Protein powders – are they necessary?

There are so many protein powders out on the market targeting anything from body building to weight loss and detoxification and everything in between.

But are protein powders necessary for the majority of us to have in our daily diet?  The simple answer is – probably not.  They can be beneficial for some people at some times in their lives, depending on what they have going on.  But overall if a person is consuming ample protein via food (and I don’t just mean tonnes of animal protein, but plant protein plays a huge role), then a protein supplement is not crucial.

There are a few instances where I feel a protein powder can be beneficial to be included such as body building and intense regular exercise (think triathletes, marathon runners etc) to help repair and build muscle, in some vegan/plant based diets to ensure they are getting enough protein, in people who for whatever reason can’t tolerate much food (eg recovering from surgery or illness), those that are particularly fussy and don’t eat enough of the good foods and they can be of benefit to reduce sugar cravings and balance blood sugar levels.

Now, not all protein powders are created equal and there are a tonne of them on the market that have terrible ingredients with lots of chemicals thrown in.  If you are going to consume a protein powder, then in my opinion, it needs to be as clean as possible and preferably plant based.  There are many plant based ones derived from peas, rice, hemp, inca inchi, and other sprouted grain/seeds.  If you can one that has been sprouted and fermented, this is generally more beneficial.  I am not a fan of most whey protein powders, but if you are inclined to go that way, then try to get organic grass fed varieties.  Don’t go for the ones with artificial sweeteners and a million ingredients.  If they taste too good to be true, then possibly they are.  Although having said that some really good natural ingredients can make a protein drink taste pretty tasty these days.

Please contact me if you have any questions about protein supplementation.

  24/08/2019     Articles     0 Comment(s)