He's never gonna get it...

So this morning my husband's running out the door with an apple and two lowfat blueberry muffins, and I asked him what he was going to have for a protein - he replies that he just had some orange juice...are you kidding me??? Does he really think orange juice is protein? We've been together for 35 years and he still thinks this way - unbelievable! But just in case some of you might think the same way, here is a short lesson. Carbohydrates are all of your fruits, vegetables, breads, most of your snack foods, desserts - fruits and vegetables have no fat, and most everything else has a little to a lot of fat. Proteins are all of your meats, eggs, and dairy (although dairy usually involves some fat and can have carbohydrates, like yogurt for example). If you only have carbohydrates for a meal, you will be hungry again almost immediately - they are easily digested, and if not used quickly (say, before exercising) will be stored for energy to be used later, and the excess stored as fat. It is important to include some protein with every carbohydrate meal to help slow the digestive process and control your hunger and blood sugar; fat will also do this, but doesn't have the power of protein and most often has a lot of extra calories. You really, really want to have protein in the morning - it is your "wake up" food - it keeps you alert and fueled for a long time; and you want more protein at lunch to keep you alert during those boring afternoon meetings. You don't need as much protein at night - doesn't take much to watch American Idol and you don't want your metabolism all stirred up - a dinner that is heavier on the carbohydrates and lighter on the protein will help you sleep better at night. All this said, if you wake up in the morning and want something in your stomach before you head out for a workout, all you want is a little carbohydrate because it is so easy and quick to digest, and you can immediately use it for energy. You don't want fat or protein then because it will sit in your stomach and yell at you. Immediately after a workout you will again want carbohydrates to refuel your muscles, but include protein to build them back up again and get you ready for the next one. If you only have carbohydrates, the only thing you will want to do is go back home and get in bed. Who wants to start their day like that? Thought so...M.