Superstars of optimal wellness: Whey to go, little Miss Muffet

by Barb Jarmoska
Freshlife Founder

If asked to give an actual definition of “tuffet,” I’d stammer a bit. I confess my lack of clarity about the object Little Miss Muffet was sitting on. I am, however, quite well versed in what she was eating.

Allow milk to sour (or add vinegar and watch the alchemy happen before your eyes) and it separates into a liquid and a solid portion. No accident that the process is known as “curdling”, as the solids formed are dubbed curds; the liquid is the whey.

In that process of separation, the nutritional components of the milk also divide, the whey containing lactose (milk sugar), vitamins, minerals and valuable proteins. In the protein lies the fundament of whey.

Proteins are comprised of individual amino acid molecules, which are continually configured and reconfigured; creating and supporting the innumerable and ongoing processes we refer to as life. The only difference between the insulin hormone that stabilizes blood sugar and the connective tissue that becomes an eyelash is the manner in which the proteins they contain are formed and shaped.

Manufacturing proteins is the primary and never ending function of living cells. The raw materials for this incessant process must be provided by the foods you eat. To live, you must make protein. To make protein, you must eat protein, and the protein you eat varies in its efficiency and bioavailability.

Enter Little Miss Muffet. Enter Mr. Universe. When it comes to benefiting from whey protein, the child and the body builder are joined by weight watchers, the wounded, chemotherapy patients, diabetics, athletes, the immune-challenged, seniors, and anyone looking for more lean muscle mass, firmer skin, lustrous hair, or a perfectly balanced meal that’s ready in 2 minutes. Whey offers its myriad of benefits to all.

Whey owns the distinction of having the highest Biological Value (BV) of any protein. BV is a measure of how efficiently a substance will be digested in the stomach and absorbed through the villi in the small intestine into the blood stream. A few tips for adding whey protein to your diet:

• Try the ultimate, 2-minute, fast food lunch - a smoothie with whey protein added. (see recipe)

• When a baked goods recipe calls for milk, use water; and add a scoop of whey powder to the dry ingredients.

• Mix a scoop of unflavored whey in a cup of water to increase the protein and lower the car- bohydrate balance of mashed potatoes, cream sauces, and other dishes calling for milk.

• When the kids ask for chocolate milk, blend unsweetened almond milk with a scoop of choco- late whey for a healthy, low-sugar alternative.