Protein is the main component of muscles, bones, skin and other organs in the body. Protein is helpful to improve sports performance, repair damaged muscles after exercise, and help restore muscle glycogen. Protein will not be directly converted into fat by the body (protein is first decomposed into amino acids in the body, and then some amino acids will be converted into glycogen, ketone bodies and other substances in the liver, but will not be synthesized into triglycerides.

Protein powder may be one of the most common supplements in the world (except vitamins) because:

Convenience: It is much easier to make a cup of protein powder after exercise or during meals than to eat 10 egg whites or a large piece of chicken breast.

Health: A spoonful of protein powder contains about 23-25g of protein, 0/00-0/50 of calories, 4-9g of carbohydrates, 2-4g of fat and 25-50mg of cholesterol; A lean steak contains 24 grams of protein, 280-320 calories, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 20-25 grams of fat and 70 milligrams of cholesterol. Three cups of milk (732g) contain 24g of protein, 444 calories, 36g of carbohydrate, 24g of fat and 72mg of cholesterol. With the same content of protein, the calories, fat and cholesterol of protein powder are far lower than those of food.

Save money: It is often cheaper than fish and steak when the content of protein is the same (in the United States, going to China requires international freight, and there may be customs duties, so I don't know how to compare).

Besides providing extra protein, there are many other health benefits, such as improving immunity.

It's delicious and suitable for all ages.

However, there are not hundreds of brands and varieties of protein powder in the market, such as those from big factories, small factories, unheard of ones, and those simulated on Taobao, and the same brand has different series from low to high. How can we choose the one that suits us? I try to provide some experience from the different types and main differences of protein powder.

If you don't look at brand and trademark market gimmicks, in the final analysis, I choose protein powder mainly to look at these things:

1. What kind of protein powder?

Simply put, protein powder can be divided into animal source and plant source according to its source. The most common animal-derived protein is 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-derived protein powder has more advantages in nutrition and taste than plant-derived protein powder, and it is also more common (basically 95% of protein powder in the American market is animal-derived, but strangely, brainwashing of some domestic brands leads many people to eat soy protein). People who exercise rarely use soy protein, except for religious reasons (vegetarians) or need to supplement estrogen (people with low estrogen).

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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. Whey is a liquid by-product separated from milk when making cheese. For most people, whey protein is the source of protein powder with the best comprehensive performance: taste (the best), quality (one of the best) and cost (one of the lowest). In addition, whey protein has some advantages that are often overlooked:

It contains a lot of cysteine amino acids, which helps the human body to produce glutathione GSH. Recently, some medical experiments have proved that it can help the body fight against free radicals, even some cancers, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Contains immunoglobulin necessary for human immunity, which effectively increases the immunity of white blood cells.

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.

Whey protein can be divided into three types according to its purity and processing mode from low to high:

Whey protein concentrate

Protein in whey was filtered by ultrafiltration technology, and then dried. The content of protein can range from 34% to 80% (some unscrupulous merchants, including many imitators in China, use WPC34, the concentrated whey protein with the lowest content, as the main raw material, and add some cheap non-essential amino acids such as glycine, alanine and taurine to make the protein content meet the standard when the instrument is tested, similar to the concept of Sanlu milk powder putting melamine to improve protein reading). Concentrated whey protein is usually the best-selling protein powder because of its low price. When choosing, it is best to choose a big brand with moral integrity, or mark the brand that uses WPC80 (but don't buy WPC80 powder on Taobao, it is food raw material, not food, and the bacterial content does not meet the food requirements. It is illegal to sell WPC80 powder to ordinary consumers in the United States)

Whey Protein Isolation (WPI) was isolated.

Isolated whey protein is a product obtained by further processing and purification on the basis of concentrated whey protein. Usually, its protein content is above 90%, and its price is often 2-3 times higher than that of concentrated whey protein. In addition to the fat and lactose in whey protein, the separated whey protein has better taste, higher biological value and is more easily digested and absorbed by human body.

Hydrolyzed whey protein hydrolysate (WPH)

Hydrolyzed whey protein is the product of hydrolysis of isolated whey protein. Hydrolysis is one of the necessary procedures for human body to consume and absorb protein. Hydrolyzing the protein powder directly in advance saves the process of the body and allows the body to absorb protein faster. At the same time, hydrolyzed whey protein can stimulate the body to produce insulin, which can supplement carbohydrates for the muscles after exercise to the greatest extent. At the same time, hydrolyzed protein powder can hardly cause body allergy, and it is the main component of low allergen infant formula.

Most brands in the market are not composed of one protein powder, but a combination of several, such as the blending of concentrated whey protein powder+separated whey protein powder+egg protein powder+casein powder+soybean protein powder, and the prices of separated whey and hydrolyzed whey are also different.

Casein (also known as milk protein)

Protein in milk is 80% casein, so it 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 65,438+05-30 minutes after exercise is called the "golden window", so whey protein and simple carbohydrates (if it is juice or fruit) are the main supplements after exercise (other foods or protein can't be absorbed quickly, which means wasting time).

Casein is generally used for bodybuilders to supplement before going to bed, because it is absorbed slowly and can be released slowly and evenly.

People often ask whey protein or casein which is better, but they don't say which is better, but their uses are different.

Egg protein powder

A long time ago, egg protein was the most common protein powder, but with the development of food processing technology after World War II in the last century, whey protein beat egg protein in taste and cost, and it is not common now.

Plant protein powder plant 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, neither sweet nor salty, and some are even bitter, such as hydrolyzed state, while soybean protein usually has a strong beany 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, and the quality and taste are guaranteed. It seems that only when protein is separated from whey protein will all the natural essence be dyed.

And the taste of protein powder is also very important. After all, what you drink every day is very annoying if it makes people sick. After all, everyone has different tastes, and you may not like what I like. Another ISO- 100 designed by Dymatize for women has two flavors: cookie N cream and gourmet chocolate.

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 (to be honest, if you look carefully at different brands or even different series under the same brand, cheap brands basically add non-essential amino acids such as glycine, alanine and taurine to "improve" the content of protein in instrument testing); 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 it 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.

Conjugated linoleic acid, MCT and cellulose-Conjugated linoleic acid and MCT are all extracted from fat, which helps to reduce fat. CLA is a conjugated fatty acid, which can inhibit the activity of lipoprotein lipase, reduce the synthesis of endogenous fat and improve fat metabolism. MCT, the full name of medium-chain triglyceride, is often used as one of the complementary foods for postoperative patients, which can improve the thermogenic effect of food, help improve metabolism and reduce fat. As we all know, cellulose is necessary to maintain health and accelerate fat loss.

Carbohydrates and fats-Some bodybuilders like to use protein powder with carbohydrates and fats 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 high or low. In most cases, the price of protein powder mainly depends on the type used (whey protein or plant protein; If it is concentrated whey protein, is it WPC34 or WPC80? Are there any more advanced protein isolates? What about hydrolyzed protein? ) Most protein powders are not from a single source, but are mixed from several protein powders according to their ingredients and uses (quick absorption or slow release). One of the principles is that the higher the ranking, the greater the content, although the specific content is often unknown. The raw materials of protein powder are basically the same, so if one of the same size is half cheaper than the other, it is estimated that the cheaper one is more likely to use cheaper raw materials with lower purity. Of course, sometimes it depends on whether the protein powder contains bad additives to reduce the cost or good additives to enhance the performance.

Should I eat protein powder?

This is a difficult question to answer. In principle, protein powder, like all supplements, is not necessary You should first consider getting enough protein from your diet. However, in real life, few people can just eat enough protein, and the calories, fat and cholesterol contained in other foods do not exceed the standard (except protein, a piece of beef has calories, fat and cholesterol). So in some cases, protein powder is indeed a more convenient substitute. Besides, whey protein has all other advantages that protein can't match when supplementing after exercise: it is absorbed quickly (it is absorbed faster when mixed with water than milk).

How much should I eat?

There are different opinions on the Internet, ranging from 0.36g (1kg =1.1lb, a man with 160 lb is just 58g, 12oz steak) suggested by USDA to 3-4g per lb suggested by some fitness instructors. Which is correct? In fact, as far as ordinary people are concerned, two eggs and a piece of meat a day (equivalent to 0.36 g/lb) is the minimum requirement, but it does not mean that this amount cannot be exceeded.

Many experiments show that increasing the intake of protein is beneficial to reducing fat and health. The University of Illinois once conducted a controlled experiment. Two groups of healthy people with similar weight eat the same food and exercise the same amount. After 16 weeks, people who weighed 0.36 g/lb lost 12 lb on average, while people who ate 0.8 g/lb of protein lost 20 lb on average. But that is not the point. The key point is that compared with the control group, the average blood pressure, LDL bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels of people who eat 0.8g/ lb are lower, and the probability of getting heart disease in 10 is 30% lower than that of the control group. Many experiments show that increasing the proportion of protein in calories is beneficial to health and reducing fat.

So how much protein should we eat? In my opinion, ordinary people basically don't exercise, and a daily weight of 0.36-0.4g/ lb (or calculated according to 18% of daily calories) can meet the minimum demand; For people with moderate and high exercise intensity and fat loss, the required protein is much higher than that of ordinary people. It is good to control the exercise intensity at 0.8- 1.2g/ lb (or 30-40% of daily calories) (in other words, a woman with 1 15kg exercises for about 60 minutes every day). And a bodybuilder or athlete who aims at building muscles can get more than 2g/ lb protein every day.

Can protein powder cause liver/renal failure?

This is probably the most widely circulated rumor about protein powder on the Internet. I have done a special survey before, and I have also asked many editors and coaches. In fact, since protein powder was gradually used in large quantities after World War II, there is no medical case to prove that "healthy people" "protein powder causes renal failure" at the recommended dose. Protein powder will cause extra burden to liver and kidney, but this burden is within a reasonable range. People with sound liver and kidney functions basically don't have to worry about any health problems as long as they don't drink more than a dozen spoonfuls a day.

Moreover, whey protein and plant protein are extracted from food, not synthesized by any chemical plant. Both milk and breast milk contain whey. Whey protein is also the main component of infant formula. There are many extreme counter-compensations on the Internet. It turns out that someone on Dabin Online wants to fight a war with me about protein powder (hehe). To put it bluntly, they are all afraid of what they don't understand.

When should I eat protein powder?

For most people who pay attention to reducing fat and strengthening the body and eating a balanced diet, it is enough to supplement a spoonful of protein powder, a cup of juice or fruit and other simple carbohydrates within 30 minutes after exercise every day (because this time period is the so-called golden window). If muscle exercise is your goal, and you are doing heavy weight training every day until you are exhausted, then you need more. I used to eat 1 spoon before breakfast, 1 spoon before exercise, 1-2 spoonfuls within 30 minutes after exercise, and a spoonful of casein slow-release protein powder before going to bed.

What should I pay attention to when buying protein powder?

I think the most important thing to pay attention to in China is fake goods. If you are interested, you can search "Old Yue Fake Powder" by Baidu. Protein powder is not difficult to make. A treasure is full of all kinds of "high imitation". Every time I see that China is cheaper than the United States, it hurts.

The second is to carefully look at the nutrition label of protein powder (provided that it is genuine, what he put in the fake has nothing to do with the label). If you see the addition of maltodextrin, creamer, corn syrup solid and hydrogenated fat (respectively, a sugar substitute, coffee partner, corn syrup and hydrogenated oil trans fat with high integrity), run away quickly.

Try to buy big-name goods, not unheard-of brands or small brands. After all, big brands are more secure. Some of my favorite protein powders, whey separation by ON (old brand, winning prizes every year, never discounted), COR-Performance by Cellucor (the best newcomer of the year, amazing), ISO-100 by Dymatize (100% whey separation, low calorie, Low-carbon water tastes first) and All Natural Elite (only 100% all-natural aspartame), OxyElite protein powder from USPLabs (only containing CLA, MCT and cellulose to help reduce fat), and musc's battle powder protein powder have hundreds of brands, and the above are just the ones I have tasted myself and think are not bad.

Finally, don't take those collagen as the source of protein. Collagen is a typical incomplete protein, and its nutritional value is low among all protein sources. Besides, eating collagen can't make you look good, because it has been said in the previous blog post.