Deep breath, exhale! Deep breath, exhale! Sorry, I had to do that, because a recent article on the dangers of protein powders lit my fuse. And I’m about to blow. Here is a link to the article. Toxic Protein Powders?.
Don’t get me wrong, the article raises some very good points; but those points need addressing. One such point is that the supplement industry is loosely regulated, and until that changes, you should be buying your supplements from a reputable company with a proven track record of integrity and loyalty to the customer. But, shouldn’t this be true for anything we spend our hard-earned dollars on? Unfortunately, we all have to bust our humps to save a buck in this economy, and the one area we shouldn’t be nickeling and diming on are the nutrients we put into our bodies.
The article goes on to explain that out of 15 tested protein powders on the market, three can expose you to high levels of toxic heavy metals that could be dangerous to our health. We should be buying brands that are not contaminated, that really goes without saying. But, stop right there! There are a lot of things that we do that are dangerous for our health. But, suddenly when something generally does more good than harm, most people start getting all uppity, saying things like “Oh no, I don’t eat tuna. That has mercury.” Now, I guess we will hear the same about protein powders. Sadly, the people saying crap like this don’t hesitate to pull into McDonald’s when they get hungry. They don’t seem to mind sluggin’ back a few beers every weekend; or just ‘cause it’s Wednesday. Why is it, with things like tuna, and now perhaps protein powder, is everyone an overnight health nut?
Look America, I got news for you. Our health isn’t in the toilet because too many people are drinking protein powders, or eating too much tuna. We are so disconnected from the food we eat that we don’t use common sense anymore.
The take home message here shouldn’t be to shun all protein powders. Buy from companies that are reputable, and keep in mind it’s always a good idea to get a majority of your protein from whole food sources.
Another part of the article that hit a nerve are these so-called experts saying things like, “The body can only break down 5 to 9 grams of protein per hour, and any excess that is not burned for energy is converted to fat or excreted, so it’s a ridiculous waste to be recommending so much more than you really need.” Really?? What “health writer” pulled this from their circular file? I’ve read varying reports that adequate protein intake is anywhere from 20-30 grams per meal. Are any of them right? I really wish when people decided to pull opinions out of a hat, that they all got together to pull from the same place, that way consumers wouldn’t be so inundated with varying levels of crap. I guess we should all change the way we eat. You know, have a piece of cheese at 9am, one bite of chicken at 10am, 2 bites of salmon at 11am, and a cup of green tea for dinner.
Get real! I’d like to know what would happen if I ate 9.01 grams of protein in an hour. Is that the magic cut-off point that the human body, in all its glory and efficiency, has decided ‘Woah buddy, that’s too much protein, we’ll store this extra as fat,’?
Most people are overweight but NOT because they eat too much protein. Perhaps it’s all the processed carb-laden foods that we were never meant to eat in the first place. Perhaps it’s that double quarter pounder from McDonald’s, or the 48 oz Pepsi people suck down at the movie theater without a second thought. But, after reading this article, it appears the real devil is those nasty protein powders. In the eight years that I’ve been in the fitness industry, I have yet to meet the person who can’t lose those 30 lbs because, horror of horrors, they drink two protein drinks a day.
There are numerous reasons to include extra protein in your diet. Protein is satiating. It helps control hunger. When someone is dieting it would probably be a good thing to include a food source that can help control appetite. Higher amounts of protein also boost metabolism. Hmmm, that sounds like something the typical American could benefit from. Because protein is a complex chemical structure, it takes your body more work to break it down, thus you burn more calories in the digestion process. Studies have shown that higher protein diets are beneficial for fat loss, and help prevent muscle loss while in a caloric deficit.
Protein powders offer versatility as well. How many of us can’t stand the taste of plain yogurt, or plain oatmeal? Apparently a lot, which is why just about everyone buys sugar-laden flavored yogurts and oatmeal. I choose to use a better alternative: protein powders. Adding a small amount of chocolate or vanilla protein powder to some Greek Yogurt makes a very tasty meal without all the excess sugar. Add some chocolate protein powder and peanut butter to oatmeal, and you have an amazingly delicious and healthy meal without tons of sugar.
One final thing about this article agitated me. For once and for all, there has never been a study done showing that excess protein is damaging to otherwise healthy kidneys.
One good statistic came from this article, “The average American consumes 82 grams of protein per day.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look like the average American and I don’t want to feel like the average American. I want to look lean, feel great and not be on several different medications. I’ll keep protein powders as one of my defenses against being just an “average American”.
Bottom line is this: most of us that are active don’t get enough protein. Does this mean we should be drinking protein shakes all day long? Of course not, but protein shakes are very beneficial around your workout, and they can help boost your protein intake when a solid meal is not accessible. We would be a much healthier country overall if we would opt for whole food meals whenever possible and use protein powders wisely.
