The Rise of Protein Products
Protein is a hot topic right now. Walk into any supermarket or health store, and you’ll see shelves overflowing with protein shakes and bars. It’s estimated that around one in ten people eats a protein bar once a week, and a similar number regularly use protein powders.
The Protein Craze: Should You Join In?
With all the hype around protein shakes and bars, you might wonder if you should jump on the bandwagon. While these products can help boost your protein intake, it’s important to be cautious. According to the article in the Daily Mail, overdoing it can lead to risks like kidney stones and tooth decay.
Getting Protein the Right Way
Experts agree that the best way to get your protein is from whole food sources. Not only do these foods provide high-quality protein, but they also offer other essential nutrients. Dietitian Lucy Jones recommends getting protein from natural sources like beans, soy, nuts, fish, eggs, and meat. These foods are rich in protein and also provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Whole foods ensure a more balanced nutrient intake, which is often missed when relying on protein supplements.
The Downside of Protein Bars and Shakes
One concern with protein bars and shakes is their added ingredients, such as sweeteners and sugars. Some products may have low-quality protein that doesn’t provide all the essential amino acids needed for muscle growth or isn’t easily absorbed by our bodies. Additionally, common additives like artificial sweeteners (sorbitol and mannitol) can cause bloating and digestive discomfort. Other additives like carrageenan, guar gum, and xanthan gum can also cause digestive issues in sensitive individuals. These ingredients make these options ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to weight gain and conditions like type 2 diabetes.
The Truth About Protein Supplements
The article makes a good point about the fake ingredients and added sugars in many protein supplements. These are not real foods, and just because a protein bar or shake claims to have a certain amount of protein doesn’t mean your body will absorb it all. If you’re exercising, strength training, or older, you do need more protein. As you age, your body has a harder time breaking down protein, especially if you have issues like fatty liver disease. This makes liver health crucial for effective protein metabolism.
Why Protein is Essential
Protein is vital for a healthy metabolism. It provides the building blocks for muscles, tissues, organs, hair, and nails. Protein is essential for energy, growth, and repairing and maintaining our bodies, especially bones and muscles. It supports the function of vital organs like the brain, heart, and liver. Protein is also crucial for maintaining normal body functions, including our immune system (antibodies are proteins) and transporting oxygen in the blood (hemoglobin is a protein). Without enough protein, your immunity might suffer, and your wounds might take longer to heal.
Protein also helps burn fat by increasing the “thermic effect,” where different types of calories consumed create heat in the body, burning more calories. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other macronutrients, with the body using about 25% of protein calories just through digestion and heat production. This means that for every 100 calories of protein you consume, 25 are used up through digestion and heat. Protein also provides amino acids for growing and maintaining lean muscle, which can boost fat burning.
Fat-Storing Proteins
- Protein Powders and Bars: Most protein powders convert about 80% of their content into sugars, which can lead to fat and muscle gain. Unlike animal protein, which has a thermic effect where 25% of protein calories are used for digestion, protein powders are easily digestible and lack this effect. They include fake ingredients that trigger inflammation, burden the liver, and inhibit the assimilation of nutrients. What’s worse is that many protein shakes and bars are made with whey, pea, and soy protein. These proteins use about 18% of their amino acids for making new proteins, with the rest converted to sugar. They can also cause inflammation, increased estrogen levels, leaky gut, and allergies. Whey is from dairy which is one of the top allergens for people. Soy is full of glyphosate and GMOs while also increasing the “wrong” estrogen in the body. Peas are full of mold and could trigger a cascade of issues related to inflammation, Leaky gut, and more. That is all aside from the fact that they aren’t giving you the “bang for your buck” as it relates to assimilating the amino acids.
- Conventional Meats: Chicken, beef, turkey, and pork contain high levels of omega-6 fats and amyloid proteins, which can lead to inflammation, fat storage, and various health issues.
- Farm-Raised Fish: These fish are often fed genetically modified corn and soy, leading to increased fat storage and poor mitochondrial health. ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Fat-Burning Proteins
- MAP Master Amino Acid Pattern®: This supplement contains pure essential amino acids in the precise ratio needed for building new proteins, achieving a 99% utilization rate by the body.
Studies have shown that one MAP tablet can do the work of about two and a half grams of really good protein from food. That means ten tablets can give your body the same protein boost as eating almost eight ounces of meat, fish, or chicken with only 0.4 calories!
- Wild Animal Proteins: These proteins provide essential nutrients and trigger a thermic effect, burning 25% of the calories consumed. They also help curb sugar cravings and suppress appetite. Examples include bison, elk, deer, lamb, cornish game hen, and wild cold-water fish.
Enhancing Protein Absorption
Acceleradine® Iodine
This iodine supplement addresses iodine deficiency, which affects mitochondrial function and reduces ATP production, leading to a sluggish metabolism and weight gain. It boosts ATP production, supports cellular detoxification, and helps displace harmful substances from cells.
Accelerated Fast®
This supplement may boost ATP production in mitochondria, speed up metabolism, and aid in weight loss. It also may cleanse the liver, helping to optimize thyroid function and promote fat metabolism.
Accelerated Thyroid®
This natural thyroid supplement supports thyroid function, detoxification, and overall hormonal balance. It contains grass-fed thyroid glandular, essential peptides, amino acids, and nutrients for thyroid health.
Healthy Gut HCL Guard™
As we age, our stomachs can get a bit tired, making it harder to digest proteins essential for muscle health, hair, skin, and overall cell maintenance. HCL Guard™ is a stomach support supplement designed to tackle various stomach issues like constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, and more. It also helps with hair, skin, and nail health, mood swings, and low energy levels. It works by providing enough stomach acid to break down food, unravel proteins for enzymes to work, activate the enzyme Pepsin, and increase the assimilation of dietary protein.
By focusing on whole food sources and high-quality supplements, you can ensure you’re getting the best protein for your body without the risks associated with processed protein products.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.
