Protein Power Mix – Web MD Touts The Benefits Of Protein Shakes

Protein shakes

(THP) As interest in health and nutrition grows, more and more people are trying protein shakes as a way to lose weight or enhance their sports performance. What do protein shakes consist of, and what are their true benefits? Here’s some information to guide you.

What are protein shakes?

Protein is one of the body’s main building blocks for muscle, bone, skin, and other tissues. Used often by athletes, protein shakes come in many combinations of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They can range from 100% protein to mostly carbohydrates with a little added protein and fat. Protein shakes come in a variety of flavours in powder form or in ready-to-drink packages, such as cans or foil packs.

What are the benefits of protein shakes?

Safe for people who are healthy and fit, protein shakes are used mainly by athletes who need nourishment right after their workouts, says Jose Antonio, chief executive officer and co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). ‘Most people can’t make a meal immediately post-workout’, he says. ‘So these ready-to-drink shakes are really your best alternative’.

According to the ISSN, protein shakes are a safe way to ensure enough protein, when used as part of a balanced, nutrient-rich diet. This counters the view that protein shakes can be harmful to kidneys or bones.

• Although research hasn’t proven their role in sports performance and muscle strength, protein shakes may offer certain benefits.
• An endurance athlete may find it easier to train with the help of protein shakes, says Antonio. That’s because they help the body recover from intense exercise. Protein shakes do this mainly by restoring muscle glycogen, a fuel source for exercise, which gets used up during workouts.
• For the strength athlete, protein shakes can also help repair damage to muscles that can occur with serious bodybuilding.
• The general fitness enthusiast who works out hard but doesn’t want to be a marathon runner or bodybuilder may also benefit, says Antonio. This is the kind of person who might run twice a week and lift weights twice a week.

Some research shows other benefits as well. For example, a study of 130 U.S. Marines looked at intense exercisers who supplemented their diet with 10 g of protein, 8 g of carbohydrates, and 3 g of fat. They had fewer infections, less heat exhaustion, and less muscle soreness. Some protein shakes may help with weight management, as well. But more research is needed to confirm this.

How much protein do you need?

Almost all people can get the protein they need from whole foods and drinks in their diet. The recommended daily intake of protein for healthy adults is 0.75 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, or about 45 to 56 g of protein a day.

How much protein do you need? continued…

In most cases, only those who are active and restrict calories or are strict vegetarians are at risk for low protein.

People who exercise regularly do need more energy. They may also need a little more protein than people who are less active. Adding protein doesn’t add muscle mass, though, as many people believe.

The ISSN recommends that exercisers get 1.4 to 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Endurance athletes should be at the lower end of this range and strength athletes at the higher end. How much you need depends on the type and intensity of your exercise, the quality of the protein you eat, and your energy level and carbohydrate intake.

This is what the ISSN recommends:

• For endurance athletes: 1 to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, depending on intensity and duration of exercise and the training status of the athlete
• For strength or power athletes: 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily

What is the protein content of protein shakes?

Everyone, including athletes, can meet their protein needs without supplements or shakes. When choosing protein shakes, read the label to select the one with the composition that meets your needs.

Protein shakes vary in protein content. ‘If you’re a body builder, you’re going to shift to the drinks that have a bit more protein’. like Worldwide Sport Nutrition says Antonio. Endurance athletes are likely to favour drinks with more carbohydrates, he says, but the most important thing is simply to drink something after your workout.

If your goal is to lose body fat, change to a protein shake that’s mainly protein, has fewer carbohydrates, and only a little bit of fat, such as Slim-Fast. ‘Make sure the product is more than 50% protein if your goal is body fat loss’, Antonio says.

For those in the middle range — someone who works out regularly but isn’t at the competitive level — a popular protein shake is Muscle Milk. It fits somewhere between high-protein and high-carbohydrate shakes, says Antonio. Muscle Milk contains milk protein, combined with carbs and fats. It contains more fat than the average protein shake, he says, but it’s a type that does not increase cardiovascular risk.

What are the different types of protein in protein shakes?

Protein shakes contain many different types of protein in varying amounts. They may include:

• Milk
• Whey
• Casein
• Egg
• Soy

The source of the protein and how it’s purified during manufacturing may affect how well your body can digest and absorb its amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Although it’s best to obtain protein through your diet, supplementing it with a combination of whey and casein is a good choice.

What are the different types of protein in protein shakes? continued…

Whey protein is:

• A protein found in milk
• Fast-absorbing
• In your body for a shorter time
• A good supplement after intense workouts

Casein protein is:

• The main protein in milk
• Slow-absorbing
• In your body for a longer time
• A good supplement for meal replacements or to take before bed

Soy protein is as effective as most animal sources of protein, although many male athletes think of it as a ‘girl’s protein’, Antonio says. ‘But this is where public perception and scientific reality clash’. Research doesn’t support the fears that soy protein lowers blood levels of testosterone or reduces lean body mass.

Some women may take soy protein shakes in the hopes of curbing menopausal symptoms. But research results have been mixed.

Soy protein is:

• A plant-based source of protein
• As digestible as other sources of protein
• Known for its antioxidant capabilities
• A good supplement for meal replacements

Protein Power Mix is a whey protein drink that is simply the best sports shake available. To learn more click here>>

True Healthy Products, LLC
915 N Courtenay Parkway
Merritt Island, FL 32953
USA
Email: support@truehealthyproducts.com
Toll Free: 888-400-2920
Fax: 321-821-1310

Proper Nutrition Fuels The Body – Stemulite Is The High Octane You Need For The Prolific Edge – Part 1

In the event you are reading this, you probably go to your local gym on a regular basis. More than likely, you will see the same faces, doing the same exercises, using the same cardio equipment, and training major muscle groups. These people in the gym, are there everyday, putting in their time just like you. Weeks go by, those weeks turn into months, and before you know it 6 months have come and gone. You might ponder, “Why haven’t their bodies changed?”

There are a select few who stand out in the gym that have gained some size, but its not lean body mass it’s FAT. Then you look at yourself in the mirror, and you notice you haven’t changed. You ask yourself “Why?” Believe it or not, you’re probably doing everything right except…. Eating right.

When people come up to me and ask, “How do you do it?”, I tell them how lifting weights, cardio and resting (recovery) is the hard part. The main element that most people are missing is DIET. The diet is the easiest part of getting that good if not great physique everyone is looking for. Most people think of diet as calorie restriction, and to a certain degree they are right, however, in the fitness world it’s all about proper nutrition.

Three main areas to focus on are:

1. Eating the right foods
2. Eating at certain times
3. Eating the right proportions

Planning all your meals in advance may sound tedious, but when you plan and prepare your meals ahead of time… it becomes easy.

You are probably saying “If it’s that easy, why can’t I do it?”. It has to do with dedication and determination. Each day we get out of bed to start our day, we have a decision to make, “Am I going to have a good day or bad day?” By this I mean, why let someone or something control the outcome of my day. You control life and its outcome. If you are making it to the gym 3, 4 or 5 times a week, you must have some type of willpower.

With that being said, it doesn’t take much to add a proper diet in the mix. Do you have to go to the extremes? Not if you’re not going to compete. Do you have to make your diet so difficult it makes your life miserable? Make small adjustments, ones that you can live with, then make a few more, and before you know it you are on the road to having that good or great body you have always wanted.

Perhaps, if you think of your body like a gas engine all of this will make sense. When the gas gauge in your car gets to empty, stopping to refuel the tank, or the car will stop you and you will be left on the side of the road waiting for help. When calories are restricted what does the body do? Metabolism slows down and the built-in survival mode takes over. The built-in survival mode is intrinsic, in nature. When the body thinks it’s starving, everything eaten is stored it as fat. Is We’ll talk more about high and low glycemic carbs, good fats verses bad fats, and protein later.

Example: Your last meal was at 8:30 at night; you wake up at 6:30 in the morning the following day. Skipping breakfast, you finally eat lunch at noon. Sound like a typical day? I’m sure millions of people around the world do this, and this use to be me. What does this mean? We have gone 15.5 hours without eating. Our body thinks it’s starving and doesn’t know when it may eat again. So what happens? The survival mode kicks in. The food we ingest our body stores it as fat. Then it uses lean muscle tissue as energy. Here comes the little adjustment we talked about earlier.

It is imperative to not skip breakfast even if it’s a protein shake with a little oatmeal in it. It’s something you can drink in your car on the way to work. If you are eating fast food everyday for lunch, start with bringing your lunch 2 days a week. If you go back for seconds at dinner, only eat one plate, but don’t pile on 4 plates worth of food! Once you get use to these little changes add a few more. Add in a few healthy snacks throughout the day; ½ cup of fruit w/ plain yogurt, 1 oz of almonds, a couple of flavored rice cake w/ 1 tbs. of peanut butter.

Later This Month:

• Eating nutritionally sound foods
• Eating at proper intervals
• Eating the correct proportions

- Rod Johnston

When proper nutrition is combined with a natural quality bodybuilding supplement, like Stemulite Fitness Formulaä, the body can achieve more by doing less. To learn more click here>>

True Healthy Products, LLC
915 N Courtenay Parkway
Merritt Island, FL 32953
USA
Email: support@truehealthyproducts.com
Toll Free: 888-400-2920
Fax: 321-821-1310