Whey Protein Facts

When you picture high quality protein, you might be picturing a big steak or some other type of meat. To your amazement, the best protein source does not come from red meat, it comes from milk ……….. I know I know, it’s not that exciting.

When milk is turned into cheese, whey protein is filtered, or separated out. Milk is mostly made up of water. Somewhere around 10 – 15% of milk is a solid form. When this solid gets broken down, the whey protein is separated.

Hopefully you’re working out on a regular basis. Let’s assume you hit the gym and do some sort of weight training activity. Therefore, we’ll call you an athlete :)

Whey protein is very important for athletes because they need much more protein then the average couch potato. When you exercise, your muscles tear and breakdown. When you’re done working out, your muscles are starving for nourishment. They’re looking to rebuild and grow, and whey protein is the best medicine.

Many top trainers always stress that you don’t grow in the gym. You grow and build muscle when you’re eating and resting. There is a 90 minute window after a workout where you should refuel your body. This is the best time to feed your muscles the proper food they need to grow and rebuild. Whey protein is the best choice for a post workout meal.

Whey Protein Facts: What is in Whey, which makes it the best protein source?

If we quickly review how protein is formed and its ingredients, we can really understand why whey is the best choice.

Proteins are the building blocks of our muscle and body tissue. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

Whey protein is a complete protein. This means it contains all the essential amino acids that your body needs. These are called essential, because your body does not produce them naturally. You need to get them through your diet.

Whey protein has the maximum or best source of these essential amino acids. This is why it is the most popular protein for athletes and bodybuilders.

When you exercise your body requires more of these amino acids because they are being used up. When you lift weights, or run on the treadmill, these proteins are being absorbed by your muscles. In a sense, your muscles are stealing these proteins and using them to rebuild themselves. If you don’t have enough of these amino acids, you get tired and weak.

It’s also very common for people to consume whey protein before their workouts. We’ve all had those days where we just feel weak and “out of it.” We can’t lift as much, or we get tired after a couple laps. Well, lack of protein may be contributing to those bad workouts.

You don’t have to be an extreme athlete to be supplementing your protein. Protein supplements like whey should also be valued at their convenience.

Next to quality, convenience is another great reason to supplement your protein with health supplements. Whey protein can be prepared in a few minutes. If you’re running short of time and need a quick healthy meal, whey protein is a great choice.

If you’re interested in losing weight, adding whey to your diet is a smart choice. Whey protein helps build muscle. If you increase your muscle mass you increase your metabolism and burn fat.

For most people, there won’t be any real advantages between isolate and concentrate protein.

Isolate is a purer form of protein. All other things being equal, you should use whey protein isolate because it contains higher amounts of protein per serving. Of course it doesn’t always work that way. Whey protein isolate usually costs more than whey protein concentrate.

I believe whey protein concentrate is good enough on its own. The added purity of isolate does not outweigh the price increase.

The bottom line: Unless you’re lactose intolerant or are prone to gas and upset stomachs, concentrate is just as good as isolate.

In the bodybuilding world, mixing supplements is usually referred to as a supplement stack. As you can imagine, it is a great marketing tool to promote additional products for back end sales. But in the world of nutrition, mixing nutrients and products can be beneficial.

Many nutrients need to work together to perform properly. That is why the importance of quality with health supplements is always a big concern.

Protein works better if you have the proper nutrients in your body to break it down. A high quality multivitamin is the most important supplement to take. If you’re not taking a multivitamin, please read some information on it. Other supplements that work well with protein are glutamine and creatine.

If you have the choice over a piece of chicken or a protein shake, you’d probably take the chicken. So would I. Unfortunately it’s not always in the cards, or the budget :(

Food can be expensive. Especially when you’re trying to eat 5 healthy meals a day. Now, this is certainly not an excuse to eat unhealthy foods. The cost of not eating healthy is much much worse.

But, to get into great shape it can be very pricey if you only get your protein from fresh foods like chicken, beef and fish.

Each serving has 1 gram of fat, and 30mg of cholesterol. A 5 pound container is usually $42.00 US. There are 14 servings per pound.

After a little bit of research I found what was labeled as a bargain on chicken. I’ve never seen chicken priced this low but it was available.

Package of 8 chicken breasts at $9.38 = $1.17 per chicken breast 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 510 mg sodium and 23 grams protein per chicken breast.

Again, I’ve never seen chicken that cheap at the grocery store, but if you can find a deal like that, you are still paying double per gram of protein, and you’re getting double the amount of fat and cholesterol.

This is just one basic example with approximations. The end result is that protein supplements are definitely worth the money. Highest quality, cheapest price.

But sometimes it’s nice to have a

little scientific research that backs up health supplements. There are always the skeptics out there that say health supplements are a waste of money....

Well it’s always tough to argue with the great minds down at the JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) or American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

In type 2 diabetics, whey added to high-GI meals may increase insulin secretion and improve blood glucose clearance after a meal. This can be of significant benefit to those with reduced insulin secretion and/or compromised blood glucose regulation.

Whey improves insulin response in type 2 diabetics.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers evaluated whether supplementation of high-glycemic meals (GI) with whey proteins would increase insulin secretion and improve blood glucose control in type 2 diabetics.

Subjects with type 2 diabetes were served a high-GI breakfast and lunch supplemented with whey on one day, and lean ham and lactose on another day.

When whey was included in the meal, insulin responses were significantly higher for both breakfast and lunch than when it was not included. In addition, blood glucose response was significantly reduced after lunch with the inclusion of whey.

Plain and simple: Whey is an excellent tool for building and maintaining muscle.

Like many health supplements, quality plays such an important role with protein sources.

Luckily, most supplements from respected companies provide quality products that allow your body to absorb the protein.

When it comes to Protein.... Whey is the Champ

When it comes to Protein....
Whey is the Champ