Constant carb craving? Muscle or joint pain? These are two signs you may have chronic protein deficiency, according to John Douillard, DC.
Constant carb craving? Muscle or joint pain? These are two signs you may have chronic protein deficiency, according to John Douillard, DC.
I’ve been writing a lot about protein lately: Backed by recent studies, health experts say that, in combination with short, intense workouts, eating more lean protein (and less starchy foods) can help balance hormones and boost metabolism.
So a recent article, “Protein Deficiency: the Hidden Signs,” caught my attention. Boulder, Colo.–based John Douillard, DC, says that every winter, he treats lots of patients for this condition. Health-aware, many of them are vegetarians, or have chosen not to eat red meat, favoring chicken or fish instead. Douillard suspects that for some body types, eating at least some high-quality red meat—in an almost medicinal way, as it’s seen in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda—may be needed at this time of year, in particular.
Here are his two signs that you may have protein deficiency:
- Constant craving, or feeling the need to snack on comfort-food carbs like pasta, bread, or sweets.
- Muscle and/or joint pain, which doesn’t typically respond to standard remedies.
To remedy deficiency, Douillard recommends eating 4 ounces of red meat at midday for two weeks, or eating three pea-rice-hemp protein powder shakes daily for two weeks, plus eating more seeds, nuts, beans, lentils, soy, and whole grains.
What do you think about protein deficiency? Tell me in the comments.
