Since the weight management webinar earlier this month, I’ve been taking care to follow my own advice (shocking idea, I know!) and make sure I get enough protein.  Truthfully, it hasn’t been easy as I spend much of the day chasing my 10-month old son who has a fascination for all things hazardous around the house and it’s easy to forget to feed myself regularly.  So, after committing to eat enough protein, I dug my bottle of Marilyn Farms Protein Power out of the cabinet and at least once (sometimes twice if I need it) per day have started drinking a scoop or two mixed into a glass of diluted pomegranate to help boost my protein intake.  In researching whey protein I came across some interesting benefits, which I wanted to share with you.  Enjoy!

• Whey protein contains a type of amino acid called “branched chain amino acids” that specifically build and repair muscle tissue, which makes it especially beneficial after a workout.
• The amino acids in whey are required to help the body generate glutathione, which is one of the most (if not the most) potent and important antioxidants in the body.
• Since it is from an animal source, whey contains important immune compounds that boost our immune function.
• Whey protein contains many of the same compounds found in human breast milk, which is why it is commonly used in infant formula.  This makes it an excellent protein supplement for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who aren’t getting enough protein in their regular diet.

Whey protein is one of the richest sources of leucine, an essential (meaning the body can’t make it) amino acid that has been linked to improving body composition by helping the body to increase muscle levels and burn body fat.

In late December Marilyn Farms held our first Ask the Nutritionist Webinar with Jessica Forbes, MS CCN.  We had many great questions on a variety of topics including food allergies, blood type diets, bone health, saturated fats, and cholesterol just to name a few.

If you weren’t able to join us live in December, or if you did join us and want to review the information again, you now have the opportunity to download the webinar file and listen to our hour long session of questions and answers. We know you’ll find Ask the Nutritionist chocked full of amazing bits of education and knowledge to help you take continued steps in your journey for health.

Happy listening!

2008-12-20 Ask the Nutritionist.mp3

We had a great “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar on Saturday – thanks to all who participated!  For the next few weeks, I will use this blog as a forum to answer the questions that we were unable to answer during the 1-hour session.  Enjoy!

Q: Sometimes when I feel like I’m getting sick I exercise, and I start feeling better.  Why is that?

A: Exercise causes lymph (a mixture of immune cells and body fluids) to be circulated through your body, which causes filtration and detoxification of the lymph.  This filtration of the lymph may help your immune system to clear infections faster, and allow you to have more resistance to sickness.  One type of exercise that is especially helpful for filtering lymph is rebounding (jumping on a small trampoline).

Q: Which Marilyn Farms supplements could I take for constipation?

A: Either of our fiber products (Essential Fiber or Essential Fiber – Psyllium free) may be helpful for adding bulk.  Colon Cleanse capsules are useful for short-term relief from constipation during times such as travel or cleansing but should not be used long-term because the colon can become dependent on it as it would with any other herbal stimulant laxative.  Mag Calm is a pure magnesium supplement which can relax the colon and allow bowel movements, and any of our Vitamin C formulas (Vitamin C 1000, Fruit Chewable C, or Vitamin C Powder) can help to draw water into the colon, which will encourage a bowel movement.  For dosage info, please refer to each product’s package.

Q: What are nutritional ways to remedy dry skin in the winter?

A: One of the best ways to keep skin healthy through the winter is to eat enough healthy fats to keep skin moist.  Include plenty of healthy fat-rich foods such as fish, grass-fed meat, Ghee, organic butter, coconut, avocado, raw nuts, olives, olive oil, and cold-pressed sunflower and flaxseed oil.  In addition, coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil are very helpful when applied topically to dry skin.

Q: What are the top produce items that should be purchased organically?

A: The top 5 most pesticide-laden produce items are currently Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, and Nectarines.  The Environmental Working Group offers an extensive list and a  convenient wallet guide at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.

Q: Should all meat and dairy be purchased organically?

A: It is best to purchase animal products that are raised in as clean and humane an environment as you can afford.  This is important because animals raised commercially tend to be exposed to antibiotics and hormones in their feed, which in turn ends up in their milk and meat.  The term “certified organic” does not necessarily mean that it is the best, however.  The best option would be to get to know the sources of meat and dairy available to you and opt for products from farms that raise animals on pasture and allow them plenty of room to move around.  Animal products from such farms may be labeled as “free range”, “grass fed”, or “pastured” and may not always be certified organic.

We have had such a great response to the request for questions for the upcoming “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar on December 20th that I thought to spend another week’s blog sharing them with you.  If you’d like to register for this free webinar please click on the following link:

To send your questions in advance, please e-mail us at info@marilynfarms.com.  We’ll get to as many questions as we can in the one-hour session.  I hope to talk with you soon!

 What is the major difference, besides price, between a generic multivitamin that I would buy at the drug store and the multivitamins that Marilyn Farms sells?

 Is calcium the best thing I can take for bone health?  What is the difference between Marilyn Farms OsteoDefense and Calcium Complex?

 Please explain the difference between the different Omega Oils, 3, 6, and 9.  Do I need all of these every day?  And if so, in what quantities?

 Is saturated fat bad for me?  If so, what are better fats to eat?

 Sometimes when I feel like I’m getting sick I exercise, and I start feeling better.  Why is that?

For today’s entry I wanted to inform you of two new educational pieces on our website.  Both of these came out of our recent Nutrition & Diabetes webinar, which will be repeated November 1st.  The first is a sample menu for blood sugar control – in our original slide handout it was way too small to read so we decided to make it available online for webinar attendees and any others who need ideas for healthy menus.  Sample menu for blood sugar control.

After the webinar ended we had a few technical difficulties with our Q&A session so decided to take questions via e-mail for several days afterward.  This method ended up working perfectly because we were able to easily post the written questions and answers on the website in order to share them with all of you!  From now on – even when we don’t have technical difficulties – I would like to post portions of our Q&A sessions that may apply to many of you out there so that even if you weren’t able to attend the webinar, you can benefit. Nutrition and Blood Sugar Webinar Q & A.