10 Things that you should know before purchasing a protein shake, i came up with this post because i often get asked by people question about protein powder. So here we go here is my 10 things!
1. Protein shake is just like your food they are derived from milk, beef, egg depending on the brand you choose. So it is not some magical thing that you take and will make you grow big suddenly.
2. You can consume your protein shake anytime of the day. Its just like your food, if you find that your current meal for example, breakfast doesn’t have enough protein to feed your body you can supplement it with some shakes.
3. Some of the more preferred timing to consume your protein will be in the morning once you wake ( when your body is hungry for nutrients) 1 hour before training (helps to prevent muscle from breaking down), post training (helps to recover your muscle), before you sleep (so you won’t go hungry during sleep) and lastly anytime when you feel that you need additional protein.
4. On average if you are training 3 to 4 times a week, you should try to consume about 1g of protein per pound of body weight for optimum recovery. Example if i weigh 73kg i will need 73 * 2.2 (convert to pound) = 160grams of protein a day.
5. If you are lactose intolerance, meaning after taking milk protein you have bloating, diarrhea or vomiting, that particular protein may not be suitable for you, go for pure isolated protein, egg protein, soy protein or beef protein.
6. Isolated protein is the cleanest protein of all, then comes your concentrate protein. Isolated protein when thru another process of filtering so it contains almost zero lactose, fats and carbohydrate. So people who is lactose intolerant or dieting for competition this protein is the choice for you.
7. Hydrolyzed protein simply means that the protein powder when thru another process of refining and the powder is finer and easier to absorb.
8. Time taken for protein powder to be digested. (whey isolate about 1hour, whey concentrate 1 to 2hours, egg protein 4 to 6hours and casein protein 6 to 8 hours)
9. Whey isolate and concentrate is best take post training because it digest fast and casein protein is best taken before sleep or in the morning because it keeps you full.
10. It doesn’t matter which brand of protein you consume, protein is still protein if the content is the same. To the end it really depends on which brand you feel comfortable with and if it taste good so you look forward to consuming your protein powder.
