds in your body, but there are nine of them that your body cannot produce and you must get from either your diet or supplementation.
Speaker 2:Gotcha.
Speaker 1:Most people, if they eat any kind of meat in their diet, they're getting their essential amino acids, though it's people who may have a more restricted diet, for whatever reason, that may need to worry about supplementing. Examples of some of the essential amino acids would be leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine. These all have different functions. Leucine is probably the most popular one because it's so critical for muscle protein synthesis, meaning building and maintaining muscle mass so that's one that people focus on a lot, and whey protein has a very high leucine content, so that's why it's become so popular. Really, a well-rounded diet should provide all of the essential amino acids, whether through animal products or by complementary plant-based combinations, like some of the products we talked about earlier.
Speaker 2:I think we know, though, from our earlier podcast episodes, that at least the American diet and nutrition levels are not where they need to be.
Speaker 1:It's a common misconception that Americans eat tons of protein. It's really not enough. Most people don't get enough protein, at least in a fat to carbohydrate to protein ratio, and a lot of times our protein is smothered in sauces and with sugars and fats or it's deep fried and we're actually eating more breading than we are meat. So, yeah, we generally don't get enough protein. Especially as we get older, we are really lacking in that department. So if you're following a plant-based diet, you might be wondering how to get all the essential amino acids. Animal proteins are considered quote-unquote complete proteins because they contain all nine essential amino acids. Most plant proteins are incomplete. However, you can achieve a complete amino acid profile, meaning you can get all nine essential amino acids, by combining different plant-based foods. For example, rice and beans complement each other really well and they're something that's in a lot of food and recipes and they're easy to eat. Peanut butter and whole grain bread would provide all your essential amino acids. Combining hummus with pita bread is also another good pairing Hummus with what.
Speaker 1:Pita bread.
Speaker 2:Pita. Okay, I thought you said peanut bread, peanut bread. I was like what's? Peanut bread, hummus and pita bread. Gotcha, yeah would be a good other combination.
Speaker 1:Foods like soy and quinoa and buckwheat are all exceptions, as they are complete plant proteins, so quinoa is a really good source of protein if you're doing a plant-based diet, if you're okay with eating animal products. There's much better sources of protein, though.
Speaker 2:I had a question for you once. I had a question for you once, which was, if I'm trying to, let's say, eat over 150 grams of protein in a day, which is a fair amount of protein, how much of that can be supplemented by protein powder? Because I find it so much easier to chug a bunch of protein shakes than to actually eat 150 grams of protein. Because you think about what is a six ounce filet, how many grams of protein is that versus, like a chicken breast?
Speaker 2:Well, six ounce filet of steak does have quite a bit of protein. Most people aren't eating six ounce filets every day, though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's around roughly 40 grams of protein in a six ounce filet.
Speaker 2:Right but.
Speaker 1:I think an equal serving of chicken would have a similar amount. Now the way you get into. How much protein can I supplement? Well, you can do all of it If you have a protein shake that has 40 grams of protein, which is pretty typical. That's a pretty standard serving. That's four shakes, right? So four shakes would get you there. The problem is the micronutrients that you find in steaks and chicken and other things. There's a lot of minerals, creatine and other things that are found naturally in meats, and if you're drinking protein powders, you're missing all of those trace minerals and micronutrients that are in the meat. So that's one thing. The other is when you have to chew meat and eat meat, it's satiating, where you could chug protein all day and not become satiated and want to eat more things. So there are some pitfalls to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I will say it's very challenging to eat that much protein in one go.
Speaker 1:Well, it's very satiating. It takes work to eat it, so that's one of the benefits of eating whole protein sources rather than supplementing.
Speaker 1:Right Now obviously people who need to eat lots and lots of protein, like pro athletes and bodybuilders it's really almost impossible to eat it all from whole food sources. Also, people who are constantly traveling, jet setters, people who maybe even surgeons. Protein supplementation is really handy, but I would definitely minimize it as much as possible. But if you're going to tell me I just cannot get enough protein without supplementation, then by all means you should.
Speaker 2:Well, my other question is should you be capping out the amount of protein you have in one sitting? Can your body process all 150 grams in like an hour long setting, or would you need to spread that out throughout the day?
Speaker 1:It'd be tough to take 150 grams of protein in one sitting. There's been a lot of debate on this topic and I've never seen a satisfactory, concrete answer on this. In general, can your body take 70 grams of protein? Yes, it can. I've had people posit that you literally excrete the protein. Yeah, you're not doing that. You're absorbing in your bloodstream. But the question is how much is taken up for muscle synthesis and can you transform that protein into sugar? Your body can take those building blocks and turn them into other things. The short answer is I wouldn't really worry about getting more than 50 to 60 grams in a sitting. If you're really hungry and you want to eat a larger meal, it's not going to do you any harm.
Speaker 1:Okay, I just didn't know if it was effective or counted. In general, I would recommend people spreading out their meals more often if they can, although I myself have done an intermittent fasting diet recently, so I eat most of my meals within a four to six hour window right now.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I'm also not so worried about being a bodybuilder right now either. So since we've touched on these protein supplements, let's dive down into the different types of supplements that we mentioned at the top of the episode and talk about that a little bit. So whey protein, king of the protein supplements. We talk about amino acid profiles and bioavailability when we talk about how effective protein supplements are that's a fancy sounding word bioavailability basically means you eat it.
Speaker 1:How much of that is taken up into your bloodstream and utilized by your body, and how fast is it taken up?
Speaker 1:yes, okay and then the amino acid profile talks about which amino acids are rich in and contained within that supplement. So we talked about leucine being the key focus of which amino acid is going to be the best for protein synthesis. So usually you're looking for high leucine. So whey protein is considered very bioavailable, so it's absorbed and utilized in your bloodstream quickly. It's also rich in leucine and it makes it ideal for muscle protein synthesis. Casein protein became popular because the idea was that it was digested more slowly. So it became very popular, especially with bodybuilders who want to drink a casein protein shake at night so they could be slowly absorbing amino acids throughout the evening while they were sleeping.
Speaker 2:Don't your body need to take a break when it's sleeping?
Speaker 1:I think that you would be fine to not have your casein shake. Personally, I did try it for a while, though, when I was in college.
Speaker 2:Of course you did, you tried everything.
Speaker 1:Another one that people like is egg protein. Especially if you're lactose intolerant or have intolerance to any sort of milk protein in dairy products, egg protein can be an alternative for you. It has very good bioavailability and has a very well balanced across all the amino acids a profile that's very well balanced.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty certain that we have a photo of you chugging liquid egg whites on your website.
Speaker 1:Yep, I've definitely chugged liquid egg whites before. It's a very easy, fast way to get a lot of protein in your system and it's very bioavailable. Now, when I say very easy, I mean easy for me, maybe not everybody.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's sort of disgusting. Yeah, I'll cook it and eat it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're pasteurized, it's safe. I don't recommend everyone drink egg whites, thank you. So the plant-based proteins are not considered as bioavailable. You'd call it more of a moderate bioavailability. Soy has a reasonable amino acid profile, but is not nearly as rich in leucine as whey protein. Hemp and pea protein would require complementary sources of protein to get your full amino acid profile.
Speaker 1:Another one that's become more recently popular in the last 10-15 years is collagen protein, and this is a much lower bioavailability compared to egg protein or whey protein. It is rich in glycine and proline, which, in theory, support joint and skin health. The question is how much are you able to take those amino acids and specifically put them into your joints and your skin? That's always been my question. If you're getting a full amino acid profile from your diet, I don't know that taking collagen is necessarily going to improve those things. Just because it has collagen in the name doesn't mean it's going to improve your collagen, so that's hotly debated too. Some people just enjoy drinking bone broth and collagen proteins. Nicole, have you ever heard that high protein intake might damage your kidneys?
Speaker 2:No, honestly.
Speaker 1:Really, I thought that was a common conception across the United States.
Speaker 2:I think what's common in your world and what's common in my world are two very different things.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you've never thought oh, if I eat too much protein I might hurt my kidneys.
Speaker 2:Never, no, but I've always had you. You're always like eat more protein, Nicole. You haven't eaten enough protein.
Speaker 1:It must be nice to have such a wise, caring husband in your life to help guide you.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:She didn't say no guys. Well, this is a common thing that I've heard, especially when you're talking to elderly people and women. I think is probably who I've heard it from the most. If I eat too much protein, will I damage my kidneys?
Speaker 2:No, I just hear people talking about steak and cholesterol levels.
Speaker 1:Sure, that's a whole different topic.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm still trying to debate on too. So it's a longstanding myth that high protein diets damage your kidneys. There's lots of research, such as the study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases in 2020 that found that there is no adverse effects of high protein intake on kidney function in healthy individuals. This study, in particular, reviewed multiple trials and concluded that protein intake up to 2.8 grams per kilogram of body weight was safe. That's a pretty high intake right there. However, those with a pre-existing condition excess protein can increase the workload on kidneys due to urea production, so proper hydration is essential. Even those with relatively lower functioning kidneys are probably not at great risk. However, I would definitely consult your doctor if you have a chronic kidney condition. Nicole, have you ever heard of the concept of nitrogen balance and protein metabolism?
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do the answer to that one. So nitrogen is contained in a lot of proteins and a lot of amino acids.
Speaker 2:I'm mostly familiar with nitrogen based on nitro. Isn't there like a cold brew Nitro, cold brew coffee? Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, nitrogen is just an element, but there's a lot of nitrogen in amino acids and proteins. So when you're breaking these down and using this in protein metabolism, nitrogen has to be excreted as a byproduct.
Speaker 2:You mean like poop?
Speaker 1:It always comes back to poop. No, not poop. Okay, when you are breaking down a lot of protein, you get increased levels of nitrogen and it's metabolized into urea. It's a chemical compound that is made in the liver and then it's excreted through your kidneys. So through the pee, not the poop.
Speaker 2:Okay, so urea urine, those two things go together, yeah that's what I thought, that's right. Yeah, Look how smart I am guys.
Speaker 1:Excreting nitrogen requires water, and inadequate hydration on a high protein diet could lead to dehydration. So this underscores the importance of drinking plenty of water if you are consuming large amounts of protein, because when you have these high concentrations of urea, you need more water to dilute it to then successfully excrete it.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure that you just need more water in general.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we did an episode on hydration. I'd say most people need more water, unless you have psychogenic polydipsia.
Speaker 2:Wow, that was another big. You're just really hitting the big words today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sometimes people say big, you're just really hitting the big words today. Yeah. Sometimes people say big words to make themselves feel smart, yeah, or you're just really trying to impress me. Yes, this is. It's like my mating day. I just say big scientific words and Nicole goes huh, not ooh. I don't know, you tell me.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it's both.
Speaker 1:Is it working? Yes, all right.
Speaker 2:Let's yes, all right. Let's wrap up All right.
Speaker 1:Let's wrap up this episode so let's talk about protein as a meal replacement. You've already touched on this a little bit. You're saying what if I just eat all of my food from protein supplementation? Though, protein shakes are often used as meal replacements, but they have limitations. They are convenient and they provide precise macronutrient control, meaning you know exactly how much protein you're getting in a bottle of a protein shake. They do lack fiber and a lot of the micronutrients and phytochemicals found in whole foods. A study in the Journal of Nutrition Science in 2021 highlighted that, while meal replacements can support healthy weight loss, they may not be sustainable long-term due to the deficiencies we just mentioned. Another concern is that a lot of protein shakes contain artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers that help affect their shelf life. That could actually have a negative effect on your gut health. So, overall, a over-reliance on shakes might not be the best idea, but they can certainly be a helpful adjunct to a healthy diet.
Speaker 2:Also another fun tip don't travel with an open bag of protein powder in your carry-on at airports. Tsa doesn't like that.
Speaker 1:So I used to be very religious about taking my protein powder on trips, you know, hitting gym, making sure your macronutrients were good. I put my vanilla whey protein powder in a Tupperware.
Speaker 1:And I got flagged every time they were feeling my legs. They were doing a little swipe and running it through a machine with this mysterious powder and I stopped doing that and all of a sudden I stopped getting frisks so much. We touched on this a little bit, but I want to emphasize this why are whole food protein sources better? So let's talk about some examples. Meat and fish provide creatine, which enhances muscle performance, along with iron, zinc and B vitamins. B vitamins are another one of those sources that are hard to come by without consuming animal products that a lot of people on plant-based diets might be lacking without supplementation. Poultry, like chicken, is high in selenium and that can support thyroid function. So let's sum up with some practical takeaways on protein.
Speaker 1:Protein is essential for your health. Balance is critical and you want to aim to combine whole foods with supplements as needed, although I'd encourage you to do as much whole protein sources as possible due to getting more micronutrients and other important elements of your food. Choose protein supplements based on your goals Whey for muscle building, casein for sustained recovery, and plant-based if you have either sensitivities or ethical or dietary preferences. Make sure you stay hydrated as you increase your protein. This helps support kidney function and helps with nitrogen excretion. Be mindful not to rely too heavily on protein shakes. Stick with the whole foods, nicole. What are some of your favorite sources of whole food protein?
Speaker 2:I think that you make a very nice steak, so I enjoy eating your steaks. Typically I prefer to eat poultry over things like pork. I'm not really like a huge pork eater. I do really like ground beef and ground turkey and normally I just kind of cook a whole bunch of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how about eggs? Are you a big egg fan?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I do love eggs. I especially love over-easy eggs. Yeah, you a big egg fan. Oh yeah, I do love eggs I especially love over easy eggs. Yeah, scrambled eggs are good too. Oh good, poached egg is very nice. Those are my favorites.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:A hard boiled egg. I don't mind, but I'm just too lazy to cook it that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'd rather have a runny egg.
Speaker 1:If I had to give everyone a pretty succinct takeaway on this. More protein is good, more water is good. Try to eat whole food proteins whenever you can, supplement when needed, especially if you have a busy, crazy schedule and you're having too much trouble getting it all in whole foods. And I think those are words to live by. Nicole, do you have anything else to add?
Speaker 2:No, I guess I was going to ask you in general are there better quality cuts of meat that people need to worry about when it comes to protein intake or not?
Speaker 1:really? Well, not really. If you're looking to cut back on fat and cholesterol, then there are leaner cuts, like the cheapest. Leanest cut of steak is called a round steak or eye of round. It's cheap and it's lean. Obviously, a filet mignon is more expensive, but it's also a lean cut. Your fattier cuts would be like a ribeye, so you're going to have more fat in those cuts, although it's still very rich in protein.
Speaker 2:When you get something like ground beef, you can get the 93% fat free or you can get the 85% fat free.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your typical ground beef is going to be 80-20. Yeah, Although they do sell. I've seen as high as 97% lean. You'll notice when you're cooking with it, though it's much drier.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it really depends on your preference. If you're looking to keep it low fat, Obviously things like chicken and fish and shrimp are typically very low in fat. If you like seafood, a lot of the seafood protein sources are very low in fat.
Speaker 2:What about scallops?
Speaker 1:Scallops are very lean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, you make a good scallop.
Speaker 1:Thank you, but you know who makes the best scallop? Jeff Ruby's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jeff Ruby's Steakhouse man.
Speaker 1:Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Louisville and Nashville Shout out.
Speaker 2:I don't know if they've ever had them in Nashville while we've been there.
Speaker 1:The scallops. Yeah, no, I'm just saying Jeff Ruby's is in Nashville. Okay, yeah, I'm a big fan of filet mignon. I like to sous vide them and they're healthy, they're lean, they're high in protein, they're very delicious, so it's easy to get my protein that way. Obviously, eating lots of steak can add up on the old spreadsheet pretty quickly on the budget, so that's something you got to watch out for.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you have hungry men or teenage boys in your household, that gets expensive real quick. I go to a service called Wild Fork.
Speaker 1:That gets expensive real quick. I go to a service called Wild Fork. They deliver frozen meals, or frozen meat, I should say, and they have a particular product, that's just a smoked salmon fillet.
Speaker 2:Oh, those are good.
Speaker 1:And they're already cooked. So they come frozen. I'll just put a few in the fridge to thaw out. You just peel the pack and they're already cooked and you just eat the smoked salmon.
Speaker 2:And they're delicious.
Speaker 1:They're very, very tasty. They and they're delicious. They're very, very tasty. They stay good a long time. They're high in protein. They're high in what we'd call healthy fats Definitely something that you could check out. Obviously, the more protein you eat, though, the more expensive it's going to be, so you do have to take that into consideration.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's better than eating steaks all the time. Well, nicole, it was a pretty quick episode, but I think it was a good comprehensive look at protein, on what it is and what it does for us and why it's important. So I would just summarize by saying go out and eat more protein and drink more water.
Speaker 2:Sounds good.
Speaker 1:That's all for today's deep dive into protein. If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend and leave a review. We're always looking for more five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And until next time, be humble, be happy, be healthy. We'll see you next week.
