Protein Powder
Hey everyone! With the winter break approaching and most of you heading home I wanted to give some help to those of you considering purchasing protein powder to help with your gains. In this LL I am going to explain whether protein powder is good for you and which type can help you the most.
Is protein powder good for you?
Well, there is no simple answer to this question as protein powder has its overall benefits and drawbacks, which also vary by type. Protein powder is beneficial in many ways as it can act as a dietary supplement for athletes that are recovering from a workout, help ordinary people with dietary restrictions attain the amount of protein they need daily, and could assist overweight/obese people in losing body weight. Depending on which protein powder you buy, protein powder can also be easier, tastier, and cheaper than getting your protein needs from high-protein foods.
Even though protein powder is great in many ways, it does have its downsides. Depending on which protein powder you buy it could have added calories in the form of oils and sugars, which may be bad if your goal is to lose weight. Since protein powder can be low in calories, it's easy to consume large amounts which can cause headaches, nausea, cramps, and several other health issues. Also, many protein powders contain heavy metals, pesticides, BPA, and other harmful substances. The level of these harmful substances in your protein powder mainly depends on which type (soy, whey, pea, etc.) of protein powder you buy and which brand.
Which Type of Protein Powder is the Best One?
In general plant-based proteins like soy, pea and hemp tend to contain higher levels of heavy metals while whey, egg, and casein proteins tend to have less. Whey protein is also the most researched out of all the proteins and is considered the best for muscle gain. For weight loss, the two best types of protein powder are whey and casein protein as these two are low in calories, high in protein, and keep you full longer compared to the other types. For vegans and vegetarians, the best type of protein powder is mixed plant protein powder because it contains all the essential amino acids while the other plant-based ones are either low in or don’t have certain amino acids.
Conclusion
So, is protein powder good for you, and which one is the best one to get? Overall, protein powder without harmful substances can be good for you if you are exercising and weight training because you would need more protein in your diet and protein powder is a good substitute for your other options. However, you need to make sure to do your research to find out if the protein powder you’re thinking of getting has heavy metals, BPA, pesticides, and other harmful substances in it. As for which protein powder is the best, I’d say whey protein is the best because it is the most researched, has the least amount of harmful substances in it on average, and is the best for gaining muscle.
References:
Dillinger, Katherine. “Protein Powder Pros and Cons: What to Know, What to Watch out For.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Mar. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/health/protein-powder-pros-cons/index.html.
“Health Benefits of Protein Powder.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 18 Sept. 2018, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323093?c=418594143062#types.
Hirsch, Jesse. “Arsenic, Lead Found in Popular Protein Supplements.” Consumer Reports, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.consumerreports.org/dietary-supplements/heavy-metals-in-protein-supplements/.
“Is Whey Protein Powder Or Natural High-Protein Food A Cheaper Post Workout Supplement?” Seedly, 20 Oct. 2020, https://blog.seedly.sg/cheaper-post-workout-supplement-whey-protein-natural-food/.
Kiersten Hickman August 10, 2020. “The Scary Ingredient In Protein Powder.” Eat This Not That, 11 Aug. 2020, https://www.eatthis.com/scary-hidden-ingredient-protein-powder/.
“New Study of Protein Powders from Clean Label Project Finds Elevated Levels of Heavy Metals and BPA in 53 Leading Brands.” Clean Label Project, 7 Dec. 2020, https://cleanlabelproject.org/blog-post/new-study-of-protein-powders-from-clean-label-project-finds-elevated-levels-of-heavy-metals-and-bpa-in-53-leading-brands/.
“The Hidden Dangers of Protein Powders.” Harvard Health, 10 Apr. 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-hidden-dangers-of-protein-powders.
“Top 10 Protein Supplements.” Labdoor, https://labdoor.com/rankings/protein.