The Complete Guide to Choosing Protein Powder

The Complete Guide to Choosing Protein Powder

A few decades ago, they came into the world, slowly making their way to the United States and slowly - you can see them in every display window at the gyms, in every health bar, in any supplement store. We're talking about protein powders, of course.

However, there are so many different types, different colors, different companies and the typical consumer, if unarmed with basic dietary supplement knowledge, may find himself lost once he goes into the supplement store and the question that resonates with his head will be - which powder to choose?

In this article, we will first understand what protein powder is and what its role is, and then we will understand maybe some types of protein powder available on the market and what is best for everyone personally.

So what exactly is protein powder?

The main sources of proteins in our diet are animal foods: meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and also protein powder.

Protein Powder as it is, it is a high-protein powder whose purpose is to help us increase our daily protein intake, most people who need a higher protein than usual are people who exercise, especially anaerobic athletes.

Also, protein powders are used by people who exercise at low intensity, or people who want to increase their daily protein intake, because they do not eat enough protein in their diet due to lack of time or various allergies.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in protein powder consumption and, for comparison, the protein powder industry alone makes $ 1 billion per year in comparison, accounting for 42% of worldwide dietary supplement revenue, which is estimated at $ 2.3 billion a year.

What major types of protein powder exist today?

First, let's try to ease some more. Once we understand the protein powders, we divide them into three main categories:

1.Whey protein Concentrate - These protein powders will contain only concentrated whey protein, the whey protein is a protein of very high biological value. - Due to its rapid absorption, it used to be thought that it would be suitable for those who are looking for fast-acting and fast-acting protein, it was customary to think that the ideal time for consuming this type of protein powder would be after weight training.

However, today we know that it is not only based on whey protein immediately after the workout because and within a relatively short time from taking it, the blood amino acid concentration drops again to the condition that needs to be raised as soon as possible (already within an hour), it is important to note that this type of protein is consumed during the day between The meals, but before bedtime is clearly ineffective, as it breaks down completely about an hour later, and therefore does not give a continuous flow of amino acids to the muscles. This protein is considered very cheap and currently every nutritional supplement company produces such a product.

2.Whey protein isolate - This protein also comes from the whey source, but this time its production process is more complex and expensive, it has been filtered and isolated so it is almost completely lactose free, with even faster absorption than concentrated whey protein (About 5-10%).

It should be noted that people who are sensitive to lactose cannot consume the concentrated whey protein and therefore the isolated whey protein will suit them.

In recent years, several different myths have been circulated claiming that isolated whey protein is the "best", although not scientifically so.

For those who are sensitive to lactose protein isolate, whey is the preferred option for them. But in 99% of cases, the hazelnut protein is intended to enrich the pockets of manufacturers.

3.Protein Blend or MATRIX This is an advanced protein powder that actually incorporates several types of proteins, which can be found in whey protein (mentioned above), along with other high quality protein.

Whey protein whey

Egg protein (albumin)

Milk protein (casein)

The latter two have a longer uptake than that of the whey and can cause our bodies to enjoy the protein for up to about 6 hours respectively. Which gives the powder a higher biological value than just whey protein and richer and higher quality amino acids and makes the powder better for use after training and during the day.

The compound powder is actually the protein powder joker (at least in the last 3 years when all the studies on the subject began). If cheese was previously thought to be the leading protein, today science can unequivocally see that incorporating protein from different sources would be more advantageous for both muscle building and muscle recovery and prevention (catabolic prevention).

Studies have also examined the effectiveness of protein intake at the end of training compared to whey protein intake, and found that protein intake is preferable. That means consuming a suitable protein combination both immediately after the workout and throughout the day. About a continuous drip of amino acids into the muscle, meaning that our bodies will be longer in anabolic state (muscle building). And in this way we can save a lot of money and avoid buying several powders of several different types and enjoy one product that contains them all.

One of the products in question in the world today is SYNTRAX's US Matrix 5

So, we realized that consuming protein mix would be the ideal solution for most people, and for those sensitive to dairy and lactose, the isolate protein would be a great solution. Now that we've figured out what the ideal types are, let's figure out which products will be most affordable for us and how to find them:

1. Always look at the table of values: Every food product, including nutritional supplements, must have a table with nutritional values, which is enshrined in law. We should always look carefully at this table, as it sometimes tells a lot of things that the company that makes the product doesn't necessarily want us to know. Recently, a number of companies have entered the market claiming that their products are "the best", but a brief look at the value table of their products does not doubt that they are wrong. If we look at a product, and see the compelling figure "25 grams of protein in a large amount", we will usually think it's excellent, 25 grams of protein is a decent amount. But you have to know the percentage of protein in 100 grams of powder. That's the interesting statistic. If you take a good look we can find that in these new products the percentage of protein is below 68! That is, the company has increased the size of the serving spoon and therefore has 25 grams of protein per serving. As evidence of this, the number of serving dishes in these products is significantly lower and contains less than 60 servings! Which means that if you practice 2 doses a day, the powder will not suffice for even one month! We should always strive for a percentage of protein that will allow more than 60 serving portions. In some of the higher quality products with the high protein percentage, 76 or more servings can be found.

2. Pay attention to ingredients: Every company is committed to listing the ingredients of its products. We must always look and see what the constituents are and not to mention unnecessary question marks. In the high-quality powders the ingredients will have high quality proteins and flavors and smell to use. On the other hand, some companies will prefer to use cheaper protein sources to increase profits, such as casein (as opposed to Mislerin casein which is more expensive) or flour (!) As part of the ingredients in their products. What should automatically turn on a red light for us and know that it is a significantly lower quality product.

3. Certifications and Standards - Various companies boast that their products hold third-party labs or external testing. Sometimes from unrecognized labs in the United States none of us really have a way of knowing who they are. These certifications are more significant as they are recognized by international organizations and sports and athletics bodies, as opposed to certificates by laboratories that are not recognized as such.

In conclusion

Today, as mentioned, there are countless different products from different companies. First, know what type of product you need and which will be best for you. Then, take a closer look at the product as detailed: Pay attention to the label for values. What you really need and fit for you, no games and no lowercase.