Trim Healthy Guide to our Protein Products!
From Serene and Pearl: Why the Nerdy Protein Focus?
At Trim Healthy Mama, we are protein-focused for a good reason – we want to help you obtain a burning body… one that burns food rather than stores it. You can’t do that without ample protein of the right kind. We created our unique protein powders and supplements because, after the age of 30, we all begin to lose our precious lean body mass. After the age of 40, we enter into more challenging hormonal seasons, and that loss accelerates. To combat this loss, we need four 25-gram fuelings of protein a day that includes a 2-3 gram bolus of leucine, the amino acid muscle boss! If we miss out on complete protein in our meals and snacks and we don’t get enough leucine, our lean body mass breaks down. That results in a lower metabolism because lean body mass is what burns food! It’s so important to keep that in mind… YOUR LEAN MUSCLE IS WHAT BURNS YOUR FOOD! Yes, it is possible to get all our protein needs from whole foods, and we still include plenty of whole-food protein sources, but supplementing just makes life easier.
In this article, we’ll cover how to use our Optimized Proteins to suit your preferences or needs; however, for those who prefer, we still carry our original (unoptimized) Pristine Whey Protein and our original Integral Collagen. We are still fiercely proud of these products, and they’re likely to remain some of our most popular items. Integral Collagen is still fantastic for hair, skin, gut, nails, and the immune system. It is just important to know that it is not a complete protein so it cannot fuel your lean body mass. You’ll need to include another complete protein source in your meal for your full protein needs. Perhaps you are sensitive to the natural sweetener used in our Optimized Whey, or you simply prefer our original Pristine Whey Protein; you can get a 2-gram leucine bolus per four-tablespoon serving, and ⅓ cup provides you with a full 3-gram bolus. Also, two tablespoons of our original Pristine Whey can be added to ESSENTIAL for a very intense workout recovery drink. The added whey gives an extended-release window for muscle recovery.
Now, let’s discuss the new Optimized Proteins, Optimized Collagen, Optimized Whey, Optimized Plant Protein, and ESSENTIAL. All are unique, and all have beneficial qualities. You can use them together or separately. They mix and match well or you can find your most suitable favorites for your own needs or preferences. Having more than less of the protein options on hand doesn’t necessarily cost you more money in the end. They last longer when used along with others. We personally use most of them daily and love all their amazing benefits, along with our important whole food proteins.
ESSENTIAL – When it comes to post-workout, if budget is your primary concern, then ESSENTIAL would be the preferred source of single supplementation. It has a 3-gram bolus of leucine in just one tablespoon serving plus a complete amino acid profile. It also has the fastest uptake into your muscles. ESSENTIAL is easily mixed into water or any other beverage (although its citrus flavor does not match coffee) and can be used as a full protein for any meal or used in a half serving for any meal without enough protein (remember that is 25 grams). It can also be taken between meals or before bed to aid repairs in the body and to sustain lean body mass. Note – ESSENTIAL is very low in calories, so you may get hungry sooner if you use it as your full protein for your meal. ESSENTIAL is naturally dairy-free and sourced from plants. Research shows that free-form EAAs with a certain leucine bolus greatly increase the bioavailability of protein.
Due to its higher bio-availability from the added free-form amino acids, you can log ESSENTIAL as 30 grams of protein for a complete serving and 15 grams for a half serving. See here for recipes.
Optimized Collagen – This is the cleanest of collagen sources boosted with missing amino acids to make it a complete protein. It also contains added leucine and other branch-chain amino acids, plus a special kind of glutamine to aid in full body hydration plus lean muscle fueling and recovery. Regular collagen does not fuel lean body mass, so this is why Optimized Collagen is much more versatile; not only does it aid in skin, hair, nails, and gut health, but it is perfect to use as your complete meal protein through a whole serving, or if you already have food protein in your meal but not quite enough, you can use a generous half serving. It dissolves well into hot or iced coffee or can be used in shakes or smoothies or even in other drink recipes such as Good Girl Moonshine. Some love the taste of Optimized Collagen in coffee, while others are sensitive to the flavor that the added supplements bring. Adding two to three teaspoons of Gentle Sweet plus a dash of Natural Burst Maple Extract to coffee or tea easily disguises the taste of these additional but beneficial ingredients. It also pairs well with kefir if you add flavoring and sweetener. Mixing it in one cup of kefir takes the leucine bolus over 3 grams. One serving of Optimized Collagen alone has 2.4 grams, which is excellent for any meal or snack, but if using it after a workout, you want to get a 3-gram leucine bolus, and you can do this easily by pairing it with kefir. If preferred, you can enjoy half servings each of Optimized Collagen with half servings of Optimized Whey or Optimized Plant proteins in your shakes, smoothies, or coffee to receive the unique benefits of each if desired. Optimized Collagen is naturally dairy-free and sourced from pasture-raised cows. Research shows that free-form EAAs with a certain leucine bolus greatly increase the bioavailability of protein. Due to its higher bio-availability from the added free-form amino acids, you can log it as 25 grams of protein for a complete serving and 15 grams for a generous half serving. See here for recipes.
Optimized Plant Protein (OPP) – This is a fantastic dairy-free protein source that can be used for oatmeal, quinoa, yogurt, and kefir bowls. It can also be your protein powder for shakes and smoothies if you’d rather not use the other kinds we offer. Most plant proteins do not provide the necessary amount of leucine to fuel your lean body mass. Remember, a minimum of 2 grams of leucine is required in a meal or snack; otherwise, your body will start breaking down its precious muscle. It is very difficult to find a plant protein that provides this amount. The only one that does, aside from our Optimized Plant Protein, is hydrolyzed pea protein, but it takes a full ⅓ cup to get to just 2 grams of leucine. OPP provides you with 3 grams of leucine in just three tablespoons through its optimized amino acid profile. We love using it as a lovely liquid nest for our oatmeal. This nested oatmeal revs our morning with ample protein and provides powerful anti-inflammatory benefits through the hemp protein. You put three tablespoons of OPP in the bottom of your breakfast bowl, add two tablespoons of water, three tablespoons of unsweetened nut milk, and a doonk of stevia. Stir with a fork. Add cooked oatmeal, top with generous cinnamon, Gentle Sweet, and your fave toppings like blueberries, goji berries, cacao nibs, and nut butter. Don’t stir… your oatmeal will taste like great oatmeal, and you will not be bothered by any hempy taste. Best oatmeal ever!!!! If making smoothies and shakes with it, you can use it as your chief protein, or you can use half servings each of Optimized Plant Protein with Optimized Collagen to get added skin, gut, and hair benefits and still remain dairy-free. If you are not sensitive to whey, adding a tablespoon of Optimized Whey makes a smoothie or shake even better! Research shows that free-form EAAs with a certain leucine bolus greatly increase the bioavailability of protein. Due to its higher bio-availability from the added free-form amino acids, you can log it as 30 grams of protein for a complete serving and 15 grams for a half serving. See here for recipes.
Optimized Whey Protein – Infused with greater amounts of leucine and glycine than regular whey and sweetened and flavored up to extreme deliciousness, our Optimized Whey Protein provides you with more bio-available protein for less amount in a serving. As some women age, they sometimes find they don’t do as well with regular whey protein outside of workout fueling. This is because they lose their clean, lean muscles as their hormones decline, so their muscles do not open to insulin as well. The added free-form amino acids in Optimized Whey take the protein more directly into muscle cells so it doesn’t hang around in the bloodstream, causing trouble. Therefore, you can enjoy smoothies or shakes made with Optimized Whey at any time, not just after a workout. It takes ⅓ of a cup of regular whey protein to achieve 3 grams of leucine. Our Optimized Whey provides you with this much in just four tablespoons. Therefore, it can be a fantastic post-workout fuel if you like drinking a protein smoothie after your workout. Or if you love a smoothie for breakfast or lunch, there’s nothing yummier than making it with our Optimized Whey flavors. The chocolate flavor works fantastically as chocolate milk. If you do not have any food protein in your meal, you can use the full four-tablespoon serving amount with 8-12 ounces of your choice of unsweetened nut milk. You can also throw in a half serving of Optimized Collagen if you want more benefits for your skin, hair, nails, and gut. Or if you do have protein in your meal or snack, but not quite enough, you can add a delicious side of chocolate milk to your meal using just two tablespoons Chocolate Optimized Whey plus an added pinch of salt and ½ tablespoon each of Gentle, Sweet and cocoa or cacao powder. Blend and enjoy. Optimized Whey is also fantastic in yogurt bowls. A cup of yogurt does not have quite enough protein or leucine to fuel your protein needs efficiently for a full meal or snack. It only contains 20 grams of protein and not quite 2 grams of leucine. We’ll repeat again that you need 25 grams of protein and 2 – 3 grams of leucine to fuel your lean body mass properly. The answer is to mix in two tablespoons of any flavor of Optimized Whey Protein to ½ – 1 cup of yogurt, add your favorite toppings such as berries, fruit, or nuts, and you have a quick and delicious meal or snack. Optimized Whey also works well in kefir. It can be mixed and matched with Optimized Collagen in coffee or made into yummy protein balls etc. Research shows that free-form EAAs with a certain leucine bolus greatly increase the bioavailability of protein. Due to its higher bio-availability from the added free-form amino acids, you can log it as 30 grams of protein for a complete serving and 15 grams for a half serving. See here for recipes.