Best Type of Protein Powder, Better Body Brushing, Problematic Antibacterial Soap, Golden Parmesan

Lightbulbs & Pearles | 017

Oct 25, 2024

Protein Powders—Pea, Whey, or Collagen: Which is Best?

Strong muscles are one key to a long health span, but building and maintaining them is a challenge that increases with every passing decade. Even though I have weight trained regularly for the past two decades, in the last handful of years, I have seen a very gradual (and discouraging) decrease in my strength and muscle appearance.

Intuitively I knew I needed to do two things. Number one, increase the weight I was lifting; number two, increase my protein intake, which is critical to enabling muscle protein synthesis (MPS). It’s a dilemma because I can only eat so much…so the logical adjunct is protein powders. The hunt was on! But the more I looked, the more I tied myself in knots with the decision of what kind is best. I settled on a pea protein that I add to soups and a whey isolate that I use to make kefir shakes.

Now a recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms those decisions.

For starters, the study finds that the current recommended daily allowance of protein for older adults is most likely low for maintaining, let alone building, muscle. It also confirms that increasing protein consumption improves MPS, even without physical exercise. However, the main focus of this age-related study was my original dilemma: which powder supplement is best for MPS? Pea, whey, or collagen?

This topic is hotly debated between the plant-based leaning camp and the animal protein community. I’ve also wondered about it, as I am in the pescatarian middle. Wonder no more. The study concluded that high-quality, isolated pea protein and whey protein performed nearly precisely the same to boost MPS, while collagen did nothing to move the needle. (Just to play devil's advocate for collagen, the most popular use for it is for joints, tendons, and skin, so I’m not surprised it didn’t have an effect on muscles.)

It’s important to note that the powders were consumed at breakfast and lunch when most people have a lower protein intake. Also, the whey powder is protein “isolate,” which means it is generally lower in lactose and fat, making it more bioavailable. When looking for a product, less is more. The ingredient list should be fairly short, with no fillers or artificial ingredients, and organic, grass-fed, happy cows free from hormones.

Either way, you can be confident that both sources are great ways to feed your muscles the much-needed protein.

Better Brushing Boosts Immunity

As you may remember from Dry Brushing Devotee, I have been very devoted to face and body dry brushing for several years. There are two main reasons why. First, I can honestly say that whisking away dead skin cells has led to the smoothest skin I have ever had. (It banished the KP—keratosis pilaris, the little bumps of “chicken skin”— that had embarrassed me for decades.) Second, I firmly believe that it has been essential in boosting my immunity to colds and flu by stimulating the lymphatic system, our body's natural waste evacuator and immunity defense mechanism.

With cold and flu season upon us, I wanted to pass on a new piece of brushing information that I found really interesting. The conventional wisdom for a brushing routine is to start first with the distal areas—the parts of the body furthest from the heart, such as the feet and hands—and to brush your way up toward the center of the body with long upward strokes. The reasoning is that the distal areas are the most sluggish part of the circulatory system, hence where the lymphatic fluids collect and pool.

However, I recently came across an interesting twist that made a lot of sense to me. The recommendation was first to stimulate a midway point, such as the leg's calf or lower thigh region, to break up any potential blockages, then go to the distal end. This was a lightbulb moment. I pictured a pipe with an obstruction and fluid trying to pass through. Of course, with enough pressure, the fluid may be able to push any impediment out, but it logically seems more efficient if the obstruction wasn’t there in the first place.

Now, while most of my routine is the same, I lightly brush the calf and knees before moving to my feet and beginning those upward strokes in earnest.

If you haven’t tried dry brushing yet, winter is a great time to do it for health and beauty!

Skip Antibacterial Soap

Speaking of cold and flu season, I know that many people use antibacterial soaps (and those gawdawful hand sanitizers), thinking they are necessary to help prevent the spread of viruses. However, this isn’t the case and may, in fact, do more harm than good.

I stopped purchasing these products when I was trying to get pregnant 20 years ago because I didn’t like the idea of washing my hands with chemicals. I thought they would only strengthen bacteria, which turned out to be true.

But the dangers extend beyond creating resistant superbugs. The harsh antimicrobial chemicals aren’t selective about which bacteria they kill, so our skin’s good protective bacteria are decimated as well. This does not bode well for our overall health and could make infections resistant to antibiotics.

It is now widely accepted in the health industry that regular hand washing with good old-fashioned plain soap and water is as effective in killing germs as chemicals. Scrubbing soap into a lather picks up the bad germs, and rinsing washes them away.

For the healthiest clean, I suggest opting for a vegetable-based, hypoallergenic castile soap that is fragrance and dye-free.

Go for the Gold: Parmigiano Reggiano

I am a very simple eater. My breakfast is typically a handful of sprouted nuts and two or three eggs, either scrambled or boiled. Then, mid-morning, I’ll have a chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano. Yup. Parmesan cheese. All by itself. Surprised? You may be thinking that’s a little odd, but let me explain.

I’ve always loved all kinds of cheese, but I knew that cheese can be very mucus-forming, which isn’t good for immunity. Plus, I had little bumps under the skin around my chin, which indicates congestion. My concern was compounded by the hormones and antibiotics in the milk most cheese is made from; it was a bit of a minefield. I decided to tamp down my beloved cheese intake to zero.

Then, one day, in my quest to increase my calcium intake, I was reading about the whopping 400 mg of calcium (40% of RDA) in a one-inch cube of parmesan, and I was convinced to make an exception to my rule. But it couldn’t be just any parmesan; it also needed to check a few boxes, such as grass-fed milk and free from hormones and antibiotics.

As my husband is from Italy, I knew the very best—the only parmesan cheese as far as Italians are concerned—is authentic Parmigiano Reggiano from the Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna regions of Italy. With 1,000 years of tradition and a governing consortium, “Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano,” tasked with the defense and protection of the Designation of Stamp debossed on the cheese rind that safeguards authenticity, they pride themselves on being the inimitable gold standard of parmesan.

What makes it so unique? First and foremost is the deep, mellow taste and perfect texture. But here is the clincher: this is a rare raw milk cheese, which means it is more easily digested and nutritionally available than pasteurized cheese. (People who are lactose intolerant can often consume raw milk products without problems.) All of the certified dairy farms in the consortium meet rigorous standards for animal husbandry; the diverse herds of cattle graze in picturesque pastures and feed on “locally grown forage that complies with the norms of a strict specification that bans the use of silage, fermented feeds, and animal flour.”

You don't know what you're missing if you haven’t tried authentic Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s a staple in our house; my husband and son won’t eat anything else. Granted, in most stores, the cost may be prohibitive, but—comparatively speaking—Trader Joe's sells the real deal with the consortium rind stamp of authenticity at a very affordable price.

Buon appetito!