The Protein Overhaul

In this week's blog, Nicole discusses an experiment she's in the midst of - and the wild results she's seen thus far.

Earlier this year, I decided to partake in (what I thought would be) a brief experiment.

I say brief, because at the time, I was convinced it was a terrible idea – but for the sake of research, I needed to see what would happen if I removed the majority of my go-to sources of animal protein from my diet – including meat (beef, chicken, bison, turkey) and the grass-fed beef protein powder I consumed nearly every day. (I would still eat wild-caught fish 2-3x/week.)

At the same time, I would refrain from eating in between meals, to allow my body to fully complete digestion each and every time I ate.

This all came about while we were writing our book and closely examining client data pertaining to nutrition and bioavailability, specifically with regards to protein. What we were seeing in our research and confirmed in muscle testing was a stark contrast to current guidance and my own personal diet, and was showing time and time again that the body does not recognize protein in the way that we humans define it.

It's not about a blanket number of grams per day, from whatever sources we can get it from.

It’s about what the body can genuinely recognize, digest, process, and utilize as fuel.

And as I’ve been learning, the majority of what I had been consuming was not providing nearly the benefits that I’d thought.

I, like many in the wellness world, have been mindful of tracking my protein consumption throughout most of my adult life. Especially since I’m fairly active, I’ve known I need it for a variety of reasons – namely, to help my body maintain and build muscle mass. So like the health-minded rule follower I was, my diet was chock full of meat and protein powder (both as clean as I could find – pasture raised/grass-fed, minimal ingredients, etc.) in order to hit my daily quota of 130 grams of protein per day.

All the while, though, my body wasn’t able to utilize any of this properly.

But why?

Our research shows that since the 1960’s, an overhaul in ranching practices in the United States has resulted in significant changes to the food that we consume. While the initial goal was to be able to feed a growing population, the aftermath has meant that the hormone and pesticide-laden animals are largely unrecognizable to our bodies.

And that’s what it’s all about.

It’s never been about protein as we’ve been told. But instead, it’s about amino acids, the building blocks of protein – if, of course, our bodies are able to identify what they are.

Today’s meat supply in the US looks vastly different than in decades prior. In turn, we are not reaping the same benefits as compared to our ancestors, from an amino acid perspective, because our bodies have no clue what we are ingesting on a molecular level.

Same goes for powders, and supplements, and products that have been processed beyond recognition. Add to it the fact that these are dehydrated (aka, their water content is removed) and what we are seeing is that they will cause inflammation to the body by way of dehydrating us when consumed.

(Side note: we talk about this and much more in our book, which will soon be on Amazon in hardcopy!)

In our research and client cases, It’s clear that it all boils down to our enzymes. Humans were born with a specific number of enzymes to digest and process foods grown in nature. Growth-promoted meat and highly processed foods, sadly, don’t fit into that category. We have no enzymes to digest these properly, which means (a) extra effort is placed on our bodies to figure out what to do with them and (b) a significant decrease in the nutritional benefit we think we’re getting (if any.)

So cut to me drilling into this research last winter, full of skepticism and a bit of horror at the notion that we as a society could be so far off base. (Myself included.)

I lived in denial in the weeks following and tried to put the newfound knowledge in a separate compartment in my brain, but it didn’t take long for my curiosity to win out. I began researching athletes who were plant-based and digging into how their bodies functioned, especially during peak training times.

The data continued to pile up against traditional ways of protein loading, and for a diet rooted in whole, living foods that contained bioavailable amino acids. (Fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc.)

So one January day, I decided to rip off the band-aid and try another experiment. I was already a month into the no snacking challenge, so I figured – why not add another to my plate? (Pun partially intended.)

I assumed it would be temporary, and I assumed it would be tough – extremely tough – to remain as active as I was, without my biggest ‘protein’ sources as I had come to define them. But I told myself I would just try it out for a week for the purposes of research.

One week turned into two, which turned into a month.

I felt….great. Really great.

So I kept going, and am now at month 8 – and don’t envision going back to my old ways anytime soon.

Below are some of the notes I’ve taken along the way:

• Week 3: I thought I would be ravenously hungry, but it’s quite the opposite. Kind of weird.

• Week 4: Tons of energy, with some left over at the end of the day. No mid-afternoon slump, and I’m also not sore from HIIT yesterday. Hmmm.

• Week 6: Today’s Pilates class was brutal, but I realized halfway through that I was able to push myself harder and longer than I’d been able to previously. A coincidence?

• Week 8: Not a coincidence. I do feel stronger.

• Week 10: Definitely noticing more muscle definition.

• Week 13: Somebody asked me today if I missed meat, and the speed at which I said ‘no’ made us both laugh. And took me by surprise.

The notes tapered off at that point, because it was a lot of the same: I felt great, had consistent energy throughout the day, was seeing (and feeling) more muscle tone, and could push myself harder during workouts.

Then came the fun part: the testing.

Just recently, I had an assessment done, comparing my muscle mass at the end of 2024 to now.

A 30% increase.

12% due to not eating in between meals, and 18% due to changing my protein sources.

I am truly still in shock. But at the same time, I’m not surprised -  I feel SO good and it’s hard to deny the connection.

And now the question I get repeatedly: what am I eating?

• 90% of my diet is organic fruits and vegetables (not boring, very delicious, and I’m never hungry – my taste buds have done a 180 and this is now what my system craves)

• Fish 2-3x/week (wild)

• Legumes

• Duck eggs

• Rice

• Some nuts (pistachios and pumpkin seeds)

 >>>>> To end with my routine disclaimer: yes, I realize we are all bioindividual, unique beings with different preferences, diets, and lifestyles. While my goal here is not to try and convince you to change your diet, I simply cannot gatekeep the data (and my experience) any longer. It’s been that transformative, and feel the need to share with anybody curious about how food may or may not be impacting them – especially when it comes to athletic performance.