MODULE 2: PROTEIN POWDERS

LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION TO PROTEIN POWDERS

One of the most common dietary supplements is protein powders.

If you go to the gym, you definitely would have heard a conversation related
to protein powders, especially coming from the weights area.

Rightly so, as protein is the building block of muscle tissues and aids in
building muscle as its number one benefit besides other health benefits.

Sit tight, fasten your seat belt, this module is going to be a long one where I
will discuss 7 different types of protein powders that are there in the market.

I have dedicated a lecture to each type, where I will discuss their benefits,
effectiveness and safety.

The last lecture will provide you with the top 5 companies that I have selected
based on their quality, safety and effectiveness.

Do note, I am not sponsored by any company. My selection is purely

unbiased and based on my own experience of using the products and
research.

So what are we waiting for, let's get started with Soy Protein.

LECTURE 2: SOY PROTEINS

Soy protein is a protein derived from the soybean plant. It is a vegetarian

source that has all the 9 essential amino acids that the body cannot the
manufacturer.

Soybeans are also a good source of fibre, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.
[1]

[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9526302/

Benefits of Soy

Studies show that soy protein can help reduce cardiac risk factors and
certain types of cancer [2].

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23187956

Soy was a wonder food in the late nineties and the early 21st century,
however in the recent years, it has come under heavy scrutiny as most
soybean crops found are genetically modified. In fact, more than 90 percent
of soybean crops grown in America is genetically modified.

GM Crops are genetically engineered to withstand the onslaught of

herbicides and pesticides by the way.

GM crops are super bad for you and can cause birth defects, serious
hormonal changes and other health issues.

One may argue that the in the Japanese and other Asian countries, soy
products are very common and still statistically speaking they are the
healthiest in the world.

Whats going on here?

Well, the difference is fermented versus unfermented soy.

Food products like miso-a fermented soybean paste, tempeh, a fermented

soybean cake and natto.

Fermented soy is super healthy and provides many health benefits when
compared with gm soybean grown and included in almost all soy products
found elsewhere.

My suggestion: Please stay away from soy. There are many amazing protein
powders, even vegetarians based that are excellent for your health.

LECTURE 3: EGG PROTEINS

I have never ever used an egg protein powder because obviously, I eat whole
eggs every morning, so the information is purely based on my research.

Egg protein is made from egg whites rather than whole eggs which include
the yolk.

Even then, egg white is a complete protein, providing all essential amino
acid,

Other benefits of egg protein powder are that it is good for people who are
lactose intolerant as it is completely lactose-free.

Egg protein powder was popular in the early 90's and since then it's
popularity has gone down and people are favouring more of whey and other
vegetarians sources of protein that I will discuss in the forthcoming lectures.

There is not really much to talk about egg protein, as I would recommend
instead to have whole eggs, and from what I have heard egg protein powder
taste sucks and it kinds of smells, not something that I would personally want
from my protein powder.

The next lecture is all about Whey Protein.

LECTURE 4: WHEY PROTEIN

What is Whey?

Milk is 80% casein and 20% whey. Whey is the liquid that separates during
cheese production. Whey has long been touted as a functional food with
numerous health benefits.

Not all whey is created equal. Let me repeat this: Not all whey protein is
created equal. Just because you have consuming whey it does not mean you
will reap all benefits of whey.

In one report[1], fifteen protein powders and drinks were tested for levels of
arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Out of these fifteen, three samples
were of particular concern, as they tested high for levels of these toxic
chemicals. Consider the fact that cadmium accumulates and can damage
kidneys. Furthermore, it can take up to twenty years for the body to eliminate
even of half the cadmium it absorbs!

[1]https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/04/protein-drinks/index.htm

before I discuss the three different types of whey protein powders lets first
look at the three critical points to consider when choosing which protein
brand you can trust:

1) Whey protein should come from grass-fed cows.

Your whey powder should come from cows that are grass-fed and graze all
year round in natural pastures. Besides being grass-fed, the cows need to be
hormone free and healthy overall. How can you find out more about this?
Good companies usually mention this on their website. If you don’t find the
information there, call their customer service and ask. In the last lecture of
this module, I will provide a list of 5 companies that manufacture the best
whey protein and other types of protein powder in the world. Make sure to
watch that.

By the way, most commercially available whey protein are grain-fed. Your way
can be as good as the ingredient and the ingredient, in this case, is milk,
cows milk. Cows eat grass and not grain. Grass-fed cows give more superior
milk which is very high in nutrition and therefore expensive to procure.

If a supplement company cares for you they will opt for grass-fed proteins,
students please remember this.

2) Whey processing needs to be done at low temperatures to avoid

denaturing the native structures of the protein. What you want to look for is
minimally processed or rather cold pressed whey protein.

Most commercial whey products are derived from pasteurized dairy and are
heat-processed, which makes the whey acidic and nutritionally deficient. This
damages the immuno-supportive micronutrients and amino acids in the
whey.

3) Whey protein supplements should be sweetened naturally. Most protein

supplement companies use artificial sweeteners that are very harmful to your
body, including acesulfame-k[2], sucralose,[3] artificial flavourings, and soy
lecithin. They do this to cut costs. Look for companies that use stevia as a
natural sweetener.

[2]https://www.naturalnews.com/041510_Acesulfame-
K_methylene_chloride_carcinogen.html

[3]http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/health-risks

this is super important. google the terms aspartame, acesulfame-k,

sucralose, soy lecithin, and there are studies which support that these
products are harmful to you. Please stay away from whey proteins that
include them.

Now, one of the most important questions, which one to go for:

Whey concentrates, isolates or hydrolysates?

There are three types of whey on the market: concentrates, isolates, and
hydrolysates.

Whey isolates are 90 – 96 percent pure protein with very little fat, lactose, and
mineral content.

Whey concentrates range from 29 – 89 percent pure protein and are most
commonly 80 percent protein. They have higher contents of fat, lactose, and
minerals.

Hydrolyzed whey proteins are isolates that undergo a hydrolysis process to

break the protein down into smaller groups of amino acids, or peptides,
which are predigested. They have a minuscule amount of fat, lactose, and
mineral content, and they are the most expensive on the market. I personally
find their taste very bitter.

Most protein isolates available are denatured by-products of cheese

manufacturing. Isolates that you find on the market are exposed to acid
processing and are also deficient in key nutritional cofactors.

One authority whose work I really like is Ori Hofmekler, and in his own words:

“Most commercial whey products are derived from pasteurized dairy and are
processed with heat and acid. Many are also artificially sweetened. All of
these factors render them completely useless from a health perspective.

Whey isolate is one such inferior product because when you remove the fat,
you actually remove important components of its immunological properties,
such as phospholipids, phosphatidylserine and cortisol. Additionally, all of the
IgG immunoglobulins, which are an excellent source of glutamine and
cysteine, are also bound to the fat globule. Fat provides not just calories. In
fact, most food rich in healthful fat, including nuts, seeds, chia and almonds
are carriers of antioxidants, such as Vitamin E and phytosterols. Dairy also
contains lipoic acid, which is a carrier of enzymes and immunoglobulin.
Therefore, if you take the fat out you’re left with a clearly inferior whey
protein.”

“I’m totally against whey isolate,” Ori says. “I think it’s just the wrong whey.”

You can watch the complete series of Ori’s interview with Dr Mercola here.

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WMzUf94ypKU&list=PLF_axXM5NCGyZ90sNk3KQjsnY40jkMYSB

I always believe in functional and whole foods. For me, any food or even a
supplement that I ingest needs to be as unprocessed as possible and not
denatured. Therefore, whey concentrates win, hands down!

It is cheaper than isolates (and hydrolysates), tastes much better (you’d be

blown away if you have one of the protein shakes I make from concentrates),
and it has more health benefits than the other two sources.

Most people would argue that whey isolates absorb quickly, which helps in
recovery, and that gram by gram, it has a lot more protein. Whey isolates, as I
mentioned, are 90 – 96 percent protein, whereas a good whey concentrate is
around 80 percent protein. That’s a difference of roughly 10 – 16 percent.

If we ingest 50 grams of whey powder, that is only a difference of 5 – 7.5

grams. I would rather add slightly more whey concentrate and take
advantage of the health benefits it provides. What about the fat content?
Again, I don’t really worry about a few grams of fat in my protein considering
these fats have a host of beneficial properties. And since I recommend a
generous fat intake, it hardly makes a difference!

The only reason to use isolates is if you are lactose intolerant. In that case, I
know many people who still do well on concentrates, but if you have tried
concentrates and ended up with bloating or gastronomical disturbances, go
ahead and use isolates. Still, make sure that your isolates manufacturer fulfils
the criteria’s outlined earlier. You want to use isolates which are minimally
processed, come from grass-fed cows and only use stevia as a natural
sweetener.

again, I have given the list of best companies don't miss the last lecture of
this module.

You may want to go through this lecture again, as the most common protein
powder consumed is whey and most commercially whey is not that good.
Look for the criteria's I have outlined in this module and you can never go
wrong with whey. In the next lecture, I will discuss Casein protein.

LECTURE 4: CASEIN PROTEIN

Just like whey, casein protein is derived from milk. The benefits are almost
same as whey, however, casein protein digest much more slowly than whey
and generally speaking most experts suggest the best time to have casein
protein is right before bed.

If you know my work, I strongly believe that the total protein intake is the
most important factor to take into account, rather than fussing about the
timings of protein intake.

Personally speaking, just like an egg, I prefer to drink grass-fed raw cows
milk instead of ingesting casein protein powder, which comes from grain-fed
pasteurized dairy and since it's not as palatable and as tasty as whey, many
additives and artificial flavourings are added to make it taste good. I
personally never had casein protein and probably will never have.

One main con of this type of protein is that it can cause problems for people
who are lactose intolerant. In the next lecture, I am going to discuss hemp
protein.

LECTURE 5: HEMP PROTEIN

Hemp is derived from the plant Cannabis sativa, and it has been cultivated
for thousands of years. Hemp is a great source of protein for vegans and
vegetarians and offers all 20 amino acids including all 9 essential amino acids
that our bodies cannot manufacture.

Hemp is also high in fibre and offers various health benefits including heart
health by lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Because of its high fibre content, it helps in cleansing your colon and reduce
cravings.

and lastly, if you are concerned about the fact that hemp seeds are derived
from marijuana plants, don't worry, as the compound tetrahydrocannabinol
[THC] responsible for creating the high effect is very minimal in hemp seeds.

I personally haven't tried hemp, and neither do I have any plans in future for
now, but if you want to try it, just make sure you try a sample before you buy,
as I am not really sure of the taste.

LECTURE 7: PEA PROTEIN

Pea protein is extracted from pea and just one serving [30g] can give you
23-24g of protein.

Even though it's a vegetarian and obviously vegan protein, it has all the nine
essential amino acid except for methionine. Now, this issue can easily be
fixed by eating other sources of protein like rice or even animal protein.

Pea protein powder from a good company is easily digestible, cheaper on the
wallet and great for people who are lactose and gluten intolerant and for
vegans and even for people who want to give animal-based products a
break.

I have provided a company whose founder I like although I haven't tried his
products, I have reasonable confidence that his products will be much better
than what is out there in the market.

In the next lecture, I will discuss if and when to incorporate protein powders
into your diet.

Lecture 8: When/How much protein powder to consume

As I mentioned in my Diploma in Nutrition course:

Protein requirement is anything between 1.2 to 2g/kg of body weight.

Choose the lower end i.e. 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg of BW if you engage in low to
moderate intensity activity like yoga, dance and cardio.

Eat more than 1.5g/kg of BW if you engage in bodybuilding and your main
goal is to build muscle.

A higher range is good if you are following a super caloric deficit diet and are
trying to achieve a six-pack.

Going above 2g/kg of BW is futile and will reap no extra benefits. studies are
very clear on this fact.

let me take my own example. I need 100 to 160g per day. since I bodybuild
and my goal is to build muscle, I usually have between 120 to 140g per day.

I eat both non-veg and veg foods equally. The day I am eating chicken, I get
close to 70-80g in one meal, as the chicken is very high in protein and I eat at
least 250-300g of meat. Plus when I add eggs, that another 20-30g.

Nuts, milk, and other foods provide me with another 20g odd gram easily
helping my protein total to go above 120g.

The days when I eat beans and lentils, I can still reach 100g but I take help
from whey and consume roughly 40g of protein.

I am not hell-bent on getting in that exact range. There are days when my
total does not even exceed 100g and the next day I compensate by eating
more.

I am not concerned about the timings of the protein. Most people are hell
bent on eating their whey protein mixed with water immediately post their
workout.

If I start doing this, I will lose my willpower to do things which are way more
important than worrying about the timings and other petty details.

And whey in water, yuck, no matter how tasty your whey protein is, if you
don't have it the way I have it, then you miss out a lot.

I use whey for many things at once.

I use it in my smoothie and save a lot of time to cook and prepare a meal, I
have this monster shake 2 times a week. Then I have oats and to me oats are
bland, but when I mix whey in my oats, they completely satisfy my sweet
cravings.

In the end, its the total amount of protein in a day that matters. Also, guys life
is messy. If one day you don't get enough protein, its ok, compensate the
next day and please remember don't let supplement company dictate how
your days go by eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, by timings everything and so
forth, you are not a robot, take this from me, your muscle won't go away just
because you delayed your post workout meal or shake by an hour or so.

All the best, and do read about the top companies I have listed in the next
lecture. Go to their websites, read about their product description, ask
around, do your own research, call their customer care and ask about the
criteria's I mentioned in this modules about their ingredient quality, their
processing methods etc, you'll have a good idea of what you should buy and
what you should reject, in the end, science aside, trust your gut and instinct.