SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING PROTEIN SHAKES?
BY COACH CECILE CARSTEN
Firstly, I think it is important to know why our bodies need protein and where we get it from.
Protein is the building blocks for muscles. It’s like the bricks to a wall. Without the bricks there can not be a wall - or maybe there can be but not an optimal wall.
We get it from foods such as fish, chicken, eggs, meat, soy products such as tofu, beans and nuts, dairy products such as cheese, milk.
Without protein in the diet - our muscle mass will stay the same or even decrease(and this also happens automatically as we get older)
It is always good to keep your muscle mass and even to increase it (I do not necessarily mean - body building size amounts - but enough to help you change the shape of your body)
Muscle mass helps you to have strong movements when doing any task (not only exercising) and I think for females - a good amount of muscle mass will give you the body shape you are most comfortable in.
If you are not already eating 3 meals per day with a good protein source in each of them - Do that first before starting to take protein shakes
A quick guide to check to see if you are eating enough protein is by doing this calculation
Body Weight(kg) x 2 = required amount of daily protein *
For example I weigh 57 kg
57 x 2 = 114 g of protein per day
Which means the 114 g should be divided into 3 meals.
*use this as a guide and starting point
If you seem to struggle to hit this daily over a period of a week you can think of supplementing your diet with protein powder. That does not mean you are replacing a meal - it means on top of your 3 meals you are adding protein powder.
Ideally we do not want to replace eating our food with drinking it - unless of course you need to do it because of being on the road for a day or back to back meetings at work where drinking a protein shake will be more convenient and better than not eating anything at all.
Is it safe?
Protein shakes are safe and nothing bad can happen to your health when taking it(unless you already have some medical issues with your kidney or liver - which means it is NOT BECAUSE OF the protein shakes but you already had a condition or issue). Either way - it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before making any changes to your normal diet.
Will it make me gain weight?
Protein shakes on it’s own will not make you gain weight - just like any other food or food group. Over consuming in something or in food in general (eating more than your required energy / calorie intake) will make you gain weight. If you have a BMI with more than 30, it might be better to calculate your daily requirement on your goal weight and not current weight to avoid over consuming
I personally do not take protein shakes on a daily basis as I do get enough protein from my diet and in general I am not a big fan of the taste (or maybe I just haven’t found a brand that I enjoy)
But when I am really hungry (read hangry ) and have nothing else available, I will opt for it!
There are a few types of Protein Powders to choose from.
Whey Protein Powder
Whey Protein can be found as Whey Concentrate and Whey Isolate. Both are made from the liquid part that separates when cheese is made from milk. Whey Isolate undergoes more processing, resulting in a higher protein content and a less carbs, fat and lactose. Therefor Whey Isolate can be more expensive but also the preferred choice by people who are lactose intolerant
Casein Protein Powder
Another Protein found in milk is Casein. Both Whey and Casein contain all the essential amino acids the body requires. The main difference between the two is, Casein is being digested slower by the body compared to whey.
Soy Protein Powder
Soy protein powder is made from dehydrated soybean flakes. The flakes are stripped of their sugar and fiber content. This is a good option for vegetarians, vegans or those who have a dairy allergy
Hemp Protein Powder
Hemp protein powder comes from grinding hemp seeds into a powder. When hemp seeds are grinded into a powder, hemp protein powder is formed and is a option for vegans
Pea Protein Powder
Pea protein powder is made from extracting the protein out of yellow peas and turning it into a powder. This protein powder is a good option for vegans, are gluten - and dairy free
The type of protein powder you use is mostly determined by personal choice and taste.
At Elite Fitness we can track our members protein levels with our InBody Analysis machine as part of an bio-electrical impedance analysis which measures body composition.