Protein shakes, they are everywhere!

Protein shakes, they are everywhere!

Even fast food companies are getting on the "smoothie" bandwagon. For the most part, while this is a positive step forward, it can also create a lot of confusion as to which protein powder or shake is optimal for our health.
Like most things, not all protein powders are created equally!

Give your body all that it needs.

Toning the body and building muscle doesn't just come from exercising. In order to get true results from your workout, protein is required to replenish the body and improve physical strength and appearance. Proteins are made up of amino acids which help renew, regenerate and build new tissues. There are 20 amino acids that are required for growth in the human body, and the body can produce all, but eight of the amino acids. So, we must eat foods high in protein in order to ensure that we are receiving these essential amino acids. The foolproof method is to make sure we are consuming complete protein sources in our diet.
There are many different sources of protein in our diets today. Many traditional choices are animal-based sources, such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs. But, with the growing number of diet specifics, such as an intolerance to dairy and the different variations of vegetarianism, many of us are turning to plant-based sources of protein such as soy, legumes, hemp and other grains. However, animal sources, as a complete protein, are more bioavailable to the body than plant sources and are a popular choice for protein powders.
On the markets today, we see a lot of whey protein. Some of you may know that whey is the liquid that separates from curds in the cheese manufacturing process. Whey protein can be found in two forms: whey isolate and whey concentrate. Whey isolate is a pure high-quality protein that contains at least 90% protein with less lactose than whey protein concentrate. Whey concentrate will typically have 70 to 85% of protein. A blend of the two is ideal!

Be mindful of what you pick up.

Tricky use of words, flashy graphics and slogans can be very deceptive. If you look closely at the labels of many of the popular protein powders on shelves, you will find that many products contain artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners! Be wary, these artificial ingredients are not what you want to be fueling your body with on a daily basis. We should be giving our body all that it needs and anything artificial will do more harm than good to it, even if it does taste better!

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