Every health food store, grocery store supplement section, and greengrocer has shelves full of protein powder. There are so many different brands and types that it’s easy to walk past them without thinking about it.
We’ll go over the top three reasons why you should be using protein powder right now. These include helping with weight loss, supporting strong bones, and can be a great way to supplement a vegan/vegetarian diet. There are also several honorable mentions.
However, the great thing about protein powder is how useful and convenient it can be. You can throw it into almost any food, like smoothies, shakes, soups, and even gluten-free bread dough.
But the type of powder you get makes a big difference. There can be a lot of variation in product quality and performance.
Before you delve into the benefits, be sure to get your protein powder from a trusted source supplement store.
1. Support for weight loss
When you’re actively trying to lose weight, making protein powder a part of your daily intake can be invaluable. It helps curb cravings while burning excess fat. However, protein powder won’t do it on its own, you have to be active and exercise.
This is because your body will convert protein into amino acids, which serve several purposes in your body. One such thing involves rebuilding muscles while building new tissue. When you don’t get enough protein, this building repair cycle won’t happen.
Furthermore, protein powder helps with nitrogen balance in your body, which ensures that you don’t lose lean body tissue. Even for those just starting out on a weight loss regimen, the need for protein increases just because of how they cut out most of the high carb foods.
Therefore, when engaging in a weight loss diet, make protein powder a part of it. This helps keep hunger pangs at bay, cravings for sweets, and reduces overall calorie intake while avoiding fat-generating foods.
2. Support for strong bones
In addition to what protein powder can do for muscle recovery and building, it can also provide the necessary calcium needed for strong and healthy bones. Unfortunately, the best sources of calcium are dairy products such as milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt.
If you are lactose intolerant or abstain from consuming anything from animals, this can cause obvious health problems. Poor calcium intake weakens bone structure, which creates vulnerability to osteoporosis and broken bones. In addition, calcium is important for building lean muscle. Without it, it won’t happen.
Therefore, protein powder is great for those who have trouble digesting dairy products. Whatever the cause, you can make up for the calcium deficiency by adding a powder once or twice a day. The good news is that most commercial formulations contain up to 20% of the recommended daily dose.
3. Supplement for vegan/vegetarian diets
If you are not a fish, meat or dairy eater, protein powder should definitely be in your diet. Unfortunately, most vegans and vegetarians fail to consume the correct amount of protein per day. This leads to decreased energy, poor brain function, insufficient muscle mass and general weakness.
Nevertheless, protein powder can take care of it all. The recommended amount is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. This means an average of 46 grams of protein for women and 56 grams for men.
It also solves the problem of children and teenagers not wanting to eat meat. You can sneak it into their favorite shake, smoothie or juice. This is the best way to ensure they meet the minimum requirement of 34 grams of protein.
Honorable mentions
Since protein powder offers so many benefits, there are a few additional things worth noting. Although they are not basic or apply to everyone, they are still important.
- Helps with diabetes. By suppressing hunger for things like sweets, it helps people with diabetes stay away from sugar. This can help alleviate the feeling of “skipping” these foods for optimal health.
- Reduces meal planning. When you’re single and living alone, meals aren’t always ideal. This is especially true if you are a busy professional or a single parent. Throwing in a scoop or two with your juice or soup will provide you with the minimum daily requirement you need.
- Training aid. For people who lift weights, protein powder is an essential accompaniment to your daily workout. Shake one scoop before your workout and then another. This will provide the daily requirement, replenish what you use, and boost the repair-build cycle.
Types of protein powder
There are many different protein powders. Some are based on beef, but others are derived from plants. However, understand that animal proteins are “complete,” meaning you don’t need anything else. For people of the plant world, it would take a mixture of several species to make it complete.
Explore the list below to find out which one best suits your needs, preferences and diet.
- Soya. A vegetarian and vegan friendly powder, it has high concentrations of protein from this tasty little bean.
- Cannabis. This powder contains seeds from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Rich in Omega 3, this is a superfood because it also has other nutrients like phosphorus, zinc and manganese.
- Egg. Eggs are not only a great source of protein, they are also rich in vitamins and nutrients. Such protein powders are good for those who cannot tolerate dairy-based ones.
- Gelatin. This is pure animal protein that is complete and whole. No need to add any other powder to boost the nutrients in it.
- Serum. Ideal for those who are lactose intolerant, it helps to replace and support a low dairy intake.
- Pea. Made from extracted chickpeas, this powder is great for weight loss while providing vegans with most of the protein they need each day.
- Rice. Despite the low amino acid content, this is a fantastic powder for those who cannot tolerate any animal products in their food and drink.
- Mixed. These often contain things like soy, rice, pea and hemp proteins to provide a more complete supplement. Some are vegetarian-friendly, while others contain things like egg or whey, making them more vegetarian-friendly.