Why are protein and good fats so important to the health of women over 45?

We talk a lot of about protein and good fats here at Healthy Mummy so let’s explain why we believe they are the core of great nutrition and even better health for women over 45.

Table of Contents

The benefits of protein and good fats to women over 45

Natural products rich in vitamin B6 and protein. Healthy diet concept for weight loss. — Natural products rich in vitamin B6 and protein.

What’s so good about protein?

Let’s start with protein and what foods are the best, most complete sources of protein.

Eggs, dairy, red meat, white meat, fish, poultry, organ meats.
Soybeans and soy products, the algae spirulina and the grains quinoa and amaranth are the most complete forms of plant-based protein. This is why The Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ is based on non-GM soy protein and we added spirulina.

The reason we bang on about protein is that; protein fuels your metabolism, that is it helps burn calories and gives you the energy you need to do your daily tasks! Also, your immune system, maintenance and repair of your body, brain function and even getting rid of waste products (detoxification) need protein to work.

None of us can store much protein so we need to be eating it regularly to make sure all these vital functions work at their best.

Are you wondering if you are eating enough protein? Mark your answers to these questions to check in on your protein status:

Do you often feel run down and do you catch infections easily?
Do you feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating?
Are your hairs, nails weak and brittle?
Are your muscles weak?
Do you have poor posture?
Do you suffer from low iron levels?
Have you been diagnosed with non-alcohol fatty liver?

If you have marked yes to any of these questions it might indicate you are not eating and/or absorbing enough protein. A great way to start is adding 1 scoop of The Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ daily.

Research has clearly shown protein is vital for our health. The main group of people who should seek advice on their protein intake are those with kidney damage or limited kidney function. This means diabetics will need to check on their kidney health to know how much protein is safe for them to eat.

Not all fats are bad for your body

Let’s now talk about the fats and oils we eat. Do you remember the ‘low fat’ era of misinformation? We do! What a tragic time for all us that was. We now know the ‘low fat’ story was based on very poor quality interpretation of research and we all paid the price for that mistake with bland foods and poorer health outcomes.

As the famous chef, Julia Childs said, “fats gives food flavour!”

Delicious nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, fish, olives, olive oil are what we call ‘good fats’ and they are the foods we should all be consuming regularly for our health and for our hormones.

When we talk about fats we do not mean processed fats like doughnuts, pies and hot chips. We now know beyond a shadow of a doubt processed fats are not healthy daily choices.

Are you wondering if you are eating enough fats? Mark your answers to these questions to check in on your essential fatty acid status:

Are you always thirsty and do you perspire a lot?
Do you have a chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disease?
Do you have dry skin and hair, skin rashes or weak fingernails that break easily?

If you have marked yes to any of these questions it might indicate low essential fatty acid status*. It could be as simple as adding in a small portion of healthy fats with each meal and snack. We’d love to hear what happens in your body!

*It is important for us to share with you that there are a number of nutritional deficiencies or health disorders that can cause similar effects and further investigation is needed if these do not resolve.