Best Protein Powders for Weight Loss. Protein powder shakes contain little or no carbohydrates, fat and other essential nutrients. Protein powder shakes are very low calorie and are not designed to replace a meal. Instead they function as a supplement to provide your body with a generous amount of quality protein for those who wish to increase their protein intake. Essentially, protein powder shakes provide a quick fix/ snack of high quality protein without the fat and carbohydrates (find out about the difference between protein shakes and meal replacement shakes). WHO SHOULD USE PROTEIN POWDERS? Athletes, exercise enthusiasts and those who want to gain muscle mass like to use protein shakes to help build and repair muscle. However, there is little agreement within scientific circles as to the necessity or advantage of protein and amino acid supplements in exercise training. Still, there is evidence that those on calorie- restricted diets and those who engage in intense physical activity may benefit from protein powders. Endurance and strength training athletes particularly, may have increased daily protein intake requirements. Protein powders help an endurance athletes recovery by restoring muscle glycogen, which gets used up during exercise. In terms of strength training, protein shakes help repair the damage to muscles that may occur following intense bodybuilding. Fitness enthusiasts who regularly exercise intensely may also benefit from protein powders. Protein shakes have shown to reduce infections, muscle soreness and heat exhaustion. They may also help with weight management. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) states that “Appropriately timed protein intake is an important component of an overall exercise training program, essential for proper recovery, immune function, and the growth and maintenance of lean body mass.”Although often suggested, in healthy persons with no underlying kidney disease, there is no evidence that higher protein intakes have adverse effects on the kidneys. As long as the intake of other nutrients is not reduced, there seems to be little harm in ingesting higher amounts of protein. ISSN asserts that 1. Protein requirements depend on the type and intensity of your workouts, the quality of the protein you eat, carbohydrate intake and daily energy expenditure. Endurance athletes: 1 to 1. Strength or power athletes: 1. Most people can – and will – meet their daily protein needs through regular food. Remember that you are able to increase your protein intake “naturally” by eating more protein- rich foods such as egg- whites milk, yogurt, eggs, poultry, fish and lean red meat. Man- made foods are never as good as “real” or whole foods. BEST TIME TO TAKE PROTEIN POWDERS? The most effective time to consume a protein shake is as follows: 1. You have not eaten for approximately 8 hours and a protein shake is ideal. Immediately post- workout. This is the most critical time, as after exercising your muscles need to rebuild and repair themselves. In other words, protein shakes at this time will aid recovery, preserve muscle mass and/or achieve muscle growth – particularly in combination with some carbohydrate. Protein shakes are especially advantageous here because solid protein/ food takes longer to digest. Before your workout. The protein shake will help preserve muscle tissue by minimizing exercise induced catabolism (muscle breakdown). It will also provide a small amount of energy. Consuming a protein shake at this time will attenuate the breakdown of protein that naturally takes place during sleep. This is a normal physiological process. However, if you are a hardgainer/ ectomorph and you are fighting to build muscle mass then then you may want to try to minimize any losses. WHY USE PROTEIN POWDERS? Protein powders are an easy way to consume protein. If your aim is muscle gain, protein shakes can help you meet your target, especially if you are eating 5 – 6 meals a day, don’t have the time to prepare fresh lean protein for every meal or you are a hardgainer struggling to gain weight/ lean mass. Some protein powders/ shakes are formulated to be fast- or slow- acting. Whey protein is absorbed fastest and ideal post- workout, while a casein protein is absorbed more slowly and better taken before bed. Protein powders are high in branched- chain amino acids (these amino acids make up approx. Supplying the body with these amino acids post- workout may help spare muscles and other tissues from breakdown, increase protein synthesis, regulate blood sugar levels, reduce fatigue during exercise and aid in fat loss. Supplementation may also help improve exercise performance, particularly in high- intensity, endurance exercise. Protein shakes/ protein powders are convenient. Most people are unable to make a meal immediately after exercising. Therefore, ready- to- drink shakes are an alternative. Dependent on the product, may be cost- efficient. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTEIN IN PROTEIN SHAKESCommon sources of protein in protein shakes/ protein powders are milk, whey, casein, egg, and soy- based. However, whey and casein are the most commonly used in protein shakes. Whey protein is fast- absorbing and high in all the essential amino acids and branched- chain amino acids. Whey protein is derived in the process of cheese- making from milk. There are two sub- types of whey protein: whey concentrate (2. Great after intense workouts. Casein protein is slow- absorbing and the main protein found in milk. Casein provides a sustained slow release of amino acids into the blood stream over several hours, improving its use by the body. Ideal to take before bed. Soy protein is a plant- based source of protein making it suitable for vegans. Soy protein is a “complete protein” as it provides all amino acids essential for human nutrition. However, soy is also the most allergenic food to humans after peanuts. Soy protein tends to be more popular with women. Preliminary findings of a study published in medical journal Fertility and Sterility (December 2. In this study 1. 8 postmenopausal women were given a shake every day for three months. However, half were randomly assigned to drink a soy- based shake each day, while the other half was given a shake containing milk protein (casein). The women, who drank the soy- based shake, were found to have lower levels of abdominal fat. These findings are thought to be the first to demonstrate that soy protein can affect abdominal fat distribution. MAKING A PROTEIN SHAKE – INGREDIENTS & TIPSYou can increase the calorie and carbohydrate content by mixing the protein powder with juice or milk instead of simply water and adding a variety of other ingredients (see below). If you are at home, you can of course make up your own protein shake in a blender, adding various ingredients such as fruit, fruit juices, nuts, oatmeal, skim milk, yogurt and low fat ice- cream to the protein powder to make it a more complete (and delicious) meal. This is a good option for breakfast or if you are feeling hungry, have a sweet tooth and want a snack. Add psyllium husks to increase the fiber content of their shake. Protein shakes and protein powder can improve muscle gains, aid recovery and help weight loss. In addition to giving you the. Bananas are a great base for protein shakes. Calories in bananas are low, fat is low too and it is a good source of protein. Increase the protein content of your protein shake by adding a few egg whites. To improve taste sweeten the protein shake with some extra ingredients. If you want to increase calories or flavor, add honey, cinnamon, maple syrup, cocoa powder, caramel, peanut butter or chocolate syrup – in moderation. To keep calories low add egg whites, with ice cubes and water to protein powder to make a very low calorie protein shake. Add fruits for sugar and low- fat yogurt to improve taste.
To boost nutritional content add essential fats (e. Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, flaxseed oil), which will it improve your protein shake by providing a more sustained release of protein, keeping you in positive nitrogen balance for longer. If you’re really brave try adding spirulina, chlorella or lecithin. Also good, multivitamin and probiotic powders. PRE- MIXING PROTEIN SHAKESIf you are using a protein powder to make your protein shake, it may not always be feasible to mix a protein shake when you need it, forcing you to prepare the shake long before you will be consuming it. For example, you may mix a protein shake in the morning to consume later at work or post- workout at the gym. However, ideally protein shakes should be consumed as soon as they are prepared. The longer protein shakes have been mixed, the more likely they are to be harvesting bacteria and other contaminants. Therefore, if you are on the run, use a shaker bottle and add the protein powder, then when you’re ready for your protein shake just add water, shake and drink. If you still want to pre- mix your protein shake here are a few tips that will increase the viability of your pre- mixed protein shake: The container you’re using must be clean and airtight. Once mixed, store the protein shake container in the fridge – room temperature is too warm. Avoid bacterial contamination by pouring the protein drink into a cup to drink. Don’t drink from the bottle. PROTEIN SHAKE RECIPESThis is a great way to satisfy a junk food craving without sending your blood sugar through the ceiling, while simultaneously nourishing your body with plenty of protein and healthy unsaturated fat. Add all ingredients to blender, whip, and serve. How Protein Helps Weight Loss By. Byron J. Richards, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist. The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, favorably influencing weight loss. Quality protein also helps you sustain muscle during weight loss, improve muscle fitness, immunity, and antioxidant function, build HDL cholesterol, and enhance insulin and leptin function – all of which contribute toward optimal weight management efforts over time. How Much Protein Do I Need for Weight Loss? A significant body of scientific evidence indicates that protein levels far higher than our government’s suggested levels of intake are optimal for weight loss. A minimal target amount is three- fourths of your ideal body weight in grams of protein per day, ranging up to three- fourths of your actual weight in grams of protein per day. For example, if you should weigh 1. Since each gram of protein is four calories, this means 4. This is around 3. The FDA bases its guidelines on only one aspect of protein need, nitrogen balance. That’s nice, but nitrogen balance as the only criteria for protein intake ignores the role of protein as a signaling molecule. It ignores the amount of protein needed to preserve muscle during weight loss and facilitate fat burning. Of this fat, the FDA wants to make sure you eat very little satisfying and energy producing saturated fat (2. You are supposed to round out this diet with 3. Do not snack and do not eat after dinner at night. Eat either two or three meals a day. The heavier your ideal weight and the more active you are, the more calories you can consume. Many Americans are eating 3,0. On top of that, a lot of the calories consumed are poor quality junk, adding insult to injury. If you are quite active then leave protein at 3. If you are not highly active, yet are at an ideal weight, then eat 2. On any diet, eat half your fat grams in saturated fat or you will not feel satisfied and you will have trouble sustaining energy between meals, which will cause you to be tired and eat more carbohydrates. Get two to six grams of omega- 3 essential fatty acids per day (higher amounts for weight loss and cardio health), and try to consume most of the rest of your fat as omega- 9 monounsaturated fat (like olive oil). The following information explains why this works. High Quality Protein for Weight Loss. Protein is made up of various amino acids. In terms of weight loss, scientists are finding that the most important amino acids are the branch chain amino acids, especially leucine. If you get your protein intake high enough, especially in proteins that are rich in leucine, a number of very interesting things happen that can activate a sluggish metabolism and result in weight loss. One easy way to get a lot of leucine, without any fat, is to use high quality whey protein. Casein, a common dairy protein allergen, is not part of whey protein. In this process saturated fat, cholesterol, and lactose are removed, yielding a very useful leucine rich food for metabolic enhancement. The highest sources of leucine containing foods are animal and dairy. If you avoid red meat and dairy products, it is harder to get leucine containing foods in higher amounts, though not impossible. Using whey protein makes it easy. Leucine has a direct signaling effect on muscle that prevents muscle loss during weight loss. This means that on a high protein diet, the weight that is lost is mostly fat, not muscle. Whereas on a high carbohydrate weight loss diet, much more muscle is lost. Leucine directly communicates to insulin, instructing it to work efficiently in muscle. This not only helps preserve muscle mass, but also helps muscles use glucose as fuel, in turn supporting healthy insulin function. This high protein, leucine rich diet invariably lowers blood levels of triglycerides, which helps leptin. A higher protein diet supports HDL formation while lowering triglycerides, a two- pronged benefit that not only helps weight management but also supports a healthier lipid profile for cardiovascular well- being. Layman points out that having a high protein breakfast. Leptin Diet: Eat a breakfast containing protein. This is because carbohydrates are easy- to- use fuels. You prevent your body from converting muscle protein to fuel (blood sugar) by eating higher protein, thus preserving muscle mass. Another great reason to eat a high protein breakfast is that it wakes up your liver and gives it something to do. A high protein breakfast can increase your metabolic rate by 3. Fats and carbohydrates are easy for your liver to use, increasing liver metabolism by only four percent, whereas protein must be taken apart and reassembled for use elsewhere in your body. This dynamic effect of protein has recently been shown to be the key in supporting your natural ability to burn fat at a faster rate. All your body structures, many hormones, a lot of enzymes, and neurotransmitters all require special proteins that your liver must help make. Protein showing up at your liver is like 2- by- 4- inch lumber and plywood showing up at a home construction job site. Individuals with extra weight are often sluggish, and hold extra water. This not only makes their blood pressure go up, as their heart tries to push harder to move the stagnation, but the extra water in connective tissues also gets directly in the way of fat burning. When you eat a higher protein diet then an important blood protein called albumin will increase. As albumin increases, through osmotic force, it draws water back out of your connective tissues, thus helping you get rid of fluid retention. If you have too much inflammation. A major problem of lower protein diets is just the opposite – the more carbohydrates overweight people eat, the more fluids they retain. Researchers compared a lower calorie diet fortified with 6. After a two month program the whey protein group lost on average six more pounds of fat, while dropping total cholesterol by 3. Another study of 9. While this amount of whey protein is significantly below what I would recommend to assist weight loss, the results of the trial were still quite good. During the first six months participants lost 2. In the next six months, on only 1. Further, many key parameters of cardiovascular health and leptin fitness were improved during the study, including decreases in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while HDL cholesterol increased. Many people involved alternative health are under the false impression that a high protein diet is acid forming, and thus bad for bones. If you fall into this category, the way to metabolize more protein is to gradually increase your intake while you simultaneously improve your fitness. As you build strength, you will be far healthier, your p. H will be better, and you will be able to get the benefits of eating a higher protein diet; for most people, it is simply a matter of increasing protein and reducing carbohydrates. This is one of many important strategies to improve the function of leptin in your metabolism, which is the key to successful weight loss and keeping the weight off once you have lost it. Originally published 1.
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