Why Add Protein Shakes to Your Lifestyle

We all hear about bodybuilders filling up on protein shakes when hitting the gym, however, protein shakes are great for a number of different people and can easily be added to your current lifestyle.

Here, we are taking you through what exactly protein shakes are, why protein is important in your diet and when you should be taking protein for optimum results!

What Exactly is Whey Protein?

If you are hitting the gym and need to quickly and efficiently rebuild and repair your muscles, then whey protein is the easiest, and most cost-effective way to do this.

Whey is essentially the by product that is leftover after the process of making cheese. This is a liquid but when it is converted to protein then powder is the form that you are most likely to find it in. It is one of the sporting world’s most popular products as it is easy to get your hands on, cost-effective and the product itself works extremely well.

When you consume a protein shake, it will quickly be digested by your body and will enter your digestive system. This reaches your muscles fast and this will improve muscle growth after training when the recovery process is at its peak.

Why Is Protein Important?

Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Your body essentially uses protein to build and repair tissues. You body also uses protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals in your body.

The Government’s recommended daily protein intake is 55g per day, however, if you are going to be following an exercise program, you may need to look at taking a higher amount of protein than this. Protein shakes are an easy way to meet your requirements after a training session if you need a quick boost or cannot be bothered to cook a full meal.

The whey protein from Supreme Nutrition offers a range of protein shakes in flavours such as chocolate, strawberries and cream and vanilla, so there is something here for everyone to choose from.

Protein shakes usually contain upwards of 22g of protein in them, so even if you are not going to the gym and are just a busy girl about town, a quick protein shake during the day can keep you fueled and ready to take on the rest of your day.

However, it is important to remember that protein shakes are not a substitute for food and you will still need to ensure that you are not only hitting your protein requirements for the day, but that you are also getting all of your essential vitamins and minerals.

The Different Forms of Whey Protein

There are four different form of protein powder – isolate, concentrate, hydrolysate and native.

Isolate whey protein(can we link to our Isolate here?) is great as it has the fat and lactose removed from it and has a protein content by weight of about 90%. The only negative to this protein is that it is lower in health-boosting bioactive compounds.

Concentrate whey protein(can we link to our prod here?)usually has a low fat content compared to other forms of protein and the lactose is present which means there are more carbohydrates in it. The protein weight content can range anywhere between 30% and 90% with this type of product.

Hydrolysate is one of the most expensive protein’s that you can buy as it is pre-digested and partially hydrolysed. This essentially means that during the production process, water is added to break down the constituent compounds, making them easier for your body to digest but at a higher cost.

Finally, we have native protein. This is the cleanest form of protein. It is removedstraight from skimmed milk and so this is different as it is not a by product. It is low in fat and it also has the highest protein content weight at 95%.

How Much Protein Powder Do I Need?

When you are taking protein powder, most companies will suggest a serving size of 30g. Why this exact amount? Well, there has been many studies that have found 30g to be the best amount of protein to repair the damage done through training and create more muscle.

What’s more, when we are dieting we always here that we should include more protein in our diets and this is because diets high in protein will help to reduce your body fat. This means that while you are getting stronger, you will also be getting leaner too.

When to Take Protein Shakes

The best time to take a protein shake is straight after your workout as this is normally when your muscles will be repairing and will need the extra help.

When you drink a protein shake straight after a workout, your body will be flooded with amino acids and these are quickly placed into your muscle cells, ready to be transformed into new muscle tissue.