The Basics

 If you are consistently working out and pushing your body to the limit, you must follow a diet that revolves around protein. Protein is arguably the most important macro-molecule you can consume as it provides the necessary amino acids for muscle repair and growth.  It can be procured from numerous food sources such as fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, beef, pork, bison, alligator, crustaceans, and legumes. The issue with these foods is that it can take hours for the human body to digest and absorb them.  This is where whey protein enters the picture.

What is Whey Protein? In a word, it is the dairy by-product of  cheese making; containing a mixture of protein, lactose, and fat. Via filtering and separation, excessive fats and lactose are removed, leading to a more protein-dense food.

Advantages  

Because of its chemical structure, whey protein can be digested and absorbed at a higher rate than most if not all meat proteins. It is this reason why whey is advocated as the #1 protein to be consumed immediately after a workout. In addition, whey protein does not have to be cooked or prepared. You can simply mix it in a bottle of water/milk or in a smoothie and simply drink it. However, its flexible nature does enable it to be infused into numerous food recipes (there are various recipe books online that demonstrate how to properly cook with whey).

 Independent studies have shown that a diet supplemented with whey protein can boost one’s immunity, lower cortisol (stress levels)¹, reduces blood pressure, and even help with cognitive performance ².  And of course, compared to meat proteins, whey protein has one of the best price-to-value ratios.

Concentrate vs. Isolate  

 When you are shopping for whey protein powder, chances are that you are examining the concentrate variety.  There is however another form of whey protein known as whey isolate, which is simply a much more pure version of whey (has lower amounts of fats and lactose). Whey isolate may be ideal for those who are lactose intolerant and/or experience frequent bloating. Be forewarned that the isolate form is more expensive than concentrate and does not have the same immunity-boosting properties  due to additional filtration.

Consumer Tips

 While whey protein is an excellent supplement, you should still include solid food proteins in your diet.

When shopping for whey protein (or any protein powder), makes sure that the product has a Supplement Facts label and not a Nutrition Facts label.   

The reason: those labeled with a Supplement Facts must abide to the FDA Code of Federal Regulations 111’s (CFR 111s), requiring stringent quality control manufacturing practices, regulations, and testing. Those labeled with Nutrition Facts label do not abide to the same protocol and are more likely to produce protein powders that do not match the specifications on their label.

Always keep that in mind when exploring whey protein products on deal4delts.com 

-PS, its also recommended that your whey protein has a ratio of 20-25 grams of protein to 0-7 grams of sugar per scoop. The additional sugar serves no beneficial purpose.