Is Protein Powder the Right Choice for You?

No matter how dedicated you are to fitness and wellness, you may struggle to filter through the data available about protein shakes, powders, and supplements. It's a good idea to keep a journal of your workout progress, your supplement choices, and your resulting soreness. Remember to focus on protein shakes and powders as a supplement, not a meal replacement.

Diet Vs. Supplements

Do your best to get the necessary protein for daily living from your diet. To determine your protein needs, your age, activity level, and current weight will need to be considered.

A high protein diet can be quite healthy if you can keep down the amount of fat that you use to prepare your protein choice. Additionally, try to keep down the amount of added salt. To keep things simple, plan your protein intake in such a way that each meal and snack is a source of healthy fat and protein. With this focus, your intake of junk food will necessarily have to fall off; junk food is an ideal source of carbs and salt but seldom high in protein.

Best Absorption Results

To make sure that your body can safely absorb as much protein as possible from each meal and snack, a focus on gut health is key. For best absorption, try to eat for optimal gut health. You need a wide variety of foods, including

• whole grains
• soluble and insoluble fibers
• roughage

to create a home for healthy gut bacteria. A diet that is high in meat protein may appear to deliver the protein necessary to build muscle, but if your gut is not healthy enough to absorb what you've eaten, you may be putting your health at risk.

To this end, do your best to eat a wide variety of whole grains, raw and cooked vegetables, plenty of fresh fruit for Vitamin C, as well as protein. You may also want to add a probiotic to your supplement routine.

Again, a protein supplement is not a meal replacement. Meal replacement shakes may seem like a good idea if you're working hard to lose fat, but cutting back on the amount of fiber and roughage you take in may limit your gut bacteria and absorption.

Supplements to Beat Soreness

Building muscle is a process of tearing down the body, then filling in those tiny tears with new tissue. Growing this new tissue may result in soreness, so your protein supplement routine needs to be focused on repairing and filling in those tears for consistent growth.

Unless you're vegan, consider using a whey-based Allmax protein powder after a workout to help you rapidly repair the damage done by a hard workout. Vegans may have the best results from a wheat-based product, or soy if their tolerance for wheat is limited.

While determining your protein powder choice, be aware that protein powders are not regulated by any government agency. What is claimed may not be true, so review the certifications and promotional material provided by the manufacturer to make sure that the product is ideal for your health needs.

Pay Attention to Sugar and Age

Protein shakes can be extremely high in sugar, particularly if you buy pre-blended products. Consider investing in a pure protein powder, mixing it with milk that you can tolerate, and adding natural sweetening products to avoid an insulin spike after your workout.

Finally, make sure that you check the age of your protein powder. Old protein powder tastes terrible and is not good for your gut. To keep things simple, make the smallest purchase of the product that you think will work best for you and track your usage before investing in a larger supply of that same product. Check the storage and refrigeration requirements so you can keep your protein powder as fresh as possible once it's opened and that you will use it up quickly for the best flavor.

A protein supplement following a hard workout can help you get ahead of muscle soreness. Avoid any blend that is high in sugar and make sure that your protein drink doesn't serve as a replacement for a meal that offers the necessary fibers for best gut health.