Let’s briefly discuss protein powders.
Disclaimer:
I am not giving medical advice. Check with your doctor before you begin a supplement or exercise program.
To keep it short, sweet, and nasty. There are many benefits AND negative effects of protein powder & shakes.
Protein powder is popular with athletes, and young people looking to add weight. Millions and millions and millions of dollars have been spent on marketing and spokespersons for society to consider adding a protein shake, a safe nutritional supplement.
Fact:
Protein is used to build muscle
Protein is used to build muscle, repair tissue, and make enzymes and hormones. It’s good for men to increase testosterone levels too. The negative effects of protein powders. Here is the part which has been kept silent from the general population for decades.
The content below comes from Harvard Health. A weekly newsletter I suggest you sign up
A list of things to consider before deciding on taking a protein “shake” or the street name MRP. Buckle up, it gets real now.
A new risk revealed
April 10, 2020
Earlier this year, a nonprofit group called the Clean Label Project released a report about toxins in protein powders. Researchers screened 134 products for 130 types of toxins and found that many protein powders contained heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury), bisphenol-A (BPA, which is used to make plastic), pesticides, or other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions. Some toxins were present in significant quantities. For example, one protein powder contained 25 times the allowed limit of BPA.
How could protein powder contain so many contaminants? The Clean Label Project points to manufacturing processes or the existence of toxins in soil (absorbed by plants that are made into protein powders). To read more on the Clean Label
Project visit CLICK HERE
When growing up and competing in bodybuilding, powerlifting, and MMA. I, “We” believed the more protein the better for muscle growth. We were taken anywhere from 1 to 2 grams of protein per goal weight. So, if my goal weight was 170. I would take in 170 to 340 grams of protein a day.
New research is now proven we do not need as much as originally thought. The new scientific recommendations for protein intake: 46 grams per day for women and 56 grams for men. Wow. That is hard for a man with my competitive background to digest.
For example:
an egg for breakfast (6 grams)
6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt at lunch (18 grams)
a handful of nuts for a snack (4–7 grams)
a cup of milk (8 grams) and 2 ounces of cooked chicken for dinner (14 grams).
What CAN WE do?
McManus says that in certain cases, chemical-free protein powders may be helpful—but only with medical supervision. Such cases could include:
Difficulty eating or an impaired appetite (as a result of cancer treatment or frailty from older age)
A surgical incision or a pressure wound that is not healing well (your body needs protein to repair cells and make new ones)
A serious condition requiring additional calories and protein in order for you to get better (such as burns).
Otherwise, get protein from whole foods: nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese), legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat. “You’ll find,,” McManus says, ” that there are many ways to get protein without turning to a powder.”
I followed this high-protein crowd for over 30 years. Now in my 50’s, this is another thing I’ve changed now that I am older. “I do not need to ingest that much protein.
There are other articles showing how they increase cancer do to cellular division. (next time)
On the fence, that’s normal, it’s been shoved down our throats that more is better, and the easiest way to get it is to drink it.
But ask yourself this question and be aware of these negative effects of protein powder.