21 Sep Protein Supplements: What you should know!
Protein is an essential building block for muscle, cell function, enzymes, hormones, fluid balance and immune function. Too much protein can damage your kidneys, lead to dehydration, cause bone loss and weight gain. Not enough protein can cause hormone deficiencies, and hinder your bodies ability to repair tissue damage. Getting the sweet spot is important for your overall health status.
The best source of protein is from whole foods; with proper meal planning, the average person should be able to meet their protein needs through a combination of grains, seeds, nuts, leagues, dairy and animal sources. However, if you follow a mostly vegetarian or vegan diet, are on a very low calorie diet or are a competitive althete, supplementation may be appropriate.
When choosing a supplement, there are many on the market and in many forms. Whey, soy, casein, pea… research has shown no difference between these sources on muscle repair or performance. It’s the ingredients that are included with the protein that you need to consider. Just like any other food packaged in the grocery store aisle, these products are processed so read the ingredient list and nutritional information. Avoid supplements with a lot of sugar (including sugar alcohols), high sodium, fat contents, etc., etc..
I personally recommend Isopure unflavored protein powder click here for ISOPURE website . It dissolves completely, doesn’t have a grainy texture or a chemical flavor aftertaste. It is unnoticeable in my smoothies. It also lacks sugar and other chemicals (including creatine, andros, etc) I don’t need. Most flavored powders contain a lot of sugar to help make the powder palatable. Do your research and then make an informed decision.
I am still working on a review of protein bars. My current favorite is GoMacro click here to go to GoMarco site. My biggest issue with bars is, like the protein powders, they add unnecessary sugar (or sugar alcohols) to your diet. Keep that in mind when shopping for bars, and make informed choices. Look for bars with 10g or less of sugar. I’ll talk more about sugar alcohols in future posts, but essentially it’s a way for food manufacturers to add sweetness and still claim a low sugar amount in the nutritional analysis. Sugar alcohols can lead to upset stomach and/or intestinal distress, which can be annoying if you consume them before a workout. I’m taste testing several bars and will post a complete tally of my results in the coming weeks.
As always, my first recommendation is to eat your calories. But in a pinch, when necessary, protein supplements can be integrated into your diet. If you have any questions, or would like to see me tackle a certain issue you are having, please message me!
Coming next month: October is heart health and breast cancer awareness month, so we’ll talk about cholesterol and I’ll have some recipes with loads of antioxidants including a veggie, sausage and pasta bake, my famous caesar vinaigrette, oven baked fish and chips, and much more.
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