The official Dietitian for the UTF Podcast joins the show to talk about two subjects that we hear about often - Caffeine and Protein

There is so much knowledge inside Suzanne Himka’s brain and we are very lucky to have her share her years of experience and expertise with us. There is a ton of great information inside the podcast with Suzanne so please listen to the show and subscribe in iTunes.

Here are some of the things we learned while talking with Suzanne:

Protein -

How much protein should you have on a daily basis? As Americans we’re having too much protein and that extra protein is being turned into fat and can also lead to kidney problems. As a rule, a person should consume half of their body weight, in grams, of protein per day. So that means if a male weighs 180 pounds he should eat about 90 grams of protein per day and if a woman weighs 130 pounds she should eat 65 grams of protein per day.

When and how often should you eat protein? Suzanne suggests eating protein with every meal and recommends protein during breakfast as it will help keep your insulin at healthy levels. You don’t have to have a lot of protein but shoot for a small serving 6 times per day.

What types of protein are there? There are 3 types of protein:

1. Animal Protein (meat) – Chicken, Beef, Fish etc.
2. Plant Protein – Beans, Legumes, Chia Seeds etc.
3. Nuts – Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts etc.

Just like most things with health and fitness balance is the goal. Too much protein is bad and too little can have negative effects as well. If you’re really concerned about your protein intake we recommend discussing it with your health care professional.

Caffeine –

How does Caffeine work? During our talk with Suzanne we learned some amazing things about caffeine and some of the negative effects it has on us. Contrary to my belief caffeine isn’t this magical substance that gives me more energy… What it actually does is block receptors in the brain from receiving signals that you’re tired. A compound called adenosine is partly responsible for making you tired and caffeine looks identical to your body. What happens is; caffeine takes the place of adenosine and keeps you from feeling tired, but at the same time adenosine is building up so when the caffeine wears off there is a sudden rush of adenosine giving you that crash you feel hours after a caffeinated drink.

How much caffeine should you drink? Caffeine stays inside your body for a long time and can affect you getting to REM sleep. For this reason, it’s probably not the best idea to drink caffeine that much and the amount should be relatively low. A cup of tea a day should be ok but much more than that can cause problems. Also going back to that REM sleep… Sleep is so important for us to stay in balance and lead a healthy life so the fact that caffeine disrupts us from getting the rest we need should really be a major factor to consider when thinking about drinking caffeine.

Finally – Knowing that caffeine doesn’t actually give you more energy but rather keeps you from getting the proper rest you need means that if you quit caffeine you’ll actually have more energy as you will be resting more!   

We would like to thank Suzanne for joining us and if you would like to learn more please feel free to contact her here: SuzanneHimka.com

Email: [email protected] Twitter: @undertenfitness Facebook: undertenfitness Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith