Written by Gurkan, G, (2020) Edited by Charles S., 26 May
Most people are very familiar with protein powder and have been using it daily for years!
Protein powder is ideal if you are trying to lose weight or trying to improve your overall health.
Why?
Because protein powder provides an easy way to supplement with high-quality essential and non-essential amino acids, while simultaneously providing an easy way to get a healthy and satiety-inducing meal each day.
In addition, certain protein powders contain other extremely helpful nutrients and vitamins that can help your body tolerate stress, burn excess fat, and promote better digestion.
Does this mean that you can get all of these benefits with any protein powder?
Not necessarily.
Many people are familiar with whey based protein powders, but not many realize the negative side effects or bloating that comes with it.
An important benefit to using grass-fed organic/natural whey protein powder is that it tends to be well tolerated, especially when compared to other sources of protein.
Most commercial protein powders contain protein derived from dairy or whey from grain fed sources, meaning the cattle eat seeds and grains which may contain GMO’s, antibiotics and other impurities that may pass on to the consumer, causing them hormonal problems and leading to physical and mental problems, stomach bacteria build up from grain fed diary sources.
Many people (especially those with sensitivities to milk proteins and gluten) tend to react with bloating, gas and/or skin reactions when using grain fed whey based protein powders.
Some people have a difficult time with digestion of protein due to alteration in gut microbiota, decreased stomach acid, conditions with alter the intestinal tract and/or sensitivities to processed foods (including sweeteners or other food products).
People will know if they have a problem with protein powder because they usually present with mild symptoms such as:
Many of these symptoms can be significantly reduced by switching to organic/natural protein powders that are also free of soy proteins.
Studies have shown that using plant-based protein improves indices of body composition and exercise performance however whey protein isolates from organic or natural sources remain to be the king of muscle recovery, maintenance and strength gains.
If you prefer to use whey protein powder over vegan plant based, make sure that you purchase your protein from an organic and grass-fed source.
The protein powder that I recommend is also 100% natural, gluten-free, soy free, contains no GMO’s and is free from synthetic or artificial sweeteners.
Both whey and plant-based protein powders have a similar effect on metabolism (basal metabolic rate), glucose metabolism and muscle mass production.
Not only that but they are also well tolerated.
What does that mean for you?
It means that by using organic protein powder you can get all of the benefits of using whey protein supplementation, but ditch out on the negative side effects such as gas/bloating that tend to occur with low quality non grass fed dairy forms of protein powder.
One of the best reasons to use organic protein powder is to promote and regulate weight.
While protein powder doesn’t necessarily result in weight loss or weight gain directly, it has a number of beneficial effects that promote fat burning potential in the body:
Protein powder promotes muscle mass production & size. Almost everyone knows that protein is required for muscle mass production and maintenance – this is no secret. What you may not realize is how important muscle mass is for weight management in your body. Skeletal muscles (the big muscles in your body) consume a lot of energy, even if they aren’t being used.
This energy consumption helps regulate your overall metabolism or basal metabolic rate.
Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories you burn while sleeping, resting, thinking, breathing, eating, etc.
This number is very important for weight loss and contributes more to the weight loss equation than any other factor.
This makes maintenance of muscle mass a top priority if weight loss is your goal!
Another important element in muscle mass is that over time both men and women will experience a gradual decline in muscle mass which is known as sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia results from changes in hormone levels (testosterone, estrogen/progesterone) that also tend to decline over time.
The great news is that studies show evidence that the use of organic/natural pure protein powder can curb muscle mass loss and slow down sarcopenia.
Studies have shown that protein increases satiety (meaning it helps you stay full) to a greater extent than both carbohydrate and fat.
In addition, protein also has been shown to increase thermogenesis (the amount of heat produced by your body) and has been shown to maintain fat-free mass.
Protein powder helps regulate insulin and blood sugar. It is well known that insulin resistance results in visceral fat deposition.
For those people keeping track that means insulin resistance causes increased fat mass on the body, preferably around the organs and stomach area.
This often results in the typical “belly fat” distribution that many people complain of.The main problem is that Doctors are conditioned to diagnose and treat type II diabetes, and often ignore early problems until they manifest as bigger problems much later.
The right Protein powder offers a way to potentially curb this resistance syndrome and help with weight loss early before it becomes a bigger problem.
Patients with thyroid-related issues should seriously consider the use of organic/natural grass fed protein over traditional whey based protein powders.
Patients with hypothyroidism tend to have problems with digestion (due to decreased stomach acid), weight gain (due to reduced metabolism), sensitivities (from an altered immune function) and inflammation.
Using organic sources of grass fed protein sources can help reduce or eliminate many of the problems associated with the digestion of animal protein (especially whey) in thyroid patients.
Many cases (up to 90% depending on the study) of hypothyroidism are actually caused by an autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease and there is a connection between Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune diseases such as Celiac disease.
The point here is that many people attempt to go gluten free and/or dairy free only to be sabotaged by the type of protein powder that they use.
While there isn’t a large body of evidence to support plant-based protein over animal-based protein powders, most providers will agree that patients with thyroid problems (and autoimmune diseases) tend to tolerate plant protein very well.
For the best results, you will want to find a high-quality supplement that contains formulations of grass fed natural / organic based protein while also including other nutrients (either vitamins or whole foods).
In terms of protein content, I recommend around 15-25 grams of protein per serving.
If your goal is weight loss, try to not consume more than 1 serving per day of the pure protein powder as excessively high doses of protein can curb weight loss efforts.
I have had the most success with the organic innovation pure protein powder that contains protein sourced from grass – fed, organic and natural award winning natural ingredients.
My preference is to combine both protein powder with healthy nutrition to support the day to day activities and general wellbeing but also support performance, when we need to perform at our best while feeling great.
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