As Chinese medicine practitioners we are always concerned about the amount of protein a patient is consuming each day, especially if they are trying to conceive. As a rule of thumb, a person should consume up 1/2 gram of protein per body weight, some sources say that should be up a pound.
Protein powder provides a great option. Each year that passes, protein powders offer more and more variety. Because of the potential for lactose intolerance in anyone, we tend suggest avoiding soy, not to mention that most of soy in this country is GMO. Whey, although not dairy free, has very little dairy so most people do just fine with it. In the last decade, pea, hemp and rice protein have become very popular. If you are sensitive to grains, you probably want to avoid rice protein powder, it also tends to be a little gritty. Most people don’t enjoy pea protein either, because it has a little bit of an odd taste. Lastly, Hemp has a significantly less protein than any of the others.
The newcomers to the protein powder options are pumpkin seed and, of course, the extremely popular collagen. Collagen is not vegetarian since it comes from bovine. It is a primary building block of your body’s skin, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, and other connective tissues. It is truly a powerhouse!
Tao to Wellness Smoothie
2 Scoops of Protein Powder
1/2 Frozen Banana
3/4 Cup of Frozen Broccoli
1 1/2 Cups of a Plant Based Milk
1 teaspoon of Maca Powder
1 teaspoon of Raw Cacao Powder
1 Chopped Apple or 1 teaspoon of Honey
Blend in a Vitamix or Ninja and enjoy!
