Protein withdrawals

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It's been about 5 days since I have had no protein in my diet, I know you all are shaking your head and wondering what the hell is wrong with me… trust me I am doing the same. As a yoga instructor, crossfitter, avid runner, and nutrition fanatic, I strive for balance. And sometimes the scale tips to one side or the other. I took on a cleanse challenge to support my yoga students in their journey, I definitely think it is a huge learning experience when eliminating foods from your diet and then reintegrating. It allows you to better understand how your body reacts to different macronutrients. I have done these type of things before but pre Nutritionize, so it has been an interesting week of re-emphasizing how important Nutritionize principles are. Being protein deprived and carb loaded, my brain has been foggy, and energy has been moderate, however I haven't done any intense workouts, only a few runs and yoga. I want to crash come night time and fortunately I sleep well. The reason I am experiencing these symptoms is because I lack the protein/glucagon necessary to illicit a balanced fuel exchange between blood stream and storage. Being carb loaded my body is storing and not the elevated insulin levels are not allowing storage fuel to be released back to the bloodstream resulting in my brain dumbness! I think the cleanse has been great for eliminating certain indulgences that were sneaking their way into my lifestyle but overall I have felt much lighter, leaner, and energized when eating balanced paleo meals. I do appreciate the unintentional experiment which validates the importance of managing insulin through proper macronutrient proportions, 1/3 protein + 2/3 carb + a sliver of fat. I'm looking forward to my normal breakfast of scrambled eggs and veggies next week!

Here is an interesting study on eggs: Eating eggs for breakfast helps reduce calorie consumption throughout the day by 18 percent.

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Ritu Riyat is an applied yoga and mindfulness expert. She equips her clients with tools to reconnect with their bodies, eliminate stress, and make more informed decisions about their health and well being.

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3 thoughts on “Protein withdrawals

  1. May 17, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    My friend tried eliminating protein on her diet and she almost collapsed when she did her regular gym routine, lol :) she needs it badly.

  2. December 2, 2010 at 4:35 am

    Not having protein in your diet? Most people in the western world don’t have enough protein in their diets to start of with so restricting the building blocks of life makes no sense.

  3. November 26, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Yay for EGGS!! Thanks for going protein free and writing about it so we won’t have to.

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