Nov 1 by Joanna
High protein diet plans are among the more popular diets promoted these days by mainstream fitness magazines and media, and many people who are trying to lose weight and build muscle turn to protein shakes.
They are said to be good for people wanting to lose weight and because of the high protein content, dieters don’t need to be worried about losing muscle.
I am quite skeptical about high protein diet plans for a number of reasons about which I wrote about in other posts. Today, let’s look at the protein shakes and powders.
What are protein shakes?
Protein shakes are dietary supplements that provide protein for consumption. There are various types of protein powders available on the market today. Whey protein powder is the most common. Soy protein is an alternative protein for vegetarians. Egg white protein is for people who are lactose intolerant. Hemp protein is another popular one.
90% of the protein supplement companies source their raw materials from third parties, often importing them from third world countries. Inferior resources usually found in cheap protein shakes may have high level of heavy metals and cattle hormones. This has been elucidation from recent tests and published widely in the consumer reports. Then there are the additives and artificial sweeteners.
So, are protein shakes really needed and/or recommended for weight loss?
Protein shakes for weight loss
Manufacturers of protein shakes claim that their products decrease body fat or promote weight loss, but protein shakes aren’t a magic bullet for weight loss.
While it’s true that replacing certain meals with protein shakes may help you reduce your daily calories, which will result in weight loss; however, if you rely on protein shakes for regular meals, you’ll miss out on the nutritional benefits of whole foods.
And consuming too much protein can actually make losing weight more difficult — especially if you drink protein shakes in addition to your usual diet.
How much protein do we really need?
There is a lot of discussion about how much protein we need and a lot of misinformation regarding this subject. The need for protein has generally been greatly exaggerated by market forces, and protein’s functions have been misrepresented.
Most people are convinced that we need large quantities of protein for energy or to keep us from getting sick.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
The primary function of protein is growth, which is negligible in adults, as well as repair from injury and replacement of worn-out cells. The average adult needs 46 to 56 grams of protein a day, depending on weight and overall health.
Even if you work out a lot, as long as you’re eating a healthy diet, adding extra protein — either through protein shakes or other sources — isn’t necessary.
There is no such thing as “protein deficiency” in the Western World.
For most people the low consumption of protein isn’t the problem, it’s the low consumption of whole foods: fresh fruits, vegetables and greens.
That’s why I keep promoting the green smoothies for weight loss.
Without any protein powder in them (or any green powder either, for that matter).
They will help you lose weight naturally, without any additives or powders.
Remember, the key to losing weight is burning more calories than you consume. Choose whole foods — with lots of fruits, vegetables, and greens — and include physical activity in your daily routine.
So, should you add protein powder to your smoothies?
Again, if you read my post about green smoothies for weight loss, you know that I don’t recommend adding any protein powders to the smoothie.
I don’t believe additional protein is needed and I have to say that I don’t like any “artificial food”. This includes commercially produced liquid diet powders or shakes. I just don’t like the idea of eating highly processed foods. In addition, the side effects and possible toxicity of commercially produced shakes has not been studied adequately.
I highly believe in eating whole foods – fresh and raw – as much as we can.
Green Smoothie: Don
Green Smoothies are Rich in Protein
No, really.
They are chock full of amino acids because greens contain lots of amino acids. Your body uses these amino acids to produce protein.
The more greens you eat, the more amino acids that you provide your body with.
Dark green leafy vegetables contain similar or larger amounts of amino acids than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). However, because of the confusion between vegetables (roots) and greens, we are told that vegetables, including greens, are a poor source of amino acids. Dr. Joel Fuhrman wrote in his book Eat to Live: “Even physicians and dietitians… are surprised to learn that …when you eat large quantities of green vegetables, you receive a considerable amount of protein.”
I like the explanation provided by Victoria Boutenko on her blog:
Let me explain the difference between complex proteins found in meat, dairy, fish, etc. and individual amino acids, found in fruits, vegetables, and especially in greens.
It is clear that the body has to work a lot less when creating protein from the assortment of individual amino acids from greens, rather than the already combined, long molecules of protein, assembled according to the foreign pattern of a totally different creature such as a cow or a chicken. I would like to explain the difference between complex proteins and individual amino acids with a simple anecdote.
Imagine that you have to make a wedding dress for your daughter. Consuming the complex proteins that we get from cows or other creatures is like going to the second hand store, and buying many other people’s used dresses, coming home and spending several hours ripping apart pieces of the dresses that you like and combining them into a new dress for your daughter. This alternative will take a lot of time and energy and will leave a great deal of garbage. You could never make a perfect dress this way.
Consuming individual amino acids is like taking your daughter to a fabric store to buy beautiful new fabric, lace, buttons, ribbons, threads, and pearls. With these essential elements you can make a beautiful dress that fits her unique body perfectly. Similarly, when you eat greens, you “purchase” new amino acids, freshly made by sunshine and chlorophyll, which the body will use to rebuild its parts according to your own unique DNA.
Contrary to this, your body would have a hard time trying to make a perfect molecule of protein out of someone else’s molecules, which consist of totally different combinations of amino acids. Plus, your body would most likely receive a lot of unnecessary pieces that are hard to digest. These pieces would be floating around in your blood like garbage for a long time, causing allergies and other health problems. Professor W. A. Walker from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, states that, “Incompletely digested protein fragments may be absorbed into the bloodstream. The absorption of these large molecules contributes to the development of food allergies and immunological disorders.” Source: Raw Family Blog
The Basic Protein Smoothie Recipe
Feel free to use this basic green smoothie base and experiment. (Remember #11!)
• 2 Bananas
• 5 Strawberries
• Handful Spinach (increase greens gradually over time, and you’ll find you crave more of them!)
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 cup water
After you make your first green smoothie, you’ll want to learn about trying new recipes and rotating your greens.
Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?
Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with? Have you tried green smoothies for weight loss?
Want to share some weight loss tips with fellow readers? I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks!
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, you need to educate yourself about the potential problems that this can create.
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