June 23, 2022

I've been supplementing with amino acids a lot lately. I've actually upped my dose (for reasons discussed in this podcast) to 15-20g 3x/day!

And apparently – for muscle building, muscle maintenance, gut nourishment, joint support, appetite satiation and oh-so-many more reasons – so have many of you, as the Aminos supplement is easily the best-selling product over at Kion, my supplements company that I and Angelo Keely began in 2017.

On the podcast, Angelo and I talked plenty about the magic sauce of amino acids, along with our then brand new clean protein powder back in November of 2021. Bit since I've been using Kion Aminos to such great effect lately, I wanted to share once again what we talked about last year, because I know so many people have begun listening to the show since then.

So enjoy (and if you want to know even more about amino acids, click here to read a very comprehensive article about them).

Angelo Keely is the co-founder and CEO of Kion, an active lifestyle, supplement, and functional food company dedicated to helping people fully experience a joyful, active life by providing pure, energy-enhancing solutions. Angelo has a truly diverse and unique background having put himself through college as a professional musician—beatboxing, rapping, and drumming.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-Ben's desire to make the Pumpkin Spice Colostrum Cake…05:45

• Kion's “Pumpkin Spice Colostrum Cream Cake” recipe
• Kion Colostrum

-How Angelo Keely has become a world-renowned expert on protein…09:50

• Was raised as an all-natural, “crunchy” kid in the 80s
• Pescatarian and plant-based diet
• Learned the importance of mixing protein sources from a very young age
• Mom was obsessed with amino acids (AAs)
• Traumatic incident at age of 16; began whey protein as a means of recovery
• Underwent a health transformation in 2020

-How Angelo Keely and his health transformation caused a hyper-focus on protein and amino acids…15:30

• Watched calorie intake; upped daily protein intake; strength training
• Higher protein intake, good sources, allows satiety with lower calorie intake
• Protein Leverage Hypothesis

• Took up to 60g of aminos per day at times
• Ben's Nighttime Jell-O recipe with amino acids and collagen  (1 cube has roughly 10g of amino acids and 15-20g of collagen)
  • Kion Aminos
  • Great Lakes beef gelatin
  • Wholesome Allulose zero calorie sweetener
  • Organic coconut water
• Podcasts with Joel Greene:
  • Carnivore Diet, Raw Beans, Lectin Myths, Pre-Sleep Gelatin, Apple Peels & More – Q&A Episode With Joel Greene!
  • Joel Greene Podcast Part 2: How To Reshape Fat Cells, Enhance Repair During Sleep, Target Your “Circaseptan Rhythms,” Build Young Muscle & Get Rid Of Old Muscle.
  • Joel Greene Podcast Part 1: How To Reboot The Gut, Eat Cheesecake Without Gaining Weight, Amplify Any Fasting Protocol & Maximize Fat Loss.
• Dr. Robert Wolfe
  • Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality?
• Podcast with Dr. David Minkoff
  • Amino Acids, BCAA’s, EAA’s, Ketosis, Bonking & More With 41 Time Ironman Triathlete Dr. David Minkoff.
  • The Search For The Perfect Protein (The Surprising Truth About A Little-Known Supernutrient For Weight Loss, Mood, Fatigue, Insomnia, and More)
  • Episode #105: A Peek Into The Life of An Ironman, Natural Medicine Physician.
  • How Hidden Sources Of Heavy Metals Are Destroying Your Health, And What You Can Do About It.
• Podcasts with Mark Sisson:
  • The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever.
  • Primal Endurance: How To Escape Chronic Cardio & Carbohydrate Dependency & Become A Fat Burning Beast.
• Podcast with Dr. Robert Slovak:
  • Is “Drinkable” Seawater The Future Of Health Tonics?, How “Quinton” Works, Isotonic vs. Hypertonic & Much More With Water Researcher Robert Slovak.
  • Water & Water Filtration: Everything You Need To Know About Water Filters, Alkaline Water, Structured Water, Hydrogen-Rich Water, Deuterium Depleted Water & Much More!
• Kion Aminos
• Kion Clean Protein

-Overview of the different types of amino acids…31:30

• BGF aminos articles:
  • The Secret Darling Of The Nutrition Supplements Industry & Why Ben Greenfield Has Changed His Mind On Amino Acids: Myths, Deception & Truth Of BCAAs vs. EAAs.
• Protein article:
  • The Ultimate Guide to Protein & Protein Powders, The Truth About Whey Protein Isolate, Protein Dosing/Timing Guide (& My Brand New Rich, Creamy, Delicious Clean Protein Smoothie Recipe).
• High level aminos are the building blocks of proteins in the body (second largest component after water)
• 20 amino acids are responsible for producing protein in the body; 9 of these are “essential”
• Essential = our bodies cannot make them; must be consumed exogenously
• BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are 3 of the 9 essentials: leucine, isoleucine, and valine
  • BCAA – 3
  • EAA – 6
  • NEAA (non-essential amino acids) – 11
• Leucine has been tied to muscle protein synthesis
• Taking only the BCAAs without the other 6 essentials will not produce the results you're looking for
• Our bodies want all 9 EAAs together
• Eating foods that don't have all 9 together leads to brain fog, weight gain, neurotransmitter issues, etc.

-Creatine as an amino acid…39:48

• Kion Creatine
• BGF articles on creatine:
  • The Dirt Cheap, Widely Available Natural Molecule That Is One Of The Most Well-Researched Supplements For Cognition, Muscle Repair, Endurance, Testosterone & Much More.
  • Can This Low-Cost, Highly-Researched, Incredibly Safe Peptide Help You Sleep Less and Not Pay For It Later? (Plus 6 Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Sleep Deprivation)
• Creatine is a non-essential AA (the body can synthesize it with glycine and arginine)
• Important benefits for performance
• If only plant proteins are consumed, there are likely low levels of creatine

-The appropriate amount of protein and aminos to intake…42:45

• AAs by themselves are not protein, but proteins are partly AAs
• 20g of AAs has same amount of EAAs as 40g of whey protein isolate
• Hard to determine an exact amount of AAs and protein intake per day
• RDA is .3g of protein for every lb. for a sedentary person
• People with active lifestyles, athletes require far more AAs (.5-.8 g per lb.)
• Numbers go way up if you're strength training or trying to lose weight
• Too much protein in one sitting loses the efficacy

-The ranking of the quality of animal-based protein sources…50:45

• Protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS)
• New ranking system is Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS)
• Elial digestion determination vs. fecal digestion
• Organ meats ranks toward the top; chicken is high but has issues; dairy is toward the low end
• Podcast with Teri Cochrane, author of The Wildatarian Diet
  • The Wildatarian Diet: Living As Nature Intended: A Customized Nutritional Approach for Optimal Health, Energy and Vitality.
  • Time Traveling To Heal Trauma, Hyper-Customization Of Diet & Supplements, Past Life vs. Epigenetics & Much More With Teri Cochrane.
• Soy ranks super high, but concerns with it
• Tempe, natto, fermented tofu, pea protein, spirulina, quinoa, millet are some of the higher plant-based sources
• Hemp protein contain metals from the earth, beware of metal exposure
• Search results for “dirty dozen plants”
• Protein sources:
  • The Ultimate Guide to Protein & Protein Powders, The Truth About Whey Protein Isolate, Protein Dosing/Timing Guide (& My Brand New Rich, Creamy, Delicious Clean Protein Smoothie Recipe).

-The good and bad when it comes to protein powders…59:00

• BGF amino acids article:
  • The Secret Darling Of The Nutrition Supplements Industry & Why Ben Greenfield Has Changed His Mind On Amino Acids: Myths, Deception & Truth Of BCAAs vs. EAAs.
• Animal based vs. plant based is the main delineator
• Whey protein is the most common animal-based protein
• Casein from dairy
• Check the AA profile
• How much leucine does it have?
• Some functions of leucine
  • Muscle protein synthesis
  • Regulates the production of anabolic endocrine hormones
  • Stimulation of insulin that enhances the uptake of other amino acids
  • Modulates the mTOR pathway
• How can one get more protein with less calories?
• Whey concentrate is the simplest form of protein (about 80% protein)
• Whey isolate separates the carbs and fat; more protein for less calories and remove the lactose (about 90% protein)
• Whey protein hydrolysate removes everything but the protein (about 99% protein); more expensive to make
• Choosing a dairy source that is grass fed will dramatically affect the protein profile and quality
• Clean Label Project study of protein powders

-Concerns and problems with the safety certifications…1:07:30

• Organic, “grass-fed” can be misleading
• There is no such thing as a 100% grass-fed whey protein

-The long history of whey protein…1:12:25

• Archaeologists discovered pure whey from as far back as 7,000 years ago
• Hippocrates prescribed whey for immune issues, skin conditions, etc.
• European whey houses 400-500 years ago
• Tendency to bash what has been around for a long time
• Science proves whey to be the superior protein powder

-How to get a protein powder that doesn't taste like ash…1:16:10

• Use the highest quality beef and raw ingredients possible
• Organic natural flavors
• Stevia
• Himalayan salt cuts down on the sweetness
• Kion article: 10 Unique Ways to Use Protein Powder

-And much more with Angelo Keely!

Upcoming Events:

• Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Angelo Keely:

• Kion
• What Yoga Trapezes, Laser Lights, Kettlebells, Mini-Meditation & Ketogenic Doughnuts Have To Do With Building A Nutrition Supplements Empire.
• Kion Colostrum
• Kion Aminos
• Kion Clean Protein
• Kion Creatine
• Kion's Pumpkin Spice Colostrum Cream Cake
• Kion Articles On Protein:
  • 10 Unique Ways to Use Protein Powder 
  • Whey Protein 101
  • Leucine: The Muscle-Building EAA Changing the Performance Game
  • How To Use Amino Acids
  • How To Get More Protein On A Plant-Based Diet
  • How To Choose The Healthiest Protein Powder For Your Body
• Ben's Nighttime Jello Recipe With Amino Acids And Collagen

– Podcasts And Articles:

• Carnivore Diet, Raw Beans, Lectin Myths, Pre-Sleep Gelatin, Apple Peels & More – Q&A Episode With Joel Greene!
• Joel Greene Podcast Part 2: How To Reshape Fat Cells, Enhance Repair During Sleep, Target Your “Circaseptan Rhythms,” Build Young Muscle & Get Rid Of Old Muscle.
• Joel Greene Podcast Part 1: How To Reboot The Gut, Eat Cheesecake Without Gaining Weight, Amplify Any Fasting Protocol & Maximize Fat Loss.
• Amino Acids, BCAA’s, EAA’s, Ketosis, Bonking & More With 41 Time Ironman Triathlete Dr. David Minkoff.
• The Search For The Perfect Protein (The Surprising Truth About A Little-Known Supernutrient For Weight Loss, Mood, Fatigue, Insomnia, and More)
• Episode #105: A Peek Into The Life of An Ironman, Natural Medicine Physician.
• How Hidden Sources Of Heavy Metals Are Destroying Your Health, And What You Can Do About It.
• The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever.
• Primal Endurance: How To Escape Chronic Cardio & Carbohydrate Dependency & Become A Fat Burning Beast.
• Is “Drinkable” Seawater The Future Of Health Tonics?, How “Quinton” Works, Isotonic vs. Hypertonic & Much More With Water Researcher Robert Slovak.
• Water & Water Filtration: Everything You Need To Know About Water Filters, Alkaline Water, Structured Water, Hydrogen-Rich Water, Deuterium Depleted Water & Much More!
• The Wildatarian Diet: Living As Nature Intended: A Customized Nutritional Approach for Optimal Health, Energy and Vitality.
• Time Traveling To Heal Trauma, Hyper-Customization Of Diet & Supplements, Past Life vs. Epigenetics & Much More With Teri Cochrane.
• The Secret Darling Of The Nutrition Supplements Industry & Why Ben Greenfield Has Changed His Mind On Amino Acids: Myths, Deception & Truth Of BCAAs vs. EAAs.
• The Ultimate Guide to Protein & Protein Powders, The Truth About Whey Protein Isolate, Protein Dosing/Timing Guide (& My Brand New Rich, Creamy, Delicious Clean Protein Smoothie Recipe).
• The Dirt Cheap, Widely Available Natural Molecule That Is One Of The Most Well-Researched Supplements For Cognition, Muscle Repair, Endurance, Testosterone & Much More.
• Can This Low-Cost, Highly-Researched, Incredibly Safe Peptide Help You Sleep Less and Not Pay For It Later? (Plus 6 Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Sleep Deprivation)

– Other Resources:

• Spirulina
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Stevia
• Himalayan Salt
• Protein Leverage Hypothesis
• Branched-Chain Amino Acids And Muscle Protein Synthesis In Humans: Myth Or Reality?
• Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS)
• Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS)
• Elial And Fecal Digestibility
• Dirty Dozen Plants
• Clean Label Project Study Of Protein Powders
• Archaeologists Find Ancient Evidence Of Cheese-Making
• Whey Beverages: A Review

Episode sponsors:

–Lucy Nicotine Gum: If you are looking for a cleaner and tastier alternative to other nicotine products, then this product is for you. To save 20% on any order, just use discount code BEN20.

–Nootopia: experience your best mood and mental performance with personalized Nootropics. Enter code BEN10 for a 10% discount.

–Ketone IQ by HVMN: One Bottle of Ketone-IQ contains 10 servings designed to be taken daily in the morning to elevate your ketone levels. Use code BENG for a 10% discount.

–Inside Tracker: Created by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometrics, InsideTracker analyzes your blood, DNA, and fitness tracking data to identify where you’re optimized—and where you’re not.

–Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Angelo Keely or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!