Protein powders are among the most popular nutrition supplements on the market.
If your goals are to build muscle mass, lose weight or improve your fitness goals, then you will need more protein in your diet.
Protein is also a key ingredient for those trying to lose or maintain weight. Protein helps satisfy hunger longer than other nutrients and helps protect lean muscles. Many active or older people are looking to protein powders to increase their protein intake.
Here are some of the most frequest questions about protein powders, their pros and cons, and how to choose the best protein powder for you.
What is protein powder good for?
Protein powder contains a variety of nutrients which improve muscle mass, repair and produce enzymes or hormones. Protein powder helps to decrease weight loss as well as tone muscle. There is a wide range of protein powders, from animal to plant protein powders.
Consuming whey protein after exercise can increase strength, help maintain optimal muscle strength, replenish nitrogen reserves and aid muscle synthesis.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey
-
The world’s best-selling whey protein powder
-
Gold Standard 100% Whey – provides 24 g of protein per serving to help build and maintain muscle when taken consistently with regular resistance training.
-
Contains 5.5 g of naturally occurring branched chain amino acids (BCAA) and 11 g of essential amino acids (EAAs) per serving to support muscle recovery.
Are protein powders good for weight loss?
Some research has shown dietary protein is beneficial in many ways. Shake protens can reduce belly fat, especially in combination with fitness and other cardio activities. However, protein shakes are not the best method for losing weight.
The use of a protein shake can reduce the amount of calories that are consumed daily, helping you lose weight.
SlimFast Advanced Energy High Protein Meal Replacement Shake
-
Each shake is packed with 20 g of protein and 9 g of fat to keep you full for hours.
-
SlimFast Advanced Energy Shakes are packed with 5 grams of fiber to promote better digestion and curb hunger.
-
Gluten and lactose free and packed with 24 essential vitamins and minerals.
What types of proteins are available?
There are 2 main types of proteins:
Animal proteins: whey protein, casein protein, milk protein and egg protein. Dairy protein should be avoided if you are sensitive to dairy or lactose.
Plant proteins: If you are vegan, have food allergies or just want to reduce your intake of animal-derived foods, plant proteins are a good alternative. Unlike animal proteins and soy, plant proteins are not complete, which means they do not supply all the amino acids needed by the human body. Plant proteins include rice, pea, hemp and different protein blends.
Another whey to clasify proteins is “concentrate,” “isolate,” and “hydrolysate”. They refer to the quality or “purity” of a protein product.
Concentrate protein powder is the first stop during the production process, containing the least concentration of protein. Hydrolysate protein powder comes out last with the highest concentration of protein.
Isolate protein contains about 90 per cent of protein per scoop. Thanks to the lower fat content, protein isolate doesn’t have fat to slow down digestion. This means that protein isolate digests more quickly than concentrate, so it is a great choice if you’re looking for quick post-workout nutrition.
NOW Sports Nutrition, Chicken Bone Broth Powder
-
A premium-quality chicken bone broth which offers an excellent source of animal proteins – 29 grams of proteins per serving
-
Chicken bone broth is a common food base in many cultures and a natural source of protein, collagen, amino acids, and other nutrients.
-
GMP quality assured.
How to choose the best protein powder for you
With so many choices like animal and plant protein, plus different types such as isolates, concentrates and hydrolysates, how do you select the ones that will work best for you?
Your health and fitness goals, dietary preferences, food sensitivities and allergies, and lifestyle will help you prioritize the best type of protein powder for you.
If your priority is the amino acid content of a protein and animal-based proteins fit your health and lifestyle needs, then you will probably choose dairy and egg proteins.
If you have sensitivities to animal products (dairy or eggs), or would rather avoid these foods in your diet, then you should select a plant based alternative.
When looking for a protein powder, choose a clean option, which contains 20–30 grams of protein and 5–12 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) per serving. If you opt for plant-based proteins, choose a mixed blend.
What type of protein powder is best for building muscle?
When building muscle, you must choose food with a high biological value (a measure of how well a person metabolizes proteins). Whey protein is an excellent option. Other quality animal or vegetarian proteins might be good options too.
Is vegan protein powder just as effective?
If you prefer animal proteins, then you should use whey protein powder. However, if you are experiencing stomach issues or wish to try a non-whey option, There are many plant-based proteins to choose from. They can give you great results, especially if they contains more than one plant protein source (soy, pea, rice, hemp etc).
Garden of Life Organic Vegan Sport Protein Powder
-
A nutritious workout recovery protein which helps you refuel and repair muscles after a hard workout
-
Offers 30 grams of complete protein and over 5 grams BCAA amino acids, Glutamine and Glutamic Acid
-
Enhanced with probiotics for immune support – contains 2 Billion CFU probiotic blend to keep your immune system strong during training.
-
Certified USDA Organic, Non GMO Project Verified, NSF Certified for Sport.
Is it safe to take protein powder every day?
There are definitely health limits for proteins in general, and protein powders in particular.
In general health-conscious individuals can take protein supplements for at least a day to withstand at least 1.5 grams of weight per kilogram of body weight and without adverse health outcomes.
Do protein shakes actually help? Can you drink protein shakes everyday?
Protein shakes offer a quick boost following a workout and the consumption of these nutrients helps to strengthen muscles during workouts. You can get protein shakes daily, but be sure to get most of them from whole foods sources. Without whole foods, you will lose important nutrition essential for your body’s health and a good source of energy for training.
Orgain Grass Fed Clean Protein Shake
-
Constains grass fed milk protein sourced from New Zealand
-
Meal replacement that offers 20 g of protein per serving
-
Ready to drink, gluten free, soy free, Kosher
-
Can be used for protein supplementation, post workout, on-the-go snack, or to reduce cravings.
Is whey protein safer than creatine?
Whey protein provides much more nutritive power than creatine. Whey protein is known for its high bioavailability and is easy for the body to get more protein.
Who should not take whey protein?
Pingback: Best Protein Powders Selling Like Crazy on Amazon - The Diet of the Common Sense