Good Protein Shakes

Good Protein Shakes

Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are the three principal macronutrients essential for the body. 

Protein is mainly necessary for the muscle growth and repairing body tissue.

An average healthy adult require about 50 grams of protein per day. This amount can easily be fulfilled by protein rich food sources like meat, egg, fish and milk.

However, if you do exercise, you need to have more protein as well as more calories. To build more muscles, additional 10 – 14 grams of protein is necessary per day. It is difficult to consume many portions of protein several times a day in order to achieve this higher demand. 

Therefore, as an alternative most athletes use protein shakes after their workout.

On the other hand, it is important to emphasize that protein shakes  contain high protein content. Extra protein is broken down into energy, and the remaining part is stored as fat in the body. For this reason, one should keep in mind to consume enough total protein for muscle building, not exceeding the daily requirement.

There are various types of protein shakes available in stores. They come in different prices, flavors and as a powder or ready-to-drink packages. You can make different types of protein shakes to your taste at home by adding further ingredients like milk, sugar, ice cream, chocolate, fruits, nuts, etc.

Above all these, what matters most is the protein percentage of the shake powder. This varies from 100% to very low protein content.

A person must be able to choose the protein shake with the appropriate percentage of protein according to the type of exercise he/she does. For instance, a bodybuilder needs a high protein containing shake whereas an endurance athlete requires more carbohydrates. If you need to lose your weight, high protein containing shake is essential. But the amount required for a particular person is highly individualized and depends on many factors.

Shakes contain different types of proteins. Whey, soy, and casein are the most common ones; others include milk, egg, and rice.

Whey is the best among all.Whey is well dissolved in water. It is a complete (contains all 9 essential amino acids) high-quality protein source that has a lot of health benefits like weight loss (mainly fat), improving lipid profile, optimizing blood glucose control and protection against cancers. A plenty of research studies have been done on these areas with promising results.

In contrast, soy is relatively difficult to dissolve in water. It also has a severe taste. Soy is commonly used as a protein source for vegetarians.

So, what are the things one should look for in choosing a good protein shake? Organic types of shakes are always better. They should also be free of pesticides. And these food products should not contain genetically modifies organisms (GMO).

Look carefully at the information label. See how and where these products are processed.

You should also look for the nutrition quality of the protein product.  Low Carbohydrate, Low fat, and high protein content are appropriate for most athletes.

Protein shakes fortified with vitamins and minerals give additional health benefits.

Unhealthy types of protein products may contain artificial or refined sugar.

One recent concern is whether there are heavy metals in these products. Several quantitative analysis have found heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium and lead in protein shake powders. 

These are very harmful to the kidneys in the long run. Therefore, always exclude their presence before consuming any commercially available protein product.

Cost is not a major concern for an average athlete. Even relatively, cheap products give an adequate amount of nutrition.

After looking at all these, make sure that the brand you purchase is a well-recognized one with proven benefits over several years.

If you are choosing the most appropriate protein shake, you will be able to gain most health benefits of protein shakes for a low cost.