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The chicken is full of protein which breaks down into amino acids. It’s incredibly satiating and will help keep you fuller longer when paired with other important macronutrients like quality complex carbohydrates, fibrous vegetables and fats. It requires plenty of chewing, creating saliva in the mouth which signals the stomach to produce digestive enzymes and also helps shorten the gap between the time you finish eating to the time your brain receives the cue that you are full (usually 15-20 minutes later).
In other words, because the chicken takes longer to eat, you’ll receive the cue sooner to stop eating than say consuming ultra processed food that doesn’t require much chewing. The protein from the chicken is a complete protein, meaning it has all 9 essential amino acids. It will metabolize in your body into its simplest form (amino acids) and be shuttled to the every cell in your body which requires protein for health and survival.
Side note: we're not recommending anyone try to stuff down 51 grams of protein at any given time. We're just using it for the sake of comparison. We like to space out a day's worth of protein requirements evenly between 3-5 meals. This helps with satiation in between meals and helps blunt excessive blood sugar spikes from carbohydrates consumed.
Protein cannot be stored in the body so you must consume it daily to get your amino acids. When consumed on its own, protein doesn’t spike your blood sugar much, especially with a small amount of fat consumed with it. However, it’s also not a great source of usable energy. It’s function in the body is mainly to provide amino acids that help with repair of tissue, cells, blood, and muscular development.
That's why consuming a high protein only diet with insufficient carbs and fats can lead to low energy, muscle wasting and even bone loss. All macronutrients are important!
On the other hand, the Snickers Bar is a highly processed food comprised of mostly simple carbohydrates which, when consumed on their own, will spike your blood sugar rapidly. This will release the hormone insulin, as long as you have properly functioning insulin (note: only 12 % of American adults are metabolically healthy).
It does have sufficient dietary fat to keep blood sugar from spiking higher than it would if it was comprised of just simple sugars, but the fat will sustain your insulin response, meaning you won't be activating glucagon which is the hormone that rises in between meals to burn through extra glucose and eventually body fat for extra energy.
When insulin is released, the simple carbohydrates are easily converted to glucose, the body’s preferred energy source, for any immediate energy needs such as walking, squatting, lifting, etc. Keeping this in mind, you can select the best time of day to consume a sweet treat.
If you consume the Snickers Bar while sitting at your desk, it’s likely that you won’t need much energy, so the excess glucose will then store as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Once those storage tanks are full of glycogen (your body can hold about 2,500 calories worth at any time), excess glucose stores as body fat, which your body has the ability to create in an infinite amount.
So, while the Snickers Bar may function best when consumed before a demanding physical activity like strength training or a long, strenuous hike, or after a low carb / low fat dinner for dessert, it’s not great to consume as a “balanced meal” if one is looking to feel satiated for hours.
If consumed on its own while working and sitting, your blood sugar will spike high very fast, then drop low quickly equal to the spike. Then, as it comes back to a neutral, stable level, most people will get a hunger cue because of the blood sugar drop. This is when eating simple carbs - especially those without fiber or when not paired with protein - can be problematic and get a bad reputation. You can end up on the carb rollercoaster, constantly eating carbs on carbs because you never feel satiated after the continual spikes and drops in blood sugar.
Doing this over and over enough can cause what is known as insulin resistance, where your insulin cannot function properly to extract energy and more and more of the carbs you consume convert to body fat. Eventually, this can lead to Type 2 diabetes where insulin doesn’t function at all. The good news is that it’s reversible thorough lifestyle changes and the food that you eat (what, when, how much, etc.).
If you've made it this far, you can see that while calories are calories, it’s macronutrients that really differentiate how the food you’re eating will impact blood sugar, energy levels, muscle synthesis, satiation and so much more. We do not believe in labeling any food as good or bad as most restrictive eating habits lead to binges and overconsumption at some point. Instead, we teach nutrition science which includes education on macronutrients and how they impact the body. This allows our clients the flexibility to pick and choose the food they love in amounts that work best for their unique needs and goals while still meeting the overall macronutrient requirements.
When you combine the right foods in the right amounts at each meal in similarly spaced intervals throughout the day, your body will be given a steady drip feed of usable energy and nothing more, creating steady blood sugar levels, plenty of satiation up to 4 hours from optimal protein and just enough fat intake, regular digestion, and a shift to what’s called “metabolic positioning” where you’re burning the food you eat for fuel and repair and then utilizing body fat for fuel while fasting in between meals and overnight.
There is an art and science to the process depending on what your goals are, but the eating habits we teach are rooted in nutrition science that you will continue over and over for the rest of your life, compounding the positive effects well beyond the 12 weeks that you work with us.
While it is a premium investment to work 1:1 with us up front, think of it as an investment that will last you a lifetime and help you increase the percentage of metabolically healthy American adults from 12% to anything more!
If you're ready increase your energy day in and day out + build the muscle you need well into older age, click here to apply for Awaken Your Nutrition.
We can't wait to share this life-changing information with you! Just ask any of our 26 (and counting) 5-star reviews on Yelp.
Shannon Morse & Lisa Kirby | Creators of Awaken Your Nutrition @thegreendoor.life | thegreendoorlife.com
P.S. We are working on a NEW program just for MOMS, kicking off in mid-April and finishing before 4th of July! Click reply to this email if you'd like to be first on the waiting list to join!
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