08 Sep LETS TALK PROTEIN POWDER

Have you ever walked into one of those supplement or vitamin stores and wondered what purpose, all that big inventory of powder in those giant tubs, that usually comprise a picture of some dude, who has injected one too many hits of steroids, actually achieves?

Or better yet have you ever purchased any protein powder, gone home put it through a blender then wondered, “Wow this tastes like shit. I’m drinking vanilla chalk”. To help lesson the confusion, my cousin, Dr. Thomas Boldt (Herbalist, Acupuncturist and Dr. Chinese Medicine) has been kind enough to explain to us what exactly protein powders accomplish.

Protein powder is used to supplement protein intake which helps one build muscle mass. We get protein powder from many different sources including whey, pea, and soy isolate. Recent studies have shown that the body absorbs only so much protein at a time, and some proteins are absorbed quicker than others. Bulking up on protein powder might only add calories to your diet and inches to your waist if your body cannot absorb the protein.

15 grams of whey protein without any additional dairy will take about an hour and a half to absorb, appearing to be the quickest of the powders. Protein that doesn’t get used may be stored as fat. So skip the excessive amounts that some brands tout, and use protein powder smartly. Experiment with which one your body digests best as some can cause a bit of gastrointestinal distress, and shouldn’t that be a clue that it might not be absorbing well? As with all supplementation, rely on whole foods for your protein and use the powders as an occasional booster.

If you’re training, incorporating the correct amount daily protein is important, whether from food or powder: 0.8-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is best for muscle growth when training. That’s a lot less than many product manufacturers want you to believe!