1, various protein powders
In short, protein powder can be divided into animal protein and plant protein according to its source. The most common animal proteins are whey protein, whey protein and casein separated from milk. The most common plant proteins are soybean protein, rice protein, soybean protein and flax protein.
Animal protein has more advantages and is more common than plant protein in nutrition and taste. People who exercise rarely use soy protein, except for religious reasons (vegetarians) or need to supplement estrogen (people with low estrogen).
lactoalbumin
Whey protein comes from milk (the protein of milk is 20% whey protein and 80% casein; Protein in human breast milk is 40% whey protein and 60% casein. 100g milk contains less whey than 1g, so it is not cheap), so it is called "the king of protein" because of its purity, absorption rate and amino acid combination. For most people, whey protein is the source of protein powder with the best comprehensive performance: good taste, good quality and low cost. In addition, whey protein has some advantages that are often overlooked:
1, which contains a lot of cysteine amino acids, helps the body to produce glutathione GSH. Recently, some medical experiments have proved that it can help the body fight free radicals and even some cancers, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
2. It contains immunoglobulin necessary for human immunity, effectively increasing the immunity of white blood cells.
3. It contains a large number of BCAA branched-chain amino acids that cannot be synthesized by human body, which stimulates muscle anabolism and delays central fatigue.
Casein (also known as milk protein)
Protein in milk is 80% casein, so casein is also called milk protein. There is basically no difference between casein and whey protein in taste, nutritional value and biological value. The only difference is the speed of absorption by the body: casein is absorbed slowly and whey protein is absorbed quickly.
After strenuous exercise, the sugar in muscle and liver is seriously lost or even negatively balanced, and insulin is extremely sensitive. Therefore, if protein and carbohydrates are quickly supplemented at this time, all nutrients will be concentrated to replenish and repair muscle fibers, and will not be converted into fat. The 15-30 minutes after exercise is called the "golden window", so whey protein and simple carbohydrates (if juice or fruit) are the main supplements after exercise. Casein is generally used for bodybuilders to supplement before going to bed, because it is absorbed slowly and can be released slowly and evenly. Therefore, whey protein and casein are not good or bad, but have different functions.
vegetable protein
Among all plant proteins, soybean protein and flax protein are the most common. Because these two kinds of amino acids contain 8 kinds of essential amino acids for human body, while other plant proteins are 1, 2 less (animal proteins contain all amino acids, so animal proteins are more common). Compared with whey protein, soybean protein contains phytoestrogens in addition to cholesterol (suitable for people with too little estrogen, but too much estrogen is not good).
2. Taste and use of sweeteners
Protein powder itself has no taste, is not sweet or salty, and some protein powders are even bitter, while soybean protein usually has a strong bean smell. Therefore, most protein powders will use flavoring agents, or sugar substitutes, or natural, or a mixture of the two. Which flavoring agent has no effect on the nutrition of protein powder, only affects the taste. But if possible, try to choose naturally flavored protein powder. After all, sugar substitutes, especially aspartame (the main raw material in cola), have an impact on fat reduction efficiency. There are not many big brands that use pure natural flavoring agents in the market. Dymatize pure natural whey protein and Wonder Foods whey protein powder are guaranteed in quality and taste.
3. Bad additives in protein powder
I think this is the main problem. The key to distinguish the quality of protein powder is to look at this. First, avoid putting some "fillers" in those cheap protein powders; Second, the most important thing is to avoid those series that put creamer (similar to coffee companion) in protein powder in order to improve the taste and concentration. As we all know, creamer is a pile of hydrogenated oil, trans fat and concentrated corn syrup, and good healthy food will also be turned into junk food by this.
4. Good additives
Common high-quality additives are:
Lecithin: Lecithin is a healthy fat extracted from soybean, which has the functions of enhancing memory and protecting cardiovascular health. Adding lecithin to protein powder can improve the solubility of protein powder and reduce caking.
Digestive enzymes: Adding digestive enzymes can help people digest protein better.
Amino acids: Whey protein contains all amino acids, but it is not balanced. Some brands will add glutamine, BCAA and arginine which are necessary for the body during exercise to improve the nutritional composition and value.
Carbohydrate and fat: Some bodybuilders like to use protein powder with carbohydrates and fat to supplement nutrition and help build muscles, but this kind of thing has its own name called muscle-building powder.
5. Price
The price of protein powder is mainly determined by the following aspects:
1, raw material price: isolated whey protein powder is the most expensive, followed by whey protein powder, and finally hydrolyzed protein powder.
2, promotion costs: that is, advertising costs, which everyone understands.
3. Basic investment: including vacuum mixer, labeling, labor and protein powder packaging.
4. Transportation fee and tax: The main cost of imported protein powder is transportation and tax payment, so imported protein powder is generally much more expensive than domestic protein powder.
5. Profit: You have to make a profit in doing business.
Wonder Foods whey protein powder generally eats 50g at a time and washes 500ml of cold water.