Something you hear often is that your body needs protein. But do you understand why you need it, where to get it, and what happens if you don’t have enough? It’s one of those things people understand they need but don’t often bother to look beyond that simple fact. So, let's dive deep and really understand protein and the Conscious Protein approach.
What Is Protein?
Protein is one of three macronutrients in the body that is necessary to sustain your life. Proteins are made up of amino acids and are considered the building blocks of muscle, and amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. While we think of a protein as a molecule, that molecule wouldn’t be possible without hundreds of smaller amino acids attached to each other in a chain.
Some of the amino acids that make protein can be made by the body naturally, but there are nine that cannot be made in the body. These are called essential amino acids and must be added to the body through food or a supplement. These essential amino acids are:
♦ Histidine
♦ Isoleucine
♦ Leucine
♦ Lysine
♦ Methionine
♦ Phenylalanine
♦ Threonine
♦ Tryptophan
♦ Valine
Why Is Protein Important?
Your body needs different types of proteins, as they have different functions. One of the big roles of protein is to build muscle mass. And we don’t mean big weightlifter muscles; we mean the muscles everyone needs for a healthy and well-functioning body. Protein provides you with calories and energy, and your body requires a lot of it (along with the other two macronutrients) to sustain life. You also need protein to fuel your metabolism and keep your immune system strong and healthy. Protein is also good at helping you feel satisfied when you eat.
You can see that protein has a lot of different roles to play in your body. Let’s take a look at their major functions.
♦ Antibody. Proteins like immunoglobulin act as antibodies and cling to foreign invaders to protect the rest of your body.
♦ Enzymes. The enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase is a protein that helps your body make new molecules and guides the chemical reactions that occur in many of your cells.
♦ Structural Component. The protein actin is critical for building muscle mass. Think about it, without these proteins; your body couldn’t move.
♦ Messenger. Your body is full of proteins, such as hormones (yes, hormones are proteins) that relay messages throughout your body. Who knew?
♦ Transport and Storage. Some proteins, like ferritin, work to move atoms and other molecules throughout your body.
Types of Protein
There are two important types of proteins: complete and incomplete. A complete protein is sometimes called a whole protein because it has all nine of the essential amino acids that the human body needs. It’s important to incorporate amino acids into our diet because we can’t make them, or we don’t make enough of them to sustain a healthy body.
Let’s look at some common animal-based complete proteins.
♦ Beef
♦ Pork
♦ Chicken
♦ Turkey
♦ Salmon
♦ Tuna
♦ Yogurt
♦ Cheese
♦ Eggs
♦ Milk
♦ Whey
It’s often assumed that vegetarians and vegans don’t get enough complete proteins because they don’t eat meat, but some plant proteins provide you with complete proteins.
♦ Quinoa
♦ Sacha Inchi
♦ Soybeans (which includes tofu, tempeh, and edamame)
♦ Yellow pea
♦ Amaranth
♦ Buckwheat
♦ Spirulina
♦ Hemp seeds
♦ Chia seeds
♦ Nutritional yeast
Interestingly, a few common pairings give you a vegan approach to complete proteins; they include rice and beans, pita and hummus, and a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain.
While those are the complete proteins, there are a lot more good sources of protein out there, but they don’t offer all nine of those essential amino acids. These are considered incomplete proteins, but they’re still great foods to add to your diet.
♦ Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
♦ Nuts
♦ Seeds
♦ Whole grains
♦ Vegetables
How Much Protein Do You Need Each Day?
It seems like there’s a lot of protein out there in the foods you eat, which is a great thing because to live your healthiest life and function at your body’s peak potential, you need protein—a lot of it. The general recommendation is that you eat 0.36 grams of protein per pound that you weigh, and you should attempt to have at least 10-35% of your calories come from protein. But that’s just the baseline. If you’re exercising regularly, then you need more protein. Some people with specific health problems should also be eating more protein.
If you’re looking to add more protein to your diet because you feel you’re not getting enough, the foods above are a fantastic way to do that. Still, if you don’t eat enough of these foods, then a protein supplement is an easy solution, and we think the Live Conscious™ approach is the best because it includes all of the essential amino acids and plant-based.
Live Conscious Proteins
To make our protein supplements, we turn to plant-based sources like sacha inchi seed, yellow pea, pumpkin seed, and brown rice. These proteins work beautifully together to fuel and nourish your body with the amino acids you might not be getting enough of through your food choices.
♦ Sacha Inchi Seed. Rich in amino acids and omega-3s
♦ Yellow Pea. One of the most complete plant proteins available
♦ Pumpkin Seed. Packed with nutritious amounts of proteins and minerals
♦ Brown Rice. Rounds out the others by bringing a healthy amount of methionine and other nutrients
Why Plant-Based Proteins?
We believe that plant-based proteins are the way to go. It’s an ethical approach that isn’t missing a thing. In fact, yellow pea protein contains all of those nine essential amino acids your body needs, but it benefits from a boost of methionine found in brown rice protein. What results is a fantastic protein supplement that gives you everything your body needs, and it does it in an ethical way that fits with a vegan lifestyle. It’s also great for people who simply want to have a more plant-based lifestyle.
Why Use Organic Plants for Protein
At Live Conscious™, our goal is to bring common sense back to the supplement world in a way that puts health first and still focuses on creating comprehensive products to balance your mind, body, and spirit. It’s pretty clear to us that many people want to be as healthy as possible, but they want to do it in a way that is good for them and the environment. That’s why our plant proteins are vegan and organic. We’re focused on creating natural products with the greatest potential to revolutionize your well-being.
Benefits of Using Protein Supplements
Protein supplements help you fill in nutritional gaps, so your body has enough protein to be healthy, strong, and function properly. But other than filling in gaps, why use a protein supplement?
♦ Weight Management. Protein promotes satiety, which means you feel full faster, which can help you manage your weight when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
♦ Muscle Gain. You don’t necessarily have to bulk up, but being stronger helps burn calories, increase strength, and can lead to a healthier life.
♦ Supports Immune System. Protein is a critical part of a healthy immune system, and we all know how important that is.
♦ Nutritional Needs. It can’t be stated strongly enough; your body needs protein to function. If you’re not getting it in your diet, you need to find it somewhere–supplements are simply an easy solution.
Delicious Conscious Protein Recipes
Conscious Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
1 cup frozen cauliflower, steam before freezing
½ frozen banana
½ cup assorted berries
1 tablespoon almond butter
1” fresh ginger root
⅓ cup nut milk
1 scoop Live Conscious™ Collagen Peptides
Instructions
1. Put all of your ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. If you don’t reach the consistency you want, adding a little more milk can thin the smoothie. If you're looking for a thicker consistency, start with only half of the milk, then add a little at a time until you get the right thickness.
Conscious Vegan Burger With Protein Powder Recipe
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
4 heaping scoops Live Conscious™ Protein Cosmic Cacao
½ cup corn
½ cup bell pepper, diced
½ cup red onion, diced
Juice of one lemon
⅓ cup flour
1 flax egg (or other egg replacement)
Salt, to taste
Instructions:
Bring one cup of water to boil and add the quinoa and garlic powder, and boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes.
While quinoa is cooking, prepare the corn, onion, and pepper. Mash the beans and incorporate the protein powder as you mash.
When quinoa is ready, add it to the beans with the onion, corn, and pepper. Add lemon juice. Stir well. Then incorporate the flour and your egg replacer and mix again. Add salt or other seasonings.
Divide into four patties and grill (or cook in the oven). Serve with your favorite condiments and other toppings.
Protein-Packed Conscious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
1 ½ cups oat flour
¼ cup Live Conscious Cosmic Cacao Protein Powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs (or your favorite egg substitute)
⅔ milk (dairy or coconut works great)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup honey (or maple syrup)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter (for less sugar, opt for almond butter and sunflower seed butter is a great nut-free alternative)
½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter and honey. Combine the wet ingredients. Incorporate the wet into the dry ingredients until just mixed, do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, do the toothpick test to make sure the batter is baked.
Waking up to Wellness
While Live Conscious™ is all about giving you great products that are packed with quality ingredients and designed to boost your health, we also want to give you a product you’ll want to take consistently. That’s why our protein offerings are so incredible.
Step into a world of Vanilla Dreams and Cosmic Cacao. That’s right, delicious chocolate and vanilla flavored protein powders will change the way you approach supplements. Want proof? Try any of these recipes, and you’ll see why our protein is the protein supplement you’re going to stick with.
