What Does Protein Powder Do?

Protein is the essential building blocks of muscle tissue, it is required to repair and build muscles and is the primary source of your muscle mass. Protein is also a main energy source for our bodies. In fact if you are not eating enough, you body will use the protein stored in your muscle mass, which results in muscle shrinkage over time. It is the first source your body will go for when it starving, yes that means your body will actually reduce your muscle mass before it will use your fat reserves as an energy source. This is why diet is so important, because if you are not eating right, you will be building fat while our body is using muscle mass for its energy source. Protein powder will provide your body with supplemental protein in the event you are not taking enough in through your regular diet.

When Should I Take Protein Powder?

Protein powder and other protein supplements are intended to provide the necessary level of protein when you regular diet is not providing an adequate amount of protein. Typically protein powder is used in a workout shake when user need to build muscle mass and aid in the repair and growth of their muscles. Protein shakes are usually best consumed right before or right after a work out for optimal absorption into muscle mass.

What are the Different Type of Protein Powder?

There are a few different types of protein powder, each type could be an entire post in itself so I will try to keep this short by briefly explaining the differences.

• Whey Protein – Whey protein is the most common type of protein powder out there. Beleive it or not whey protein is actually the byproduct of making cheese, which means it is dairy based and those of you that are lactose intolerant will need to find an alternative. Whey protein powder is the preffered protein supplement, as it is the only one that contains all the essential amino acids required by our bodies.
• Casein Protein – Casein protein contains most of the amino acids you will find in whey protein but not all. The major attraction to casein protein is its ability to congeal in the stomach allowing a slow release of the proteins over several hours, allowing you to drink a casein protein shake a couple of hours before your work out. This property also makes it attractive supplement for hiking and other endurance work outs.
• Soy Protein – Soy protein is generally an unpopular choice amongst body builders and generally only recommended if you have special dietary concerns that prevent you from using other protein powders. Soy protein is not absorb as easily into the body effectively ‘wasting’ most of the protein and losing its effectiveness as a work out shake supplement.
• Egg White Protein – Egg white protein is go to protein for those of us with dietary concerns. Egg white protein powder is both lactose and dairy free, while still containing most of the essential amino acids and being easily absorbed by our bodies for muscle building and repair

I hope this helps clear up some of the mystery surrounding protein powders. If you have any questions or concerns please write me and I will address them in this blog. Thanks for reading.