Protein powders are popularbut are they healthy?
But is protein powder healthy, and what is it made from?
Should you be using it?
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Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions and more.
What Is Protein Powder?
Protein powder is popular among athletes and fitness gurus for helping build muscle and boost physical performance.
But protein powder isn’t only for exercise and sports.
Protein powder is a dietary supplement made by extracting protein from animal and plant foods.
Whey protein is rich in the essential amino acid leucine and is easily digestible.
Other animal-based protein powders come from eggs, collagen and casein.
Casein makes up the other 80% of cow’s milk protein.
Plant-Based Protein
The ever-increasing trend of plant-based food products has created a demand forplant-based protein powders.
These products are great for those with dairy allergies.
A 2020 review inClinical Nutrition ESPENfound reductions in body weight and fat mass in adults taking whey protein supplements.
Muscle Growth
Weight lifters widely use protein shakes and supplements to help with muscle gain.
Protein powder stimulates muscle growth in active individuals.
Prevention of Muscle Loss
Older adults have increased protein needs.
Because of aging, older adults may experience reduced intake of foods, reduced physical activity and muscle loss.
Muscle loss can increase the risk of injury, partly due to creating an increased risk of falling.
A 2020 review inExperimental Gerontologysuggests whey protein prevents fall risks and muscle loss in the elderly.
This makes it easy to eat on the go.
Versatile
The numerous special diets and food allergies today have increased the demand for diet-friendly foods.
You might follow a vegan lifestyle and need a vegan protein powder.
You could be wanting to control your carbohydrate intake and need a low-carbohydrate protein powder.
Do you want to enhance your skin health?
Maybe acollagen protein powderis for you.
The study also detected levels of mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
For example, eating too much protein can put undue stress on your kidneys, creating an acidic environment.
When people increase their protein intake, they also often decrease their intake of carbohydrates.
This canleave you feeling lethargic and unable to focus.
It can also leave you constipated as fewer carbs mean fewer whole grains and nutrients, including fiber.
And fiber is necessary to keep things moving through your gut.
Expense
High-quality protein powders may be more expensive to purchase compared to whole-food proteins.
For example, you could pay anywhere between $0.42-$2.90 per ounce for protein powder.
But you could find protein-rich tofu at a grocery store for about $0.18 per ounce.
But according to a 2019 study inCurrent Sports Medicine Reports, some organizations do independent verification of products.
TheNational Sanitation Foundation (NSF)is one of these organizations.
jot down of Protein
To choose the best jot down of protein, consider your goals.
If you’re trying to add muscle mass and strength, you may want to try whey protein.
Or if you’re looking toadd fiber to your diet, you could consider using hemp protein powder.
Some are sweetened with sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.
It’s best to choose a protein powder with little or no added sugar and no added artificial sweeteners.
Protein recommendations may change based on activity level, health goals and aging.
Depending on your individual needs and health goals, protein powder supplements may or may not benefit you.
The first-line approach to nutrition is to attain optimal health through whole foods.
Many high-protein foods can help you meet your protein needs.
Protein powders can fit into most eating patterns and help you meet your health goals.
Just rememberprotein powder is a dietary supplement.
This means it enhances your diet.
Be sure to be eatingwhole food proteinsas part of a healthy diet first.
