Thursday, August 21, 2008

Protein Powder - It's Not All Created Equal

Hello all....

In our fast paced lifestyle, we often choose to do our eating on the run, or at least in a manner that's as quick and convenient as we can. We just don't take the time and patience to really prepare meals like our parents generation did.

As a long time strength athlete and person concerned about strength, fitness, and building muscle, I have been using protein powders for years. I never really thought of protein powder as fast food, but it IS!

I am not saying that it is as unhealthy as a large Coke and fries, but the wrong type of protein powder can cause problems for you and I'm going to relate some personal experience to explain why.

Powdered protein has come a long way over the years to the point where it is much tastier and easier to mix then what we used years ago. However, as always, cost is the key factor for companies that make the stuff, and whey concentrate has emerged as the cheapest form of protein powder to make. This means that it ends up in most over the counter protein powders that are sold to the public.

The problem with whey concentrate is that it has a high "glycemic
index
" which means that it tends to raise blood sugar somewhat rapidly. Once blood sugar goes up, the body secrets insulin to bring it down again. When your blood sugar falls, you will feel a loss of energy and a lethargic feeling because your brain runs on glucose and is now not getting enough to keep you alert and focused.

I have written a web page about protein choices which will go into more detail and explain which types of protein are best. I have because of my experiences gone to a casein based protein rather than whey, as it takes much longer to digest, but gives you a much more stable blood sugar level, and I feel, helps build more muscle in the long run.

Check out my page here:
The Best Protein Supplement


If you use protein powder as part of your dietary routine, you need to know this information. Incorrect protein sources can sabotage your nutritional efforts, so check out this page and get the facts!

1 comment:

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