Protein supplements are some of the most advertised supplements in the performance nutrition industry today. Whether you may be into bodybuilding, sports fitness, or functional training, protein powders are essential to complement any athlete’s training program.

Protein plays an important role in our body because it provides our body with amino acids. These amino acids are necessary to repair and grow muscle mass which enable us to meet the demands of our physical activities. Without adequate levels of amino acids, our muscles would have difficulty performing and adjusting to exercise.

Other than for building muscle, protein also plays other parts in our body’s immune system, cellular generation, and hormonal functions. Because of this, it is essential that you met your recommended daily protein intake.

Just how much protein should you eat each day?

The RDA or recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.8 grams for every kg of body weight (or .36 per pound of body weight). That’s the absolute minimum and that figure is only for those who do not engage in rigorous physical activity (sedentary).

However, if you work out or participate in sports such as martial arts and parkour, you’re going to need way more. It’s terribly inconvenient, not to mention expensive to carry slabs of beef around so you can have a protein snack, hence the popularity of protein supplements.

5 Protein Powders and Their Pros & Cons

Here are five protein supplements that anyone can use for their health and fitness goals:

1

Whey

Making cheese involves clotting the fatty parts found in milk and separating this from the liquid that’s left. This liquid by-product is called whey and scientists have discovered that it is one of the richest sources of high quality protein – both whey protein and casein protein.

Whey protein is rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), like Leucine and Cystein, that promotes your body’s ability to build muscle after hard workouts.

Because of how fast it can be absorbed by the body, whey is the best option if you need a quick protein source. It’s best to have some upon waking in the morning to prevent muscle breakdown and after a workout to promote muscle protein synthesis.

Moreover, because of the amino acid Leucine, whey protein increases the levels of IGF-1 in your body. IGF-1 is a growth hormone which helps your body prevent injuries by promoting bone and joint tissue regeneration, and by alleviating inflammation.

Aside from this, studies have shown that whey protein could also possibly benefit those with high blood pressure, Type-2 Diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. However, further research and study are still required to fully establish and quantify the benefits of whey protein in regard to disease treatment.

This is highly recommended and if you do decide to try it, you should opt for the grass- fed variety because milk sourced from organically pasture raised cows have higher CLA and omega-3 fatty acid content.

2

Casein

Although it is also derived from milk, casein protein takes a longer time for your body to digest and to absorb. In fact, a study has shown that the blood’s amino acid content stays consistent for seven hours after taking it.

Because of this, casein is the best protein source to give your muscle a constant stream of amino acids to prevent muscle protein breakdown during sleep or throughout the day.

Other than muscle breakdown prevention, increased intake of casein has been found to increase metabolism rate and level of satiety. If you’re looking to lose weight, casein is one of the better options because it allows you to manage your appetite easier.

Studies have also shown that casein can improve the immune system, alleviate high blood pressure, reduce triglyceride levels, and fight free radicals.

3

Collagen

Collagen is the most abundant protein found in our body. It provides structure and elasticity to tissues like muscles. This also serve as the main component of connective tissue that hold different organs and and joints together.

Unfortunately, as we age, our body’s collagen production drops. This resulting decrease in the levels of collagen in the body manifests in the form of higher incidence of osteoarthritis, joint pain, and muscle weakness.

For this reason, it is important to supplement with collagen especially if you’re an older adult. But even if you’re in your early twenties and have an active lifestyle, your body still needs a healthy amount of collagen to keep its muscles, joints, and connective tissues functioning well.

4

Insect Protein

Sustainably raising animals for food can be an expensive endeavor due to the high requirements on land, feed, and labor. Because of this, some people have started looking for other viable sources of protein and, one of which are, insects.

Although the notion of consuming insects is not exactly pleasant, you’d be surprised that they are found to be high in lean protein. A gram of adult crickets contains comparable levels of protein and fat to a gram of beef, but with higher amounts of thiamin and riboflavin (B vitamins) and lower caloric content.

Add to this the fact that insects raised for food do not contain the growth hormones and antibiotics that most common livestock has today.

Currently, insect protein can usually be found in the form of cricket flour and cricket protein bars. These products promote the absence of soy, dairy, grain, and gluten with healthier protein content as their primary selling points.

5

Vegan Protein

Due to moral or religious reasons, some individuals choose to abstain from meat and dairy products. Because of this, they may opt for plant-based products rich in protein such as seitan, tofu, lentils, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, and quinoa.

The drawback of for example vegan soy protein (powder) is that it contains lots of phytoestrogens.

Frequent consumption can cause excessive amounts of the hormone estrogen in your body, which is especially harmful for men but could result in negative health issues for both men and women. Some of these include fat gain, water retention, sexual dysfunction and bloating.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to ensure that you are getting the right amounts of protein for your fitness goals, you must first know the various options available for you. There are numerous products available in the market that can provide the protein your body needs. Just keep in mind that these products are not always equal to one another.

For example, whey and casein from grass-fed sources are the better choices as these have not been fed with antibiotics and are also higher in nutrients than regular whey or casein.

Also, one must remember that protein powders are merely supplements and are not meant to be your only source of protein. If you’re feeling adventurous, try insect protein, which is probably the future of protein supplements.

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Is the craze over a new high-protein beer unfounded?

The internet has gone wild over a beer that contains the same quantity of protein as the average protein-shake (21.8g). That’s unusually high for a beer. What’s more unusual is the fact that the beer was created by a sports nutrition brand in the UK.

So, is this a miracle for all of you fitness ninja? Or is this just a gimmick?

This beer – Barbell Brew – may have loads of protein. But are you sure that your body can synthesize it with alcohol present?

And is it really better to drink the protein-enriched Barbell Brew over regular beers?

Facts – Barbell Brew from Muscle Food

Barbell Brew is a beer by Muscle Food that contains 21.8 grams of protein. Unless you have the sick habit of adding whiskey shots into your protein-shake, no other alcoholic beverage has even close to this much protein.

Protein Beer Nutrition

The above nutrition information was taken from Muscle Food’s website, and is claimed to be tested by a UKAS-accredited lab.

Can your body synthesize protein when drinking beer (alcohol)?

There is no doubt that drinking alcohol suppresses your body’s ability to process protein and recover your muscles. But to what extent?

Based on this study, you can drink up to two beers (28 grams of alcohol) before alcohol interferes with protein-synthesis. At 71 grams of alcohol (or roughly 5 to 7 beers), your body’s ability to process protein is impeded by 24%. That means even at 5 to 7 beers your protein synthesis is not fully affected. If you were wondering, the second study was done on athletes, who happen to binge-drink.

Therefore, it is fair to say that protein from Barbell Brew beer can still be partially synthesised if you binge-drink. But please don’t.

Is it better to drink Barbell Brew over other beers?

Barbell Brew claims to haves one-third fewer calories than the average beer. And its carbohydrate content is again significantly lower.

But here’s a brief explanation why I believe a comparison of calories and carbs is unnecessary.

There is a debate on whether calories in alcohol is absorbed by the body. Long story short. Alcohol calories is prioritised and used to a certain limit, and then gets dumped when you use the toilet. Calories do not tell the full story.

Whatever is eaten right before, after or during drinks is not immediately digested. Instead, once the alcohol is processed, the food nutrients you consume is subjected to your body’s suppressed protein synthesis and impaired fat oxidation (by up to 73% with 24 grams of alcohol consumed). With an impaired ability to burn fat, factors like (1) how physically active you are and (2) how much you eat, matters a lot more.

For the moderate – 1 to 2 beers drinker – there really is no significant impact on fat-gain. And assuming you are physically active, a comparison on beer carbohydrate and caloric content is immaterial.

But for the calorie-and-macros-obsessive (or the binge-drinkers), here’s a brief comparison.

Barbell Brew contains comparable calories (92.4 kcal) to the average light beer that ranges from 60 to 120kcal. So, it certainly fares better than regular beers in terms of calories.

As for carbs, it beats every beer in the market at 1.7 grams, except Thin Ice.

When you factor in the high-protein content, Barbell Brew emerges as the clear victor – even against other protein beer competitors (i.e. Mighty Squirrel – 4g protein). Its regular price tag of £15.95 (US$23) for 6 bottles is comparable to other beers in the UK. And the same can be said of its alcohol volume of 3.6%.

Verdict: Keeping it real about Barbell Brew, beer and workout

Drinking beer (or any alcohol) impairs your body’s ability to synthesize protein, oxidize fat, consolidate muscle-memory from training, and recover and grow muscles. If you are truly obsessive over muscle gains and burning fat, avoid drinking. The same goes for people on a strict fat-loss diet or cutting-phase.

Nonetheless, don’t take this as a green light to attack people on either side of the alcohol and fitness argument. There are pros and cons either way. Your life, your choices and your consequences.

If you like the occasional cold beer, Barbell Brew gives you the added benefit of protein – assuming that the lab-certified nutrition label is reliable. It probably won’t be in your local bars soon but you can get it here (available only in the UK).

Protein beer or not, drink in moderation (1 to 2 beers) to minimise interfering with protein-synthesis and post-workout recovery.

But let’s keep it damn real though. How many of you stop at 2 beers on a night out?

I know I don’t…

Barbell Brew from Muscle Food

Get your 21.8g high-protein beer today… only if you live in the UK
(and if you are at the legal drinking age)

I Promise To Try not To Binge-Drink

The post What Does Science Say about High-protein Beer? A Gimmick? appeared first on Way Of Ninja.

Even though I want to complete part two of Dealing with Anxiety in Martial Arts and Sports as a Slow Learner before I fly off to Thailand tomorrow evening, there just isn’t enough time. Instead, here is a short post on my vacation plans as a martial artist and fitness enthusiast. Being overseas is no reason to slack off in fitness and training! I hope I haven’t spoken too soon…

1. Maintain a minimal workout routine

Fitness has already become a way of life for me and I intend to keep it this way. Combined with the high possibility of me overeating, I intend to exercise ten to twenty minutes daily while overseas. This shouldn’t eat into my ambitious itinerary, I hope. Working out while hungover is going to be a challenge…

2. Watch what I eat

I will be laying off calorie and macro counting because it just isn’t realistic to search food databases for obscure Thai cuisine before every meal. That doesn’t mean I’m going to eat like a monster, as I always do after long bouts of deprivation from my favorite foods… I will try not to binge…

3. Meet and run with local runners

I want to go for at least one run with local runners while in Thailand and have already made arrangements. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that I can find my way to the park in time; I am extremely directionally-challenged.

4. Train at a local Aikido dojo

As part of dealing with performance anxiety, I’m trying to expose myself to less familiar training environments and activities. Besides, my grand-sensei’s dojo happens to be in Thailand. So, it’s going to be exciting to experience training there. That said, he will be away when I’m there; while I’m flying to Thailand from Singapore, he is currently in Singapore giving a seminar. Better luck next time…

5. Rest and recover

Need to get more sleep than I am currently getting. I have no intention of getting hallucinative sleep paralysis while staying at a hotel that is located close to a cemetery. Read this sleep paralysis story, adapted from my experiences, to get an idea of how bad my sleep paralysis can get when I go on a prolonged sleep deprivation cycle.

6. Get a book review done… partially

The year is ending and I have three books left to review for Tuttle Publishing. I will be doing some reading and notations. If you have missed my recent review, here’s my take on Jet Black and the Ninja Wind.

While not set in stone, I am going to try to meet as many of these objectives as I can. I will keep all of you in the loop.

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It’s obvious to everybody by now: eating right is a challenge – especially in this day and age.

Either you’re on one side of the spectrum and you have difficulty simply feeding yourself. Or you have all the money and options but, more often than not, make unhealthy choices. It’s so easy to do so! Not to mention tasty… Plus, it’s convenient! Fast food is everywhere! Not necessarily cheap… but who cares?

” I don’t have time nor the skills to cook for myself. ”

Does that sound like you? I know… it used to sound like me as well.

The good news is, you don’t need to be a chef to make something healthy to eat. Quite the opposite actually. Chefs are usually trained to make use of combinations of food that taste great and to cook meals that makes peoples’ taste buds rejoice.

That’s it!

Their business often has nothing to do with providing customers with the right nutrients or to keep them lean, fit and healthy. No. More often than not, chefs are there to make you salivate and stuff yourself with as much food as you possibly can. And have fun doing it.

Nourishment vs Unhealthy Food Choices

Preparing healthy food can be done quickly and easily. Basically, if you can boil something, you can make yourself healthy nutritious meals every day. You just have to be ready to say goodbye to your nutritive comfort zone. Of course, healthy food does not taste like what we are used to, especially in the west.

No additives or Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) means less tasty foods (that is until you get used to it). It can taste downright plain and boring when you’re used to going to restaurants and eat fast food but when you make the choice of eating to nourish yourself and not just for fun, you have to expect a phase of adaptation before eating healthy becomes normal to you.

So, for those looking for simple, efficient ways to get proper nourishment, there is still hope. You just have to hang in there. What I am going to do here is share some simple tips, ideas, recipes and principles I have developed and learned over the years and hope it can inspire some of you to raise your nutritional standards. It’s not as complicated as we were led to believe as you will soon see.

There is nothing more important than the way we nourish our bodies. Food is the fuel we need in order to go through the day and do what we have to do so that, by the time we go to bed at night, we feel satisfied and content about the progress we have made during the day. It is no wonder then, that how we eat and more importantly what we eat determines the potential we will have at our disposal to get things done.

We can have all the motivation in the world, but so long as we do not eat what we need to eat to get the essential and proper nutrients our bodies need, we will see our best efforts fail. The most important thing to remember is that eating right makes a difference. It’s not just about being trendy or different. Try just one healthy meal and you’ll feel the difference. Not only the body feels better but the mind also does because you know you’ve done something right for yourself. Do not expect to change all of your nutritional habits right away though. If you can accomplish that, good! But it’s more difficult than it seems on paper for most people. What we should always remember is that a little change is better than no change at all!

Alternative Sources of Protein

So here we go. First of all, if you want to be active, and stay active, you need protein. We are used to looking for it in meat and while this is indeed a good way to get your protein, there are alternatives that can be cheaper than buying meat because, let’s face it, good meat is expensive and not always necessarily easy to come by. What I’ll do here is talk about protein filled alternatives to meat. I’m not a vegetarian and have no intention of pushing a vegetarian agenda here but, in my opinion, it’s good to know that there are alternative routes to get that much needed protein

1. Lentils

First of all – lentils.

Cheap, tasty and filled with protein. They are a versatile staple to keep in your arsenal. You can use them in soups as well as serve them on a plate with vegetables and even meat to get a double dose of the good stuff!

Red lentils for example usually contain about 24 grams of protein for every 125ml of them. That’s 48 grams of protein for a full cup of red lentils my friends!

To give you an idea, the protein shake I drink after every work-out, which is designed to give your resting muscles a much needed dose of protein, contains 23 grams of protein per cup. So you see now how powerful red lentils are. Not to mention that lentils are also a very good source of fiber.

2. Adzuki Beans

Next one in line are Adzuki beans.

Usually red with a small white stripe, they also come in white, black and gray varieties. One should soak them for about 8 hours before boiling them for just under an hour.

Once again, these little beauties are a great source of protein. They provide a good 20 grams of protein for half a cup. That means 40 full grams in a whole cup! Awesome!

I like them a lot because not only do they look good on a plate mixed with green vegetables ( I usually get the red variety ) but also love their wholesome taste. Nothing fills you up and gives you energy to push your physical boundaries like beans.

3. Black Beans

Another one I really love are Black beans. Everybody knows them. They look about the same as Adzuki beans, they have same size and they also have this little white stripe on them, but they sport a nice black color instead. These beans provide 21 grams of protein for half a cup. I’ll let you do the math for a full cup this time ;-).

They also contain more fiber than Adzuki beans: 60% versus 50%. Once again, these little beans give you the strength to move mountains and can be used in a variety of ways, one of which, the ”black bean brownie” is a favorite of mine. Here’s a link for that wonderful and useful recipe. Once more, these should be soaked for about 8 hours and then boiled for one before enjoying them.

4. Cottage Cheese!

Last but not least is cottage cheese! – I know there are countless other alternatives to meat out there but I have to restrain myself here. I used to be kind of reticent about trying this item. I had seen people eat it and always thought it looked odd and even gross until I decided to try it. Now I’m a fan!

This kind of cheese contains a very low amount of fat (which is good news) but it’s also a very good source of protein. My cottage cheese container here says it contains 16 grams of protein for a half a cup. It may seem a bit underwhelming to you after reading the previous alternatives I’ve mentioned, but keep in mind that’s 32 grams for a full cup! That’s a lot of protein! Not to mention that cottage cheese can be used in an almost infinite variety of ways. What I often do these days is boil myself some red lentils (remember, these are the best) and then, when they are ready, I mix in some cottage cheese and add some fresh herbs like parsley or even basil. Simple, efficient, tasty not to mention healthy! Perfect for high performance activities. You can also use some of that cottage cheese in smoothies or simply scoop up a small portion and add it to your plate alongside some green vegetables and beans for an extra protein boost. It looks good, it feels good and it tastes good!

Advice on Changing Eating Habits

Don’t hesitate to hit me up with some questions or comments. I’ll be happy to reply. Keep in mind that these alternatives are not only cheaper than meat, but they also contain as much if not more protein than meat does! And although I do recommend one or two portions of meat every week, I have spent almost five years as a vegetarian (from 2007 to late 2011) and so it is in no way impossible to have a healthy and active lifestyle and thrive without meat, especially when the worldwide food markets make it increasingly difficult to find some quality meat (not to mention any type of food really) so if you cannot find meat that is lean, organically and locally raised, I recommend that you stay away from it until you do. Health is no joke, if you don’t have it, you don’t have anything my friends! The best strategy here is to always keep some lentils or beans handy in the fridge. Boil them in advance so you always have some handy when you need it. Cold, they can be used to make a salad or you can warm them up in the oven with vegetables and herbs. That way, while your meal is getting ready, you can use the free time for other things!

As I’ve mentioned earlier, it may be difficult to change nutritional habits for the better. Bad food often is the most tasty and so, making the transition can be discouraging when you are used to food that’s very tasty and move on to food that, while tasty in it’s own natural way, does nothing compared to what is sold in restaurants and stores all over the world. What I recommend to make your healthy meals tastier is get some fresh herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley. Don’t be afraid to use them! Not only will they add a lot of flavor to your food but they will also increase it’s nutritional value. Salt is always a valuable option too, although one should beware of using too much. I recommend getting non-processed organic salt or even using some varieties of pepper to add some punch to your meals.

So here you go!

Stay active! Stay healthy, until next time!

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