Protein Supplements

Protein powders are among the most useful supps that you can get and can often give you a terrific value for the dollar. They are especially useful for vegetarians who cannot get much protein through their regular diet and, in general, for those who feel like they could use more protein. There are hundreds of different protein powders out there, so I'll tell you what to look for when you purchase one:

• Most importantly BY FAR, make sure that you're buying an (almost) pure protein without unwanted extra carbs. If you look at the nutrition label, you should see no more than 1-2 grams of carbs and no more than 1-2 grams of fats for every 10 grams of protein. A typical serving may consist of 24 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fat for the total of about 120 calories. Remember: you're buying this product for it's protein content, not its carbs or fat content!
• The protein in the powder may be any one or several of the following: whey, casein, egg, soy.
  • Whey protein is the most common and popular type of protein. This is a fast-digesting protein found in milk. If you're not sure which powder to get, get whey protein.
  • Casein protein is a slow-digesting protein, also dervied from milk. Some people like to have it before bed with the idea that it will digest slowly and keep your body supplied with amino acids throughout the night lessening the chance of muscle being burnt for energy.
  • Egg protein, surprisingly, comes from eggs. Its digestion speed is faster than that of whey and slower that of casein.
  • Soy protein, equally surprisingly, comes from soy. Like casein it is also relatively slow-digesting protein that some people like to have for the supposed additional benefits of soy. I would recommend not to rely on soy protein powders for those benefits, but instead to actually eat soy beans and products that are less processed that the protein powder.
• Flavors will differ widely. Typically chocolate is the safest choice for most brands. I would recommend not buying too much of a new to you flavor because you might be stuck with 5 pounds of protein which you can't stomach. Try a small portion first before committing to buying in bulk.
• Some flavors and brands dissolve in water/milk/juice better than others. Again, try a small batch before you buy a lot. You can also buy protein shaker bottles which work surprisingly well to dissolve most powders. Some merchants might even throw one in for free if you're buying a lot of other stuff.
• Many powders will often include things like small amounts of other supps or minerals or vitamins. Whey powders are naturally rich in calcium since they derive from milk.
• Do not use protein powders in cooking! Whey protein, especially, is very sensitive to high temperatures. You can mix it into hot already-cooked food (such as oatmeal, for example), but don't cook with it.
• Similarly, do not keep the protein powder dissolved in water or anything else for a long time. Dissolve and drink it right away.

Though you can use protein powders at any time of day by themselves or together with other foods to form complete meals, some situations are almost custom-made for protein powders:

• Whey is perfect for breakfast as well as immediately before or after the workout. It digests very quickly so it gives your body a quick source of amino acids when it needs them most (in the morning and after an exhausting workout) or can provide a good immediate fuel source (taken shortly before the workout)
• Casein, as I mentioned, digests slowly and may be a good choice before bed, providing gradual release of amino acids into your bloodstream well into the night.
• A mix of whey, egg protein, and casein is sometimes sold as a complete protein solution that gives you an amino acid boost immediately (from whey), after 45-60 minutes (from egg protein), and in an hour or two (from casein).

I recommend using water to dissolve most of these powders for most situations. Water usually dissolves the powder best as well. Some people just can't stand the taste of it in water and have to use milk or juice.

Some other people dissolve whey in a high-glucose solution (dextrose with water, usually) and drink the mixture right after weightlifting. This is an especially common practice among bodybuilders. The idea is to give your body a lot of simple carbs and amino acids at the time when it's least likely to store fat and most receptive to take in nutrients for the muscles. This glucose rush triggers a massive release of insulin into your bloodstream which in turn signals the muscles to start taking in the nutrients and begin the repair process. I personally find that this practice may not have as much value as is commonly ascribed to it. And it does cause insulin spikes which may increase the chances of type II diabetes in the long run. It's also less appropriate if you're trying to lose fat and want to always avoid simple carbs and insulin spikes.

If you are interested in having these high-carb/high-protein shakes after weightlifting, my recommendation would be to try them for a few months and then try eating a nice big "regular" meal right after weightlifting for a few months and see which gives better results. If the results aren't significantly different, I would recommend sticking to regular foods for the type II diabetes reason as well as to avoid the increased likelihood of tooth cavities due to all that extra sugar.

These powders are, as their name implies, meant to help gain weight. They have whey protein and A LOT of carbs, typically 2-3 times more carbs than protein. The amount of fat can vary from brand to brand. A typical serving may be: 35 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fat for a total of 630 calories.

Men will often use these on bulking cycles (when trying to increase muscle mass). The truth is that these weight-gainers are rarely the best way to gain weight. They will almost always have simple carbs along with whey protein. Whey protein is great. But there's nothing great about simple carbs. The only time they may possibly be appropriate is immediately after workouts (as described above), but even then it's questionable. What often happens is that guys think that these powders are the ultimate muscle builders and use them several times a day. The result is excessive fat gain and no additional muscle gain compared to what could've been done with a good "normal" diet.

FDA regulations allow food manufacturers advertise maltodextrose as a complex carb instead of as sugar. While chemically maltodextrose is a long carb chain, your body breaks it down and digests it just as quickly as simple sugars. But the FDA classification allows food and supp manufacturers to advertise all sorts of products as sugar-free by heavily relying on maltodextrose as an ingredient. So you'll find weight-gainers advertised as sugar-free, but containing maltodextrose which is the same as sugar as far as your body is concerned.

If you are interested in creating your own weight-gainer, then simply mix 1 scoop of pure whey protein with 2-3 scoops of plain uncooked old-fashioned oats! It won't taste as good as some of these commercial weight-gainer powders, but it will give you much better results. Limit your use of commercial weight gainers to post-workout only and be prepared to gain some fat if you use them too much.

These bars vary greatly in the amount of protein, carbs, sugars, and overall calories. They are very convenient, but in most cases they're inferior to "real" foods. The protein is often partially or wholly derived from gelatin, which is of lower quality than whey. Carbs will be at least partly sugars or hidden sugars (again, thanks to generous FDA classifications). The vitamins and minerals packed into these bars should not be considered substitutes for fresh fruits and vegetables.

So on the whole, these should be used only when you cannot bring a real meal with you or just don't have time for a real meal. On the plus side, a lot of these bars actually taste quite good :) When you select from the bewildering variety of the available bars look for:

• High protein content
• Low sugar content (though hidden sugars may ruin it anyway)
• Low carb and fat contents
• High fiber content
• Ingredients like whey, oats, and other "real-sounding" foods instead of long chemical names