Is Whey Protein Right For You?
Whey protein has been around for years and years. It has been shown to have tremendous benefits for your body and your overall daily performance.
Many professional athletes use whey protein to help increase their overall strength and endurance, as well as help them recover faster after intense workouts.
What are some of the benefits of whey protein?
- Helps increase protein and BCAA intake.
- It helps your tendons, organs, and skin… as well as hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and all sorts of tiny molecules.
- Build more strength and healthy muscle.
- Proteins are also the building blocks of the contractile elements in muscle.
- Whey has been shown to be particularly effective at increasing muscle growth when consumed just before, after, or during a workout.
- Helps lose weight.
- Proven to prevent disease and build the immune system to prevent illness.
- Whey can increase metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day.
Taking whey protein is a great way to increase your protein intake, which should have great benefits for dieting or weight loss.
Studies have shown that replacing other calorie sources with whey protein, combined with weight lifting or resistance training, can cause a weight loss of about 8 pounds, while increasing lean muscle mass.
So, if you’re trying to lose weight, then a whey protein supplement can help you lose weight and maintain your precious muscle. Muscle plays a vital role in weight loss. It is proven that 1 pound of muscle burns up to 100 calories per day.
Muscle loss begins to occur at 30 years of age. This is another benefit of using a good quality whey protein to help maintain and build muscle. Of course, weight lifting or resistance training is recommended in conjunction with whey to help maintain the muscle you have and help build muscle to help burn fat.
Protein has been shown to help with weight loss by increasing metabolism (burning calories) and reducing appetite (calories you take in). Whey can help increase fat loss, while preserving lean muscle mass.
Of course, depending on what you want to do, it depends on the type of whey protein you need. If you want to lose weight and maintain the muscle you have, in addition to building muscle, it is recommended that you use a whey protein that is low in carbohydrates, but has a high level of protein (24 grams or more).
Beyond muscle, strength, and leanness, whey protein can provide many other health benefits as well.
Such as: lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and reducing symptoms of stress and depression. Whey protein is very rich in the amino acid cysteine, which has tremendous health benefits. Cysteine does this by raising levels of Glutathione, the main antioxidant substance in the cells of the body. Glutathione is very beneficial and important for the body.
Here are some benefits of glutathione:
- increases energy
- Slows down the aging process
- Reduces muscle and joint discomfort
- Strengthens the immune system
- Detoxifies the liver and cells.
- Improves mental focus and clarity.
- It enhances sleep quality
- Reduces the effects of stress.
- improves the skin
- Athletic performance and recovery.
As you can see above, glutathione is an important part of the defense system. Professional trainers and nutritionists recommend using a whey protein that contains glutathione or adding additional whey with glutathione.
When it comes to any type of muscle gain and fat loss, protein is the king of nutrients…and whey has been shown to be far superior to other forms of quality protein. Whey is the choice of top fitness models, professional athletes, bodybuilders, and powerlifters.
Whey on its own may not taste great, so getting a quality whey protein flavored with chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry is recommended. Most athletes and those using whey protein will add almond milk which really enhances the flavor. Almond milk with only 60 calories is the best option.
It is important that you read the list of ingredients, because some of them may have unhealthy additives such as refined sugar. Look for the ones that are lactose free as well.
Taking whey is a convenient way to add 25-50 grams of protein on top of your daily intake. This can be important for bodybuilders and gym enthusiasts, as well as people who need to lose weight or simply lack protein in their diet.
Most flavored whey proteins are also very delicious and can be used to make healthy recipes (like smoothies) that taste amazing. Most of the ones listed above have a mild flavor and are very good when used with 60 calorie almond milk.
Whey is generally well tolerated, although people with lactose intolerance should be careful with it, so choosing lactose-free whey protein is recommended. Be sure to choose whey that does not contain aspartame. Aspartame is dangerous and should be avoided.
What about the side effects?
People with kidney or liver problems may want to avoid whey protein. Be sure to consult with a medical professional before use.
Taking too much whey protein could cause digestive problems like nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, pain, and cramps. There are people who are allergic to whey and other supplements.
If you can’t tolerate whey protein powders, whey protein isolate or hydrolyzate may be better options for you. If this is the case, you can add more protein to your daily diet by looking for high-protein foods, such as meat, fish, and shrimp.
Can you have too much protein in your daily diet?
Eating massive amounts of protein is unnatural and can cause harm.
Having high percentages of protein in our daily diet is perfectly normal and safe. Many professional trainers and nutritionists have said that having a daily number of proteins higher than carbohydrates and fats is essential to maintain weight and also to lose body fat.
Keep in mind that athletes and those who train hard need more protein than normal people, especially strength athletes, runners, or bodybuilders.
In general, 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (2.2 grams per kg) or 30-40% of calories should be safe. You can visit websites like GNC, which have protein charts that you can use to determine the healthy daily amount of protein needed for you and your body weight.
For most people, there is no reason to worry about the exact number of grams of protein in the diet.
I personally eat over 100 grams of protein a day, which works great for me. I also recommend using some kind of daily food and exercise log, like the myfitnesspal.com app. This is a free app that you can use to enter each meal, exercise, your daily weight, water intake, and much more. This simple app will help you stay on track and hold you accountable to your weight loss, weight management, and fitness goals. This app can be found by going to your favorite search engine and searching for “myfitnesspal”.
You can find more whey protein benefits, delicious recipes, and additional information by visiting my blog.