Stop Wasting Money on Protein Supplements!
The scene is all too familiar. We constantly see athletes, body builders, and others finish their workout change and then reach for their protein shake. Some say we need a quick source of protein after exercising or else we waste our workout. Others swear it is impossible to build muscle without it.
But what is so magical about these protein shakes? I hate to break the news to some of you but probably the only benefit you are getting from them is convenience. At the end of the day the supplement industry is a business and while the advertisements might make it seem like their products are the ticket to strength gains, the healthy way to build muscle and get in shape is through enough dietary protein complemented with hard work at the gym consisting of progressively overloading your muscles.
So where should we get our protein and how much do we need daily? The answer to the first question is that there are countless options! Animal products are often incredibly rich in protein. For perspective, a single egg will give you 6 grams of protein. A 6 oz. salmon fillet will give you around 35 grams. Just one chicken breast contains around 50 grams!
When it comes to some plant sources of protein, it is going to be a little tougher to get the protein you need. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or ½ a cup of cooked beans will give you about 8 grams of protein, and bitter greens like kale will give you about 3 grams per cup, raw. From a health perspective getting animal protein in our diet is incredibly beneficial because it provides us with complete protein supplying all of the essential amino acids. Since most plant-based proteins do not contain all of the essential amino acids that we need, if we want to stick to a plant-based diet it means we will need a larger variety of foods to get the protein we need without supplementation. However, what all these raw foods have in common is that they give us a far better nutrient balance over supplemental protein. Meanwhile supplemental protein powder, if anything is full a bunch of additives we would really rather not put in our bodies. Its lone advantage is convenience and ease of measurement.
You have likely been told at least a couple times in your life to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body mass. However, that is typically more than we need for it would imply that most of ua need to get 40 or more percent of our calories from protein. A more accurate ratio would be getting anywhere between 20% and 30% of your calories from protein. To do that aim instead for 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of LEAN body mass to build and maintain muscle. Consuming more simply leads to the protein being used for other physiological demands such as becoming a source of energy.
Consuming an excessive amount of protein, particularly the commonly supplemented whey protein produces an insulin spike that is higher than that of even white bread. This energy spike and crash means that your food cravings aren’t satisfied for very long. Protein in food satiates us more, whereas when we use protein supplementation it can be easier to overdo it. And we don’t want to overdo it with protein either because consuming too much protein in any form also increases the acid load on the kidneys. The reason for this is that excessive amounts of protein mess with the body’s calcium balance, which can also contribute to the formation of painful kidney stones.
When we say we want to lose weight, for most of us that means wanting to lose fat, not muscle! Nutrition aside, to lose any weight, you must put your body in a caloric deficit during which your body is forced to utilize a form of stored energy to function. As part of preventing your body from consuming your muscles as that fuel source, you need to be sure that you are strength training and getting enough dietary protein to recover from your day to day activities, without overdoing it.
This brings us to address the final supplement myth, the myth that we need a quick source or protein to satisfy our “anabolic window”. Most muscle recovery does not occur right after we workout, but over time as our body adapts to the progressive overload that we put on it. A lot of that recovery happens even as we sleep as our body conducts its natural repair processes. It is far more important that we get enough protein overall as well as adequate rest and recovery.
So if having better overall fitness is your goal, do yourself a favor. Put the get mass gaining protein products to the side and instead clean up your nutrition and get that strength training routine in order. If you are looking for a program that can help you do just that, sign up for our Revivalize Total Health Programs. We will guide you on the right track to start building muscle and burn stubborn fat!
Leo Gabriel, Revivalize Inc.
Sources
[1]https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(02)00039-2/fulltext
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1169452/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905294/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3471010/
[5] https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(09)00310-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1550413109003106%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Go Back But what is so magical about these protein shakes? I hate to break the news to some of you but probably the only benefit you are getting from them is convenience. At the end of the day the supplement industry is a business and while the advertisements might make it seem like their products are the ticket to strength gains, the healthy way to build muscle and get in shape is through enough dietary protein complemented with hard work at the gym consisting of progressively overloading your muscles.
So where should we get our protein and how much do we need daily? The answer to the first question is that there are countless options! Animal products are often incredibly rich in protein. For perspective, a single egg will give you 6 grams of protein. A 6 oz. salmon fillet will give you around 35 grams. Just one chicken breast contains around 50 grams!
When it comes to some plant sources of protein, it is going to be a little tougher to get the protein you need. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or ½ a cup of cooked beans will give you about 8 grams of protein, and bitter greens like kale will give you about 3 grams per cup, raw. From a health perspective getting animal protein in our diet is incredibly beneficial because it provides us with complete protein supplying all of the essential amino acids. Since most plant-based proteins do not contain all of the essential amino acids that we need, if we want to stick to a plant-based diet it means we will need a larger variety of foods to get the protein we need without supplementation. However, what all these raw foods have in common is that they give us a far better nutrient balance over supplemental protein. Meanwhile supplemental protein powder, if anything is full a bunch of additives we would really rather not put in our bodies. Its lone advantage is convenience and ease of measurement.
You have likely been told at least a couple times in your life to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body mass. However, that is typically more than we need for it would imply that most of ua need to get 40 or more percent of our calories from protein. A more accurate ratio would be getting anywhere between 20% and 30% of your calories from protein. To do that aim instead for 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of LEAN body mass to build and maintain muscle. Consuming more simply leads to the protein being used for other physiological demands such as becoming a source of energy.
Consuming an excessive amount of protein, particularly the commonly supplemented whey protein produces an insulin spike that is higher than that of even white bread. This energy spike and crash means that your food cravings aren’t satisfied for very long. Protein in food satiates us more, whereas when we use protein supplementation it can be easier to overdo it. And we don’t want to overdo it with protein either because consuming too much protein in any form also increases the acid load on the kidneys. The reason for this is that excessive amounts of protein mess with the body’s calcium balance, which can also contribute to the formation of painful kidney stones.
When we say we want to lose weight, for most of us that means wanting to lose fat, not muscle! Nutrition aside, to lose any weight, you must put your body in a caloric deficit during which your body is forced to utilize a form of stored energy to function. As part of preventing your body from consuming your muscles as that fuel source, you need to be sure that you are strength training and getting enough dietary protein to recover from your day to day activities, without overdoing it.
This brings us to address the final supplement myth, the myth that we need a quick source or protein to satisfy our “anabolic window”. Most muscle recovery does not occur right after we workout, but over time as our body adapts to the progressive overload that we put on it. A lot of that recovery happens even as we sleep as our body conducts its natural repair processes. It is far more important that we get enough protein overall as well as adequate rest and recovery.
So if having better overall fitness is your goal, do yourself a favor. Put the get mass gaining protein products to the side and instead clean up your nutrition and get that strength training routine in order. If you are looking for a program that can help you do just that, sign up for our Revivalize Total Health Programs. We will guide you on the right track to start building muscle and burn stubborn fat!
Leo Gabriel, Revivalize Inc.
Sources
[1]https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(02)00039-2/fulltext
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1169452/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905294/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3471010/
[5] https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(09)00310-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1550413109003106%3Fshowall%3Dtrue