OPTIMIZE YOUR BODY COMPOSITION

with this underrated (& unspoken) protein hack

your 2 eggs on toast, smashed avo or hummus sadly doesn’t cut it here

protein supports lean body mass, fullness & satiety, lowering cravings, blood sugar control & given the right food selection it can definitely support health down the line

(aka limiting saturated fat, especially from animal products, including butter)

MANY women in particular can think they eat a lot of protein but end a day with 60-80g! most

While 1.8g/kg is the minimum id recommend with 2.2g/kg being the better target to aim for…

Studies show that body composition, fat loss & building muscle can only be enhanced with even up to 3.5g/kg (there are situations where this is less than optimal like if you sacrifice carbs for energy & performance JUST to top out protein)

First, some heart break

If your idea of protein includes an egg or 2 with breakfast, or an afternoon protein bar …carrots with hummus/nuts or a chia seed pudding, NONE of these are good protein sources

2 eggs (even with high protein toast)

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat

BUUUT it only gives 12g protein with 11g fat and 150 calories

Cheese also goes here as its mostly calories from fat

“protein chocolate, cereals” or “high protein muesli bars”

I mean if you prefer that one great, otherwise you’re just paying extra money for overpriced hype that isn’t even *high* in protein. Being 5, 7 or 10g of protein VS 2-5g in the ordinary version, doesn’t make it high protein

Protein balls & bars

BALLS are probably the worst invention and lie in the high protein hEaLtH & fitness market

 and Vegan ones are usually worse. They are typically very high in calories fat in carbs more than the actual protein grams.

Theyre really just candy

Bars tend to fare better but with the calories they have that could be better spent on more enjoyable nutrient dense food, they really aren’t better filling for their high calories.

For the above, if it has 20g+ protein for <205 calories, its an okay option.

Peanut butter is high in fat and energy dense

155cal per serve

5g protein

15g fat

Even legumes which on their own, these are NOT enough as a protein source.

they’re ~60% carbs… adding them alongside other protein sources like tofu etc… can improve the ratio

Even a single serve of tuna or Greek yoghurt!!

(#4 in my tips later will be a welcome surprise! Especially if you want to enjoy your chocolate or icecream every night)

^^ now these in themselves aren’t low protein food, but if it was the only protein in a meal.. it just wont cut it as most meals should be shooting for the 30g+ (especially if you are 40yo+)

Luckily there are simple solutions

here are 4 ways to approach optimizing for the body you want & MAXIMIZING your results

FAT LOSS or MUSCLE BUILDING

[1] LEARN THE BEST SOURCES

A+ tier

Eggwhites, chicken/turkey breast, ground/mince beef 95%+, protein powder, tuna & white fish, shrimp, Mycoprotein (found in vegan products)

B+ tier

Skim milk, nonfat cheeses/Greek yoghurts/cottage cheese, tofu, 93%+ meats, SOME pre made protein shakes, QUORN (plant based)

Eggs, Salmon & fatty fish are highly nutritious protein sources (like eggs) but per 100g have 122cals fat: 84 cals from protein (20-21g protein)

[2] PLAN AHEAD – & actually prep some COMPONENTS of this

You can plan in easy protein snacks and work around lower tier protein

A way I also do this for daily + extra for emergency plans, I bag up 150g of raw chicken breast in the freezer, stock up on extra tuna, tinned lower fat salmon & sardines

When cooking dinner, make for the next days lunch – or even cook for 3-5 extra meals

Prep a bunch of chicken & fridge it for 3-4 days

I do 7 days at a time personally, fridge 4, freeze 3

[3] UP the amount you use in each meal or protein stack!

Eggs + eggwhites (+CC) bonus the veg

[4] BULK UP YOUR MEALS and stop snacking OTHERWISE eat better snacks

 I prefer 4-5 meals with an optional snack.

Some options – FF Greek yoghurt/cottage cheese + whatever, homemade smoothie/shake with something, beef jerky, hard boiled eggwhites & egg

Ps. Many protein bars are candy bars in disguise.

[5} meal ideas for PHYSIQUE & PERFORMANCE OPTIMISATION

Egg + eggwhites as a base; omelette, frittata, egg white muffins + toss in veg

Pancakes/waffles/mugcakes/brownies; protein powder + eggwhites + an egg as a base. Add in banana/apple puree (go babyfood for no added nasties), add in grated zucchini or mashed pumpkin for brownies or even oats!

“Bolognese” sauce (vegans can use lentils/quorn/tvp); pasta sauce + veggies + lean meat. Some stock or tomato paste for added flavour. Herbs, spices..

You can even eat as is, or add to potato, pumpkin, stuffed eggplants, mushrooms or bell peppers…

Or add to pasta or rice!

Burrito bowls! Easy to turn plant based. For lower cals, go cauli rice or a 50:50 blend

Smoothies (comment PROTEIN if you want my free PDF of multi protein flavours, make sure youre following @transformxruby to get it)

Yoghurt bowls!

FF Greek yoghurt (you can mix with FF cottage cheese for more volume and texture) + protein powder; add fruit for sweetness, diet jello optional, cocoa powder for extra chocolate, pb powder

You can add cereal/rice cakes/crackers/chocolate where they fit in your macros

BULK UP THOSE MEALS and then you can have your icecream + fruit & chocolate dessert without guilt over missing protein

Gut health, are you sabotaging your progress and health?

Gut health, are you sabotaging your progress and health?if you don’t have a healthy gut or digestion, its going to make a lot harder to achieve whatever goal you’re working towards

Healthy gut and digestion
Energy and performance

gut health can really slow you down or boost you forward making things easier like sticking to your diet your consistency your energy and your mood it’s the hardest thing to stay consistent with the gym with meal prep with anything else if you’re just constantly fatigued low energy you feel like crap
You arent what you eat but what you absorb
EVERY system in your body gets impacted when you reduce the energy (calories) in;
it’s a stress on the body which slows down digestion. over time it compounds….

undereating, underfueling & irregular or infrequent meal schedules impact your gut & digestion
Hormones, stomach acid & enzymes you need for a healthy gut are decreased = slow motility = bloating, gas, constipation.
food sits in your small and large intestine for longer gas can accumulate
You can be overeating but underfueling
Digestive muscles weaken; used to little to no food in your system so when you do eat that food or overeat… its like training any other muscle
This is where many fear “eat more/reverse”. It can also take time for digestive enzymes to upregulate
Stress
the brain has a direct effect on your stomach and intestines
When you feel ANY stress your fight or flight response = slow down or stop digestion

Ignoring your mindset/mental state is a massive disservice to yourself. You’ll try so many things & they won’t work as they should..

No “intervention” will work if you’re suffering from a lot of stress/anxiety & not managing it at all.

Remember dieting, over- exercising & malnourishment are stressors too

There’s so many supps, diets & “hacks” – people saying “Don’t eat this”, “you need THIS 1 THING” or you have to supplement this for good gut health – No mention of how stress impacts things

Overall food quality
Undernourishing/fuelling your body, AVOIDING CARBS, eating too many processed foods or fried foods = unhappy gut

Things like B-vitamins, Vid D, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc, Magnesium, CoQ10, Iron, Calcium…

BUT you aren’t what you eat but what you absorb, meaning if you have poor gut health… you cant absorb them from what you DO eat

It’s NOT as simple as ONE food, ONE supplement that’ll make or break your gut health. We are humans; we don’t eat or drink things in isolation

Aim for: Foods closest to their whole form for 80-90% of your diet. Food that feeds good gut bacteria.
Wholegrains, resistant starch, legumes, fruit & veg…

BUT – too much fibre OR raw veg can be just as bad

no one food is going to make or break your diet or your gut health, look as your diet as a whole and your LIFESTYLE as a whole
Its not about AVOIDING the ultra processed food but limiting it…

Drinking more water!
its for every function in your body! Any % of dehydration impacts your gut
in the intestines water is what helps the absorption of soluble nutrients into your blood
It helps breaks down fats into smaller droplets making them easier to digest and absorb so you can actually get the most nutrients out of it
SALIVA!!! – is your mouth dry?
Digestive enzymes
Certain forms of fibre NEED water
Water also makes stool softer, which helps prevent constipation.
You wake up dehydrated so it IS important to hydrate
COFFEE DOES NOT dehydrate you, so that counts… but have both
Habit stack your water with other habits
** insert the graph of most hydrating drinks
Drink water with meals

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• your sleep, hormones…

Things that help your gut health also benefit other areas in your life as well as enhancing your physique
daily movement; ie standing versus sitting during your day, how much walking/steps you do, strength training….helps digestion and even just a healthy gut microbiota
Motility
Stimulates muscles in the GI tract; constipation bloating poor digestion it helps nutrient absorption
Improves blood flow when you walk so it helps digestion
Walking after a meal helps especially with nutrient absorption & blood sugar
Those who lift weights have a more robust and diverse microbiome compared to more sedentary people
meal hygiene
eating immediately post workout

• or any stressed state.
  Get your body into a relaxed state before you eat because mental stress and physical stress both impact digestion

Pro biotics & pre biotics
probiotics are a combination of live beneficial bacteria
Think fibre – wholegrains, resistant starch, veg, fruits, whole food.
Sleep
Gut microbiome & has its own circadian rhythm
INDIRECTLY; appetite, hunger, cravings which the outcome then are choices which impact gut health. Increased stress perception & decreased tolerance & emotional regulation
DIRECTLY; its a stress on the body – impacts digestion, gut health, slow motility. Negatively impacts gut bacteria, increases insulin resistance/blood sugar regulation,

• lacking sleep means less recovery and and increase base level of stress on the body
• it likes I’m guessing consistency not massive Changes day to Day
  have a regular eating
  regular consistent you’re not changing the time that you eat every single day you’re not having one big meal one day and three meals the next day
  prime your digestive system to be prepared what to expect at what time intervals
  Fibre IS important but dont eat too much in one meal
• some people CAN benefit from more fibre… but it can make other things worse

Extras: anti-biotics; only use them when really neccessary & when you do, make sure you do the “after-diet care” for it
Alcohol; too much → dysbiosis