Nutrition News

As with so many food items, there are a tremendous amount of protein powders to choose from. After some recent searching I felt it was essential that I wanted to help my clients navigate their choices.

Let’s start with why we are eating protein in the first place.

Here are five compelling reasons why you should make sure you are getting enough protein every day:

–  Build. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin. In fact, your hair and nails are mostly protein.

–  Repair. Your body uses it to build and repair tissue.

– Oxygenate. Red blood cells contain a protein compound that carries oxygen throughout the body. This helps supply your entire body with the nutrients it needs.

– Digest. About half the dietary protein that you consume each day goes into making enzymes, which aids in digesting food, and making new cells and body chemicals.

–  Regulate. Protein plays an important role in hormone regulation, especially during the transformation and development of cells during puberty.

The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day, or just over 7 grams for every 20 pounds of body weight.

• For a 140-pound person, that means about 50 grams of protein each day.

• For a 200-pound person, that means about 70 grams of protein each day.

That number changes the minute you are an active person. Protein is important because it provides the amino acids your body needs to build and repair muscle as mentioned above. Most research suggests very active people should eat 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

That means a 150-pound person should eat 82 to 136 grams each day.

In an ideal world most of the protein you eat should come from food sources, but that is not always possible and I have been spending time researching that the protein powders that can supplement our food are NOT all created equal in terms of their ingredients and labels.

There are two categories of protein powders I am going to talk about today: 1) Recovery Drinks that are specific for exercise recovery. They will contain more than just a protein powder as you need the carbohydrates and sodium addition that is included and 2) Protein Powders for daily use which can also be used for recovery but can also serve the purpose to round out protein needs for the day without adding excess beyond the protein desired.

Let’s start with Recovery Drinks. There are so many products on the market and I always like to tell clients that the best recovery drink is one that you will actually consume. Be realistic here. If you don’t like the taste of something don’t use it because you won’t actually drink it and will lose the benefits that drinking it will provide!

A Recovery Drink starts the recovery process after a long or hard exercise effort. You can definitely eat carbohydrates and protein after this effort, but a recovery drink is a quick and efficient way to get in calories, liquid, protein and carbs if you are not going to be near a meal soon and/or you are not feeling hungry right after your workout. Get that recovery refueling moving!

If taste is taken out of the factor, let’s talk about what you are looking for.

–          Carbohydrates and Protein. This means that there will be sugar in your recovery drink. If you don’t mind the taste of stevia go for it, but pay attention to the ingredient list if you don’t prefer it.

–          Pick your protein source. Luckily there are many options on the market: whey if you consume dairy, pea protein, rice protein, hemp protein.

–          Sodium/Electrolytes. While I will talk about sodium when it comes to pure protein powders, when you are considering a recovery drink, added sodium is not a bad thing. If you got behind on your electrolytes, you can now be covered in the rehydration that comes with your recovery drink.

Big things to stay away from!

–          Artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohol. Sucralose, Xylitol, Erthyritol. Run away! Again, sugar is not a bad thing when it comes to recovery.

–          A science experiment. This will be in both types of protein. Look for an ingredient list that is simple. After a long or hard effort the best you can do for your body is to put in something that your body is used to processing. Read the ingredient list!

Brands that are solid options: Skratch, Tailwind, Ultragen, Clif, Fluid – these are both Whey and Plant Based options. There are others, but these fit all of the ‘what you are looking for.’ A pouch to go option is Fuel For Fire.  It is a whey based protein, so not dairy-free.  

Protein Powder for daily use. The priority in your day is to get protein from the foods you eat. This is the best source to keep you feeling full and thinking about eating each meal with optimal balance. But, after workouts when you just aren’t getting in enough protein, it’s just not possible to get enough during the day, or you want some extra pre-sleep protein (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6415027/) and don’t want to eat a meal to get it. In these cases, a protein powder mixed in with your milk of choice, with water or as a smoothie for a snack or meal is an easy fix. BUT picking your protein may not be as easy as you think.

In speaking with a client and helping choose a protein we noticed that some protein powders are loaded with sodium. Then in further investigation I found that protein powders are loaded with so much beyond what you should be looking for: PROTEIN.

So what should your ingredient list look like?

–          Protein should be the priority. The protein options on the market are unlimited so get what you need:

o   Whey, Egg White, Pea, Hemp, Bone Broth are just a few options

o   At least 15g of protein per serving (this is not hard to find with most)

–          There can be added vitamins and minerals but it isn’t essential for your protein choice.

What you are NOT looking for:

–          Sodium. Yes, this is pretty surprising. The amount of sodium in some protein powders was over 400mg a serving. If you are being mindful of your daily sodium intake, not talking about training or racing nutrition, this amount has an impact on your daily consumption.

–          Cholesterol. Obviously, whey protein has cholesterol due to the dairy, but if you are watching your cholesterol this is something to be mindful of. Fortunately, there are many options that have 0mg of cholesterol.

–          Sweeteners. This is a big one for the buyer to beware of. Remember that you are looking for protein here, so stay away from added sweeteners. If you are choosing a protein with a sweetener, absolutely stay clear of sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, isomalt, maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate – next month will be a detailed newsletter on sweeteners) and artificial sweeteners like sucralose, which seems to be a common option in some protein powders.

Remember that you are adding protein powder in your day to support and increase your healthy eating, so make sure your product supports that.

Instead of sharing brands to steer clear of, use the guidelines above to weed out options yourself, I will highlight some that are hitting all of your needs!

Naked Protein – www.nakednutrition.com They have a bone broth, whey, pea, and hemp option

Bulk Supplements.com has every type of protein and all are free of additives and sugar

Bob’s Red Mill – Whey protein and Almond Protein Powder

Now Foods – Whey protein unflavored and if sodium is not a consideration you can use their other unflavored options.

As with all things eating, simple is best. Adding protein powder to your healthy nutrition and recovery from workouts is a good option but spend a few extra minutes before you buy your very large container.

**Note –  I am not sponsored or supported by any nutrition company so all of my recommendations are neutral. Please use my recommendations as a good base in helping you choose what is best for your needs, price points, and goals.**