3 April 2026 Missy Goodbye

Welcome to The Balanced Body Podcast, where Sherri Griggs, owner of Balanced Body Health and Wellness in Omaha, talks to us about health, wellness, and balancing hormones.

Welcome back to The Balanced Body Health and Wellness Podcast, also known as The Balanced Body, and I am here with our co-host Missy. And as promised last week, we are going to be talking about different forms of protein. This is a pretty exciting conversation. I have to say timely for me because I was just telling Missy, I literally had a patient in here yesterday who I feel like he knew— I can't say he knew more, but about some things he knew so much. I literally said, am I being interviewed and am I passing? Because I wasn't quite sure what he needed me for, but he brought some things to light that I really wasn't aware of. And Missy's shaking her head yes, because we're going to talk about them today. So, Missy, thank you again for being here and welcome. Thank you.

Yeah, I think it's, it's one of those things we keep learning so much about, and it's just so fun when you're learning from somebody that has come to you for help, but they might know a little bit more. They've dug into a rabbit hole or done more research on topics, and that just makes it fun for me anyway. I love it.

It makes it so much fun. And, you know, he's doing all this stuff that's, like, they call black market, you know, and all the research and the sites to go to and how things are tested. And, you know, I'm, you know, I'm really big. I'm really doing some peptides and learning so much more about them all the time. And did the Seeds doctor, you know, the Seeds training and all that. But he is just Wow. He brought up stuff I'd never even heard of, and I'm looking at my suppliers and they don't even have. So that's pretty interesting because, you know, I only use the, you know, the approved suppliers, right? I don't get anything research. I get the real stuff. So anyway, protein.

Protein.

All right. So I think, shall we talk about the different types? And pros and cons?

Sure.

Let's do it. So what everybody knows. Okay, so here we go. We're on our whey. Whey.

Get it?

Whey protein.

Good one.

Yeah. Whey protein. Whey is in a lot of protein replacement shakes, right? And so You know, it's— I personally, I would get these shakes at the gym and they were so good and I loved them so much. And then all of a sudden one day they started upsetting my stomach. And Brad was very good about getting very clean. I think it was even an isolate. So it was a very clean whey protein and it would just make me feel nauseous for hours afterward. And I tried drinking it slower and it still made me feel icky. So I was so bummed because one of the pros of whey is it's really good for post-workout.

Mm-hmm.

It's got your branched-chain amino acids and they say especially the leucine, right, which supports your muscle protein synthesis. So it really helps with post-workout recovery. It tastes pretty good. It was, it was good, right? And, and it comes in different forms. So what, what is— do you have experience with whey, or what are your thoughts on it, Missy?

Yeah, I used to take a whey protein, and then, I don't know, probably 20 years ago, my body just stopped liking any dairy derivatives. So I had to— I cut out dairy for about 10 years pretty consistently, and then Over the last probably 6 or 8 years, I've reintroduced, like, goat milk and, you know, just some lactose-free type yogurts and things like that that I've done okay with. I haven't gone back to whey protein because, honestly, I love our beef— shoot, beef— what am I trying to say?

You know what I'm talking about?

Bone broth. Bone broth. Thank you.

I love that too.

Yeah. Um, and I know kind of the, the, uh, protein profile is not quite as good as, um, a whey protein, but I feel good on it. Um, it tastes good. My gut doesn't mind it. So it's just one of those things I haven't gone back to. But I do know a lot of, you know, people who train intensively, like, really get the benefits from that, that, you know, the ones that can tolerate it. So.

Mm-hmm.

So it's kind of one of those things where I say try it, and if it agrees with you, great. If it doesn't, you'll know pretty quickly for most people.

So what were your symptoms when your body stopped liking the whey protein?

Constipation. I just stopped pooping, like, altogether. And then just got discomfort, just kind of like stomach pain kind of things, but just completely. And that's kind of Dairy in general for me. Like, I know, you know, the holidays, I start nibbling on the little cheese and cracker kind of appetizers. The next day, it's just not going to be good for me. So I just have to really be aware and support with, like, some Triphala or just go extra, you know, intentional with the fiber, that kind of thing. But it just— I think my body just doesn't like it.

So which is the opposite of some people, right? So for me, I had the nausea. So listen to your body if you do whey protein. And for both of us, all of a sudden our bodies decided they didn't like it anymore.

Yeah.

It wasn't something that had always been there. You know, and that's the thing. When I worked allergy and asthma, we— why people have to sit after their allergy immunization they've been getting for a year and they're like, oh, why do I have to sit here? Because at any point in your life, you can develop an allergy to something.

Mm-hmm. Yep.

That you maybe never had a problem with, you know. But that's, that's some of the cons, right? So dairy, if you have issues with dairy, lactose, you know, you got to watch what's in it, make sure it doesn't have artificial sweeteners, gums, fillers. I mean, all of these things can mess with your gut. And just like when we talked with our, our sweetener podcast, right, how horrible sucralose is. for your gut and some of these other things that can be put in there to make it less expensive.

Mhmm.

Because when our food specialist was on here, Valerie, as she said, why the food industry does that, because it's so expensive. That's why your sodas are sucralose or whatever that other one is. I can't remember, like phenylpropanaldehyde, whatever, causes phenyl ketoaspartame. There we go. Aspartame. Because it's cheap. It's inexpensive.

Yeah.

So, all right. So whey isolate, right? So think of isolated whey. It's a little bit more filtered. It will have more protein per serving. So that would be one of the ways. And because— oh no, I didn't mean to say that'd be one of the ways. There I go again.

Okay.

So it's great for muscle building. It's low carb. It's often easier to digest. But I am almost positive that the way Brad carried was the isolate. Almost positive. Um, because I remember him talking about it. So, but I, I, I don't have dairy issues.

Hmm.

So something in it. Um, and of course it's more expensive because it's better. There's more protein per serving. So, you know, it's a, it's a leaner protein source and It has less chance of causing lactose issues. So good for, good for composition. Yeah. And we get to the bone broth. I'm going to talk about body composition, so don't let me forget. Okay.

Okay.

So, um, so here's something. Casein. I see casein protein. And, um, why? And I remember the trainer I have now talking about a mix of whey and casein. So whey is released quicker and casein is released slower. So your body continues to get the protein and the amino acids. And you feel full longer. But isn't that also going to be dairy-based, right? Casein is dairy.

Mm-hmm.

So I don't even try casein. Again, I don't know why whey is the issue. It's just so weird. And I eat cheese fine. I eat yogurt fine. But for some reason, I just think it's your fault.

We could say that.

You have me so sold on the bone broth protein that it's just like, oh, no. Oh, no.

Yeah.

Because it does taste— I cook with it. I cook with it all the time. I make protein ice cream with it. Yeah, it mixes well. It tastes good. So, yeah. All right. So, again, it does last longer. So one of the cons can be is if you want something that doesn't make you feel kind of full for a longer period of time, casein will not be your protein. But if you're trying, probably— and please, Missy, correct me if I'm wrong— but would you say if you're trying to lose weight— That a whey casein blend would be really good because it keeps you full longer.

Probably, yeah, I would think so. And I'm looking here, it looks like casein tends to be— tends to trigger more symptoms because more people are sensitive to milk protein versus the whey isolate, which is better tolerated because it's lower in lactose. I wasn't sure of that. So, yeah, let's— but yeah. So I guess if you're lactose intolerant, whey isolate could be okay. But if you're sensitive to milk protein, both could be an issue. So that's probably why for me, lactose and casein are just no good.

Because casein is a derivative of milk protein. Yeah.

So that makes sense.

So, and actually, I do— it is best for appetite control. So then I think you mentioned this earlier. So now we're talking about this and people are thinking, what am I going to do? What if I need protein and I can't do any of these? Well, there is egg white protein. And we know eggs are the perfect protein, so egg white protein would be good. It's going to be a complete protein. It's dairy-free. It's got a great amino acid profile. And, of course, obviously, if you can't use whey, it's going to be really well tolerated.

Mm-hmm.

So, and, of course, because it's the egg whites, it's going to be lower in fat than just eating eggs.

Mm-hmm.

And sometimes it's not like you're going to carry your eggs around with you everywhere. You need a quick drink.

Mm-hmm.

But if you're allergic to eggs, it's out. And it may not taste the greatest because it's egg whites.

Mm-hmm.

What did I— I used to add, back in the day when I was really pushing my Protein, and I should probably be doing it again now that I'm working out like a good person. I would add egg whites to my protein shakes. Not just egg— I got powdered egg whites.

Yeah.

So I got powdered egg whites, and I would add it just to up the protein. And I don't— I don't remember what I was using then. For some reason, I feel like it— because of the company I was using, it might have been a plant-based. But, you know, plant-based is kind of gritty. It doesn't always taste great. But I was— I should do that again.

Hmm.

Because if I add it to my protein I already have, then I don't think it's going to take over the flavor. It obviously would make an issue if I were cooking. But otherwise, I think Hmm. It's a thought.

Mm-hmm.

But it's more expensive, too. So, all right. And next, everybody talks about this. This is a buzzword— collagen protein. So we know skin, Joints, really good for your gut lining, great for getting older. That's why everyone's talking about it, because we're all getting old. Our whole country is getting old. It's really easy to digest. People like to mix it in coffee, tea, the straight collagen stuff. I mean, not the stuff we're talking about, guys, because we got vanilla, although there is an unflavored.

Mm-hmm.

Have you ever mixed the unflavored, like, in coffee or anything?

Oh, yeah. It doesn't taste like anything, really.

Okay. Yeah, there you go. You don't have time for a protein shake. You don't like a protein shake. I think I might start doing that because I am not getting enough protein, and I might start mixing that in my coffee in the morning.

Yeah, try it. And if you, if you have a little frother, it does froth a little bit. Not like, not like a milk or something, but it gives a little froth to it, makes it taste a little It has, like, a little bit of a— not texture, like grit, but almost like a thickness.

So— Oh, oh, oh.

You know what I mean? Like, it adds a little something to it. You know it's there.

Huh?

You know it's there.

Yeah, a little bit. I do. I'm a very texture person. I'm very much—

I am too.

But I like it. In fact, now I've been adding a little bit of my bone broth Protein to my coffee because I don't like to eat before I work out in the morning, but I need to have a little protein. Plus, I do better with coffee, I think, jitter-wise, if I have a little, a little bit of protein powder.

Makes sense.

On my belly. So I've been mixing it in my coffee, and it's delicious. But that's just me. Some people don't like stuff in theirs.

But see, my husband makes mocha coffee. With the chocolate protein powder. He loves mocha. And as a type 2 diabetic, he should not be drinking mocha. But, right, it's got the stevia in it, so it's got some sweetness, and it's chocolate protein powder. And he goes through that, and I'm like, geez, right? You're gonna have to have ownership in the company at this rate. But he'll make it cold and drink like an iced mocha.

I love it. That's— so I know, I'm excited.

Right? You're like, oh, that's an idea. Summer's coming. A little iced mocha.

Yeah.

For clarification, guys, so bone broth protein is collagen. So, you know, if you read a label, it says bone broth, grass-fed beef bone broth protein, or you get like the— some of the like Vital brand says collagen across it. Okay. But your bone broth protein is still collagen. And this is what my new patient taught me yesterday. He says to me, but that, Sherri, that's not a complete protein. It's missing leucine. Okay.

So one thing you mentioned, which we can come back to, is how much protein. So we should make sure we circle back to that because that's one of the biggest questions I get just from people. Friends will text me, you know, my protein is really low on my labs. What do I do? Is this low? Oh, do you think I need more? How much should I be eating? You know, that kind of thing.

So.

Well, I'll tell you, for me, um, we have the Panoy, the metabolic machine that actually tells us what our macros should be resting and active. But let's talk about that because you brought it up and I don't want to forget. Um, how do— yeah, how would I know if I like— I haven't done my test in I don't know how long. How would— and it's going to change as my health changes. How do I know how much I need?

Well, I think there's, you know, there are experts out there that will kind of give you a gauge of like 0.8. I think, I think the— I think out there you'll find a lot of different information, but generally speaking, the consensus is anywhere from 0.8 to about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So.

Okay.

I try to stay, like, just to make easy math, I try to stay at 150 grams of protein, 155, just because I work out pretty heavy. I do like a progressive overload weightlifting program. And so, and my protein is still low. I'm still like not even to 7 on my, you know, on my protein labs. It's 6.9 all day long.

Interesting.

So, I don't know why, but I literally eat protein like it's a part-time job and I still struggle with it. So some of it might be, you know, my body doesn't break it down properly, so I take digestive enzymes. So for all of us, there could be different reasons. If you're— maybe if you're really being intentional about your protein but you're not seeing— maybe you're not seeing kind of the changes in your muscle aesthetics, or maybe strength, you know, overall strength if you're lifting weights or, you know, running or doing something athletic. So it might not be the fact that you're not getting enough. It could be the type, or maybe your body is not processing it properly. So there's a lot of things that go into it, obviously. But I think generally speaking, especially for women aging, we need more and we actually get less typically, you know.

Yeah, we don't eat as much. You know, I'm not a big meat eater, so that's a problem. So when you talked about— you brought something up. So protein testing, is that like when they do the metabolic labs and they show your protein?

Yeah, just your serum protein.

I'll be darned. What should it be?

I think optimal is between, like, 7 and more than 7. Mine literally stays at 6.9 for the last 2 years, and I can't— for whatever reason, I can't get it up. I believe that. I believe that's the optimal range. But everybody's different, I think.

Right. But that's a good measurement. I love it because I do CMPs on people. And to be able to say you need to get more protein because I know people do, but to actually be able to show somebody a number is powerful. It's really powerful. Obviously, I can show their change of muscle on the InBody.

Which is great. That's a great kind of connecting more dots, I think. That's great. And as we age, we lose our stomach acid, gets depleted. And if you're eating animal protein, you can maybe not feel so great when you eat protein. So you tend to not eat protein because you don't feel great, but it could be because your body can't break it down. So that's when you need to start thinking about maybe is your hydrochloric acid not ideal, maybe supplementing with that or digestive enzymes. times to make sure you're assimilating all those good things that you're eating. So I think that's a big part of my, my issue. But yeah.

That's understandable. So now the research I did, I actually pulled up a beef protein isolate. But the problem, I mean, it has all the same pros as the collagen, but the cons are it doesn't really taste amazing. It can have a horrible texture. You know, the amino acid profile can vary by product. It's not as studied. So I don't know that I've ever seen a beef isolate protein, personally. Hmm. So protein isolate. Soy. Aren't we all trying to avoid soy, though? I mean, okay, it's plant protein. If you're a vegan, soy. It's not real expensive. It's affordable. It can build muscle and it blends better than some of the pea proteins and some of the other proteins. But soy is a pretty common allergen. I mean, we pull soy out when we do the 30-day elimination. It's considered an inflammatory food. So we pull that out. And just not even— and I did have a patient, a young girl, a 21-year-old. Soy was her inflammatory food. When she tried to reintroduce it, she didn't feel good. And she was shocked.

Yeah.

And it made such a change in her life because she loved ranch and every ranch out there had soy in it, so she had to make her own ranch.

Good for her.

So, all right. So I mentioned the plant protein, the pea protein, right? So again, vegans, vegetarians, um, it doesn't have soy in it, you know, it doesn't have anything like that. It's a really good option.

It's pretty—

it's well tolerated. I personally feel like it, it raises my blood sugar up, um, because, you know, a lot of times they want to put some rice in it so it's more balanced because the amino acid profile and the leucine again. And for me, it's gritty. So that's it. But again, plant-based, great meal replacement. So if you eat, like, green peas, I mean, they have a lot of protein in them, believe it or not. And then there's rice. So, you know, it says works well with, with pea protein. But again, there's that amino acid issue. Um, and for me, again, it's going to be the blood sugars.

Yeah, same.

So I haven't— I have actually seen this hemp protein. So the good things about it, again, vegan, vegetarian, it has a little bit more fiber. And it really actually can help with digestion because of the fiber content. Hmm. But gritty, doesn't have as much protein in it. And it can have a taste because it's hemp. So if you're trying to build muscle— so then I'm like, what's the point if it doesn't do anything?

Yeah.

Fiber. It gives you fiber. So you're getting some protein with your fiber. And if you're somebody that is really big on whole foods, it's helpful. And then, of course, there are those blends out there. You know what always surprised me? I had no idea how much protein pumpkin seeds have. I was beyond shocked. No clue. They have a lot of protein.

Yeah.

And because this is a blend, think of your blends like rice, pea, pumpkin, chia, flax, things like that. I have a patient that makes her own protein blend with all of those raw ingredients.

Love that.

Right? I'm like, that seems like a lot of work. But she knows she's not getting any weird stuff in it, right? It doesn't have any additives or any weird gums in it so that it's creamier or sweeteners, anything like that. But again, it doesn't have as much muscle support. All right. So last but not least, do you have a thought on this as to, like, what about these meal replacement shakes and powders? So which is better? Why would one be better than the other?

Um, well, I don't know what the difference is. Okay, they were the same thing.

So a powder— well, like, you're like your stuff where you can buy it in the bottle that's liquid. It's a meal replacement.

Well, with those, I feel like there's preservatives. I don't care how you cut it, they're gonna have some kind of preservative that you probably can't pronounce, you know? Yeah. Um, yeah, so That wouldn't be my first choice. If you're in the airport and you're picking between a croissant and a, you know, something like that, then maybe that's the best choice.

Yeah.

And that's kind of what I always go back to, too. Like, yes, these protein shakes are probably not the best choice of everything in the world that you could pick, but they're convenient and, you know, they save time. And for me, I don't like having a lot of food on my gut in the morning. And they're probably, probably 99% chance that they're going to be a healthier choice than something else. You know what I mean?

Yeah, you're right.

Especially for people that are transitioning nutrition, if they're, you know, in a phase of like trying to kind of improve their diet, I think you're going to have more bang for your buck doing that than, you know, switching out, you know, some habits that may have caught on as far as go-tos in the morning or telling somebody they've got to have, scrambled eggs and, yeah, I don't know, fill in the blank, what your recommendations are.

Time, right?

I mean, time.

Yeah, it's amazing. The Yuka app, Y-U-K-A, you can scan barcodes for free. And it is— I've scanned some of those easy-to-grab protein shakes. I will say they're better for you than some of the protein bars. There are protein bars out there that are absolutely horrible. Read your labels, right? So when we're talking here, talked about all these different proteins, and you're like, okay, great. How do I find— look for something with 20 to 30 grams of protein in it. Look for artificial sweeteners. Look for artificial— look for words you can't pronounce. So if it doesn't have monk fruit or stevia as a sweetener, it probably has something bad.

Hmm.

And you can do the Yuck app and see because it'll tell you. If it's too sugary, if it has too many dangerous chemicals in it, too many artificial things. So, yes, if your choice is— so I have to say, if your choice is the drink or the bar, unless it's honestly an RX bar that's egg whites, I've scanned a lot of bars. The drink's almost always going to be better if you're in a rush. Almost always. But remember, if you have a dairy issue— You have to avoid casein. Whey may not sit well with you. You'd be better to try whey isolate, safer, but it may not be good for your gut. It may cause inflammation in your gut. But think about what protein and what should— why do you want that protein? Are you looking for muscle building? Are you looking for weight loss? Are you looking for appetite control? Meal replacement because it will have fiber. So, think about why you want the protein. Who knew it could be so complicated?

I know. Well, there's so many choices out there. The market is so overwhelmed with it now. You know, 15 years ago, you didn't have a lot of choices, and it wasn't that hard. And we didn't have as many, you know, I don't know, just awful chemical ingredients that were getting added to things too. So.

I know, I know. So read your labels. Don't just go on flavor. Don't just go on what they say. Make sure 20 to 30 grams. So we're coming to an end here, and I have some bad news. Good news, bad news. Missy's going to be leaving us. She is taking another role on in her company. And I believe, did you say doing some other— you have some other things out there that maybe in addition?

I have some projects in the works that— some projects a little too soon to talk about, but I'll, I'll reconnect with you.

That's awesome. We entrepreneurs, you know, we are kind of birds of a feather and we're always doing something, right? Always learning and doing new things just to keep things exciting. So, but the Balanced Body Podcast will continue to go on. With Rupina, and Rupina is another mind share practitioner, and she has a crazy story about having had breast cancer for seven years with an oozing tumor. So if you guys want to hear her story and how she got to this position, I finally had to say, "Why? Why did you let this go? Why did this happen?" She tells her whole story of why. But she is alive and well, and no metastasis, and it is a crazy story. So, Missy, you'll have to listen to it.

I can't wait. Yeah, I know.

I really wish you the best. It's been such an honor to have you here. It was always so fun talking to you and, and getting your opinion, and we're going to miss you.

I'm gonna miss you. Thanks for having me, Sherri. It's been great.

You bet.

So if you want to connect with me, go to www.balancedbodymedical.com. Sign up for a call. I can't do telehealth or call us at 402-807-5333. Talk more to you about protein, your gut, your muscles. Uh, let's get you healthy.

This has been the Balanced Body Medical Podcast with Sherri Griggs, owner of Balanced Body Health and Wellness. If you're looking to find Sherri, go ahead and look for the website balancedbodymedical.com. If you're looking for the business and you want to find Sherri at her office, you can find her at 10815 Elm Street in Rockbrook Plaza. Thank you.