PROTEIN POWDERS - ARE THEY A WEIGHT LOSS WONDER? Once the domain of body builders, protein shakes are now the convenience food of dieters. They’ve been touted as a quick fix for women who want to be healthy, but don’t have the time to prepare a full and wholesome meal every night. Protein shakes have experienced a huge boom in popularity. But are the benefits of protein shakes so clear-cut? And can they really help you shed weight? THE SHAKE SHIFT Protein shakes consist of powdered forms of protein such as soy or whey, which is a by-product of the cheese-making process. Flavoring is added to the powder so that when its blended with milk or water, it resembles a milkshake-style drink. Recommended servings vary but usually include about 20g of protein. The Federal Government recommends a daily protein intake of 24g a day for women and 84g a day for men. Protein intake, alongside resistance exercise, has long been credited with increased muscles mass. It’s also been found that a protein-rich intake - such as the amount in a protein shake – can also help lower the levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin, effectively suppressing the appetite. Such studies have led to protein shakes being marketed as weight loss solutions to the masses, rather than just at the traditional audience of gym junkies and bodybuilders. High-protein, low-carb shakes are aimed at women with busy lifestyles. These women are aware of the importance of healthy eating but don’t always have the time to prepare healthy meals and eat well. They’re looking for a convenient and nutritious way to increase their protein intake, and this is a quick and easy solution. NO QUICK FIX However, expert say that just drinking protein shakes doesn’t guarantee weight loss or a more musclely physique. If you’re just sucking down the shakes, that isn’t going to help. You must do resistance exercise alongside taking the protein shakes. A carefully planned diet can give the same benefits. Weight loss shakes have protein in them, but they’re also high in fibre. You can get protein naturally from dairy foods eaten at strategic times during the day and it will help you put on muscle mass and lose fat. Good natural sources are egg whites, diary and meat. The right type of powder that has the appropriate macronutrient content and is used the right way can be quite effective. If it’s being used as a meal replacement then it must have a good nutrition profile, so that its replacing real food without compromising your health. Protein can reduce appetite when its volume is increased in meals and it may help to reduce hunger pangs, but diets that use only protein shakes for weight loss only work because you reduce the amount of kilojoules you consume in a day. It isn’t the protein in the shakes themselves that cause you to lose weight, but the fact that you’re eating less kilojoules often by cutting out carbohydrates. While these kinds of diets can initially show a significant drop in weight, this is due to the water-loss in lean tissue. It is important to keep eating a balanced diet even if your consuming protein shakes. The main concern is that high protein shakes may replace other valuable foods, such as fruit and vegetables, or other important nutrients, such as carbohydrates and fibre from the diet.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 06:44:19 +0000
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