Whey protein has been all the buzz for quite some time, and it should be for many reasons. Why, though? With all the other kinds of protein on the market like casein, soy, milk, and egg, what makes whey so special? In today's blog I'll keep it short and sweet. Here's why you need to have some whey protein in your diet.
WHAT IS IT?
When making cheese, there is a watery portion that separates from the curds. Curds is such a gross word to me. Curds...
Anyway, the watery portion is whey, and whey protein is taken from that. The protein is made up of all nine essential amino acids and has very little lactose. Over the years, we have been able to develop filtering systems to create more high-quality whey concentrates.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Whey protein is used for many reasons, but the place it is used the most is in the fitness realm. And no, I'm not just talking about meatheads that train biceps every day of the week. A lot of people use whey and here's why.
Whey protein aids in maintaining and increasing muscle mass. After training, your muscles are in a catabolic (muscle depleting) state. In order to keep our body away from that state, we need to feed it amino acids and proteins to put it in an anabolic state. Whey is perfect for the reason I discussed before. It has the nine essential amino acids, and your body absorbs/uses it much faster than other forms of protein like casein.
But what's so special about the protein powder itself? Why can't any other form of protein be consumed after a workout? Well, any form of protein can be consumed after a workout, but whey protein exceeds all other forms in that it is absorbed by the body much quicker. When mixed with water, it is easy for whey to travel to our muscles and keep them from staying in that catabolic state. This is why I have all my clients take whey protein with water in between their resistance training and their cardio. The cardio and increased blood flow will aid in shuttling the protein throughout the body.
Whey has also been shown to aid in weight loss. When I say "weight loss", I'm talking about good weight loss. A loss of body fat. Protein aids in boosting your metabolism as well as calories burned because it takes the most amount of energy to digest proteins in comparison to carbs and fats.
COOL STORY, BRO
The information is good to know, but you still need to make a decision when you go to the store. So what whey protein should you buy? To be honest, I think most products are the same across the board. It might take you time to figure out what you like most. There are a lot of factors that will influence your decision like taste, ability to dissolve, etc. My one piece of advice is this: AVOID proprietary blends. Another word for proprietary is: SKETCHY. Proprietary blends don't tell you exactly what's inside, and that should raise a big red flag for you. Make sure that the product lists every single ingredient as well as it's amount. If you see something like, "monstrous post-workout matrix... 700mg", that's freaking sketchy, and you shouldn't trust it. Do your research, educate yourself, and make good choices.
BOTTOM LINE
If you're not including whey protein in your diet and training regimen, I highly recommend doing so (with your doctor's approval). It could make a big difference in the overall composition of your body at the end of an exercise program.
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