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Article Five: Protein 101

Protein, what comes to mind when you hear that word?? I associate protein with muscles, amino acids, meats, shakes and protein bars. We all know that protein is essential for our bodies, especially when one wants to put on lean muscle mass. But protein is also responsible for cell structure, immune system, enzymatic response within the cell acting as a catalyst to accelerate a process. Proteins are composed of amino acids, amino acids are obtained through food or in some type of supplement form which I’m sure you have all seen. There are non essential and essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are aminos that cannot be synthesized by the human; therefore they have to be obtained through a proper diet. There are eight amino acids that are considered essential. So non essential means that you can synthesize the rest of the amino acids in your body given that you are following a healthy diet. Since you know the basics about protein, let’s talk about protein supplements. Now I know if you are ever in a Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, you see “Whey Protein, Milk Casein Protein, Whey/Ion exchange Isolates,” which one do you choose and which is the best?? Well, all of them are equally important and I will explain why!

Whey protein concentrate contains all eight of the essential amino acids which is imperative for metabolizing when taking as a supplement. Whey also has the highest concentration of branched chain amino acids. Most importantly it has the highest biological value of any protein, which means it hits you right away. That’s why you hear a lot talk about using it first thing in the morning and pre/post workout. Whey protein isolates are great because they contain less lactose and less fat. If you are concerned with fat and lactose, whey isolates maybe the way to go instead of the traditional whey protein concentrates. The difference between concentrate and isolate is that isolates have more protein on a gram for gram basis. But the downside about isolates is that they lack many important compounds such as growth factors and some things that aid in the digestion system. Ion exchange whey protein isolates are made by taking a concentrate and running it through an ion exchange column to get ion exchange whey isolate. This has the highest percentage of proteins of all “isolates” but again some important compounds are lost such as growth factors and components that aid in digestion.

Micro filtered whey isolate is the best protein out of all the concentrates and isolates. These contain the highest levels of protein, lowest content of fat and retain all the growth factors and digestion aids that are beneficial to us. You might be asking, so what brand carries this kind of protein, well, I know one that definitely uses micro filtered whey isolates and I love it. It’s called VPX Zero Impact protein, by far one of the best proteins out there in the market, and it tastes great, I use the Graham Cracker kind, if you want lean muscle with all the benefits choose this protein, it’s pricey compared to all the others, but you get what you pay for. So next time you are shopping for a whey protein supplement, make sure to look on the back of the label and see what kind of protein they use, remember the first ingredient represents the bulk of the product and each one following it there after follows it in descending order of concentration.

Here are some useful tips you can utilize in your nutritional program. When I first get up, I use a whey protein shake. Then if I want to have shakes throughout the day, I would use the isolate form, it’s a little bit slower digesting than the whey, I don’t want my protein absorbed right away if I’m not using it first thing in the morning and pre/post workout! And right before I go to bed, I use a casein protein, this is the slowest digesting out of all of them, this will keep you going for about 4-6hrs, it’s great when you’re sleeping, you have a slow release of protein all through the night. Don’t use during the day though, or you will definitely get bloated and full. Ok friends and fans, I hope you found this article informative, and I would hope that you use this for your arsenal in your training regimen. Good luck! Don’t forget to sign up for a personal training program tailored to your specific needs, I will get you to your desired goals guaranteed!

Love always,
Danielle

co-authored by Nejim Sharbek