Protein Shakes

What are the Best Protein Shakes for You?

At one time, not so long ago, the only ones consuming protein shakes bodybuilders, athletes, and health food nuts. Today, as interest in nutrition and health matters continues to grow, were finding a huge increase in the number of people who were incorporating protein shakes into their diet both as a way to lose weight as well as to promote physical health. So what are protein shakes, how are they made, and most importantly, how can they benefit you?

What are protein shakes?

Protein is without a doubt, the single most important macro-nutrient consumed by all animal life. Protein is essential for building muscle, bone, skin, hair and all other tissues of the human body. Protein is the primary component of living tissue and you cannot exist without consuming protein your daily diet. The amount of protein one needs in the diet is dependent on the size of the individual, as well as their activity level. Athletes and bodybuilders will need much more protein sedentary office worker. Those who believe they need to increase their protein intake would do well to consider the advantages of protein shakes.

Protein shakes can be made from a number of different ingredients, most commonly used are powders made with soy, and, in milk byproducts. Other sources of protein used in protein powders for protein shakes we even include beans, peas, and even hemp! Protein shakes can contain very in levels of protein mixed with fats and carbohydrates depending on your particular needs. Therefore, when choosing the premixed protein shake, it is important that you read the labels and purchase those protein shakes that best suit your individual requirements. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to gain weight? Are you a bodybuilder who needs the highest level of pure protein possible to supplement your regular diet? All of these are questions you need to ask when deciding on the ideal protein shake for your particular situation.

Protein shakes can be purchased commercially, premixed. Or you can buy the power and mix your own. Most opt for the latter. By mixing your own, you can control the ingredients that go into your protein shake. Many start their day by drinking a modified protein shake for breakfast. One good recipe includes one frozen banana, a handful of frozen strawberries, a cup of milk, and a scoop of protein powder. Mix well in a blender or using the ninja, this great tasting beverage provides your body with exactly what it needs exactly when it's needed. This is probably one of the best breakfast you can consume. It contains very little fat, the right kind of carbs from fruit, and an abundance of pure protein. This recipe exemplifies why so many are choosing to incorporate protein shakes in their daily diet. Great nutrition without all the unwanted fat and carbs! This diet will keep you satisfied until your next snack or meal several hours later.

What are the benefits of protein shakes?

Protein shakes are very beneficial to those who would like to increase their health and fitness levels. Until recently, protein shakes were used mainly by athletes and bodybuilders who need immediate nourishment right after a workout or intense exercise. A pure protein shake is nearly always just that. A protein shake is not really a meal replacement shake, still a protein shake can be part of a meal replacement shake in the recipe described above is one such meal replacement shake recipe. A pure protein shakes should not be used as a meal replacement shake. If weight loss is your goal, a modified protein shake known as a meal replacement shake is probably your best option. Many use these effectively for weight loss and health and fitness. Pure protein shakes are meant primarily to feed the muscles which have been broken down from intense exercise. Unless intense weight training or other exercise is a part of your daily routine, you probably don't need a pure protein shake but rather meal replacement shakes.

Protein shakes out the body recover much more quickly from intense exercise and are of great benefit to bodybuilders. Protein shakes are able to do this because they are quickly delivered into the bloodstream and help to restore muscle glycogen levels which is a fuel source for the muscles during exercise glycogen is burned up during intense workouts. In fact unless glycogen is burned up, through intense exercise, muscle development doesn't take place. For this reason intense exercise followed by the consumption of protein shakes is essential to building muscle mass. Protein shakes are a sideshow to the repair of damaged muscle tissue that occurs among serious bodybuilders. The process of breaking down and rebuilding muscle tissue is what gives the bodybuilder is unique physique.

There is also a great benefit to the average fitness enthusiast who works out hard but may not be interested in becoming a marathon runner or but championship bodybuilder. They still go through the process of breaking down muscle tissue through intense workouts and then rebuilding those muscles. Protein shakes are an essential component of this rebuilding process and is much more effective than meats or other protein sources which require much more effort on the part of the body to digest the protein and deliver it to the cells as they are needed. Protein shakes the liberty essential nutrients almost immediately and this is the great benefit of incorporating protein shakes into the diet.

How much protein do you need?

For the average person, a good diet will provide all the necessary protein and there really is no need for protein shakes. Those wishing to incorporate protein shakes in their daily diet would do so for one of the reasons mentioned above, most often to lose weight. Taking a protein shake or meal replacement shakes lose weight has great advantages in that you are where of the food being consumed by your body and protein shakes have the added benefit, because of their high protein content, help you to feel satisfied until your next meal. For this reason many people use meal replacement shakes as a weight loss supplement and they work well for this purpose. The typical person who is not engaged in strenuous exercise usually needs only about 50 to 70 g of protein a day.

Of course those who do heavy physical labor or engage in strenuous exercise will need to consume more -- typically about a gram of protein per pound of body weight, but this is not what the average person needs in their daily diet they should stay in the range mentioned above of between 50 to 70 g of protein every day.

Few people today need to suffer from a deficiency in protein. But unfortunately, because of our affluent lifestyles, many people even in the richest countries can suffer protein deficiencies due to poor diet. Anyone eating a more natural diet free of processed foods has little problem with getting enough protein. Among those who may would be strict vegetarians, or vegans, but even they can get protein through a proper diet that includes beans and rice and even breads.

The ISSN recommends that those who engage in regular exercise get at least one and a half to 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. There is approximately 2.2 kg in a pound, meaning a gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good goal for those who engage in heavy exercise on a regular basis. People who live a more sedentary lifestyle simply don't need this much protein and in fact, it can be harmful under certain circumstances.

Which Protein Shakes are Best for You?

As we said, protein shakes can be made from a number of different ingredients among them are milk, various components of milk such as whey protein and casein protein, and eggs and soy. These are the most common ingredients used in protein shakes. Many people may suffer from allergic reactions to one or more of these products. They will, of course, have to choose one of the other protein sources. Some of these proteins are much more easily and quickly digested than others, and this may be a factor in your choice of a protein shake.

So in conclusion, protein shakes are a great supplement to your daily diet and can be of great benefit to those interested in losing weight or excess body fat while building and maintaining muscle. If you are not overly active, and eat a good balanced diet, there's probably no reason that all that you need protein shakes as a part of your daily diet. Still, there are many good recipes to make a thick and creamy form of ice cream that contains very little fat or calories when compared with ice cream and they are very high in protein. So when choosing between ice cream and a thick rich protein shake the it's really more like ice cream and a protein shake, why not choose a protein shake? It's all a matter of choices in what you put into your body daily. There are many advantages to incorporating protein shakes in your diet and you've seen just a few here.