All About Protein Powder!
What's the deal?
Protein powder is often associated with athletes and bodybuilders as a way to build muscle. Even so, protein powder has so much more to offer your body than that!
So, what does protein powder do for those of us who aren't athletes or bodybuilders?
What IS protein powder?
Protein provides the amino acids that are important for growth, maintenance and repair of the body’s cells and muscles.
Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids, 9 amino acids are called ‘essential’ as we can only obtain them from our diet. The others our body can make itself. These 9 amino acids can be found in red meat, poultry, fish/seafood, milk and milk products, eggs, quinoa and tofu. By eating these protein-rich foods and maintaining a healthy diet, you can get sufficient protein in your diet naturally!
Protein powder is a dietary supplement that consists of protein isolated from food sources. Dietary supplements, as their name indicates, are meant to supplement, not replace, natural protein sources.
An easy way to get protein in is to add a protein powder to your porridge, smoothie etc. DediKate Members receive 10% off True Protein, head to Member Deals on DediKate to get yours! 💰
What is protein powder used for?
Protein powder is used as a dietary supplement by those who find it difficult to reach their protein target through food for whatever reason or who simply prefer to use a protein powder in their day-to-day lives!
Those that may find protein powder helpful include:
- People with a busy lifestyle who find the speed and transportability of powder easier.
- People with high protein requirements due to sport, surgery and recovery.
- People with high protein requirements due to large body size.
- People with small appetites who can’t or don't eat enough food.
- People who are vegetarian or vegan.
- People who like the taste and convenience of protein powder (because blending a steak with your fruit in the morning just wouldn’t be the same, right?).
How do I tell if a protein powder is good quality?
Protein powders are widely available and as such come in all different shapes, sizes, flavours and quality. To choose a high quality product, you will need to check the nutrition label for things like protein and amino acid content.
The best way to check for quality is to look at a few things on the nutrition label:
- Protein content for protein specific powders are usually at least > 20g per serve, if not closer to the 24-25g mark.
- Good quality protein powders usually list the amino acid profile. This is the amount of each of the different amino acids (the building blocks of full proteins) such as valine and leucine. Be wary of products that don’t share this information, even online.
- High quality proteins are usually high in leucine, the amino acid commonly associated with triggering muscle growth. Leucine content should typically be > 2.5g/ 2500mg per serve. Plant based proteins are generally lower quality proteins due to lower amino acid levels such as leucine.
- There will be no or a low amount of extra ingredients. High quality products do not need to bulk up on cheap ingredients such as creatine, vitamins, minerals, and green tea extract etc.
- False advertising claims. If your protein powder tells you it is a fat burner and will lead you to a unicorn grove at the end of the la la-land rainbow. It won’t. It is just a food supplement and should not be suggesting it is anything else!
Different types of protein powder:
Whey
Whey protein is the fluid protein portion of milk after it has been separated from the curd, more commonly known in the process of making cheese. Curds and whey? This fluid is then dried and powdered to make whey protein powder which in its basic form is called whey concentrate and is around 80% protein. Whey concentrate is a cheap, rapidly absorbed protein with all 20 of the amino acids (building blocks of proteins). This makes it a high quality and affordable protein supplement option. It has been found that whey protein helps promote muscle growth and repair, and may increase fat loss and improve muscle retention.
If you like your protein powder to have less fat, carbohydrate, lactose (milk sugar) and calories or pack a higher protein punch, you may want to choose whey protein isolate instead. This is whey protein that has been further processed to remove more fat and sugars, making it around 90% protein. For this reason, whey isolate tends to be more expensive than whey concentrate. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference because it is unlikely you will see a physiological difference between using either concentrate or isolate!
Different types of Protein Powder
Plant based proteins
Plant based proteins are, as the name suggests, derived from plants. These include proteins predominantly from grains, legumes or seeds such as rice, pea, hemp seed, chia seed or sunflower seed. Plant based proteins are ideal for those wanting to avoid eating animal products such as vegans. They have the added benefit of being lactose free for those with lactose intolerance. Plants by nature tend to provide a lower quality protein because they are often missing 1 or more of the 20 amino acids which make up protein molecules. They also typically have lower levels of amino acids, such as leucine, and for that reason may not be as effective at triggering muscle growth.
Blends
Protein blends are a mixture of different types of protein and may even be superior by covering multiple bases in one supplement. For example, whilst single ingredient plant based proteins don’t tend to contain all 20 amino acids, a blend using different plant sources which compliment each other to ultimately contain all 20 is a superior product. Plant blends can therefore contain more and higher amounts of amino acids, perhaps even to compete with animal based proteins. Protein blends may also include fast absorbing whey proteins and slow absorbing casein proteins to give muscles a rapid hit of amino acids for growth and a slow release of amino acids to support ongoing recovery. Blending proteins can also reduce the price of products whilst still producing a high quality product, for example, blending whey isolate with whey concentrate and egg protein (albumin).
Benefits of protein powders:
✔️ Boosts metabolism - Combining a high-protein diet with exercise and strength training can boost metabolism because you'll be focused on muscle growth, and muscle burns more calories than fat. If you're looking to lose weight, increasing your metabolism is a good thing!
✔️ Decreases muscle breakdown, therefore protecting muscle in times of increased breakdown, such as during dieting or hard exercise.
✔️ Increases satiety, keeping you fuller for longer periods.
✔️ Helpful for at risk groups struggling with hitting protein targets (illness, vegetarians).
✔️ Convenient and transportable protein for busy people.
✔️ Comes in tasty flavours to suit most peoples palate!
✔️ Milk derived options often supply other vitamins and minerals such as calcium.
✔️ Muscle growth and recovery - A protein shake after a workout can help you gain muscle mass and aid in recovery.
We want to be clear: adding a few protein shakes to your diet does not mean you can skip the rest of the food pyramid and binge on chocolate and coffee all day! You should strive for a mix of natural, complete proteins and supplement with a well-made, high quality protein powder to help you reach your fitness and health goals.
Want more nutrition tips and advice?
Claire is our DediKate Nutritionist, who answers our nutrition questions and runs nutrition workshops and programmes!
Claire is a registered nutritionist with a passion for psychology, with over 18 years experience. She is a published author with two best-selling books, the owner and director of the private nutrition practice and workplace wellness company Mission Nutrition!
Claire has selected highly qualified and experienced nutritionists and dietitians from around the country who share her values and have the knowledge, skills and experience to help you reach your own specific health goals so you can look and feel your best each and every day.
Get in touch with Claire today or find out more about Mission Nutrition!
Claire's Masterclass replays are also available at any time!
