Thoughts on taking ZERO Calorie BCAA Powder

SallyLuvsFitness

I have ran across the following product: Scivation Xtend BCAA Powder, Branched Chain Amino Acids, BCAAs, Tangerine, 30 Servings

About the product
THE OFFICIAL RECOVERY BRAND OF CHAMPIONS: For over 10 years at XTEND, we've been using branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to make the best recovery products on the planet. XTEND Hydrasport is a revolutionary Electrolyte Powder & Hydration Performance Drink Mix, enhanced with the clinically studied dose of BCAAs at a 2:1:1 ratio.
CLEAN HYDRATION, CLEAN ELECTROLYTES: XTEND Hydrasport has zero sugar, zero calories, and zero carbs. It is literally formulated to keep you hydrated and support muscle growth, recovery, and replenishment of electrolytes. No funny business.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: All XTEND products are thoroughly developed, accurately tested, and proudly manufactured in the United States. All XTEND sales by Amazon are backed by a 30-day, full money-back guarantee.
GREAT FOR EVERYDAY USE: Whether you are a weekend warrior, professional athlete, or full-time parent, we know you’re always on the go. Our electrolyte replacement drink will be your go-to to stay hydrated and at your best!
SUPERIOR SAFETY STANDARDS: XTEND Hydrasport is both Informed-Choice certified. This preeminent third-party testing, certification, and quality assurance program is recognized for their dedication to keeping nutritional supplements clean, free from banned substances, and safe for consumption.

Does anyone else take BCAA powder products? What do you think?

Teabythesea_

What are you hoping to get out of it? BCAA powders, like most supplements, are pretty useless if your diet is balanced.

JeromeBarry1

Your muscles need a complete variety of amino acids to create beautiful muscle. BCAA are incomplete and inadequate. They are impressive in online messages, though.

JBanx256

If you are consuming adequate protein, BCAA's are redundant (read: useless).

Also, they are not actually zero-cal. There is some loophole that allows them to be listed as having no calories (I don't have the citation readily available but can find it if needed), so they advertise as such, but...no. The supplement company telling you they have no calories is therefore prima facie proof they are willing to lie to you about their products, sooooo....

If you just really want to waste your money to have colored/flavored water, go for it.

sijomial

BCAAs are at best a very poor choice, mostly just a complete waste of time and money.

That blurb sounds nonsensical, don't silly phrases like clean hydration - sorry "CLEAN HYDRATION" wave a huge red flag that this product is being marketed to the clueless?

If you want/need more protein then whey protein would be a far better choice.
If you want hydration then drink some water, maybe even choose CLEAN WATER, THE DRINK OF CHAMPIONS.
If you want/need electrolytes (sorry "CLEAN ELECTROLYTES") then choose an electrolyte product.

h7463

I look at this product as a fancy, expensive sports drink, and I won't spend my money on this product. Water will do just fine for me, for the most part. I have used Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy before, because with the extra caffeine, it made more sense for supporting the workout. I'm adding plain (and much cheaper) BCAA powder to my post-workout protein shake. I also add extra (plain) glutamine. It appears to help my recovery.

SallyLuvsFitness

Great info! Not ordering. I have a healthy balanced diet. I like drinking water, no soda here! I was trying to find a healthier alternative to artificial sweetener to add to my hot tea. I don’t want to add any calories to my tea like honey.

nutmegoreo

Fitness327wk wrote: »

Great info! Not ordering. I have a healthy balanced diet. I like drinking water, no soda here! I was trying to find a healthier alternative to artificial sweetener to add to my hot tea. I don’t want to add any calories to my tea like honey.

I like unsweetened hot tea, but if you prefer sweetened maybe find some that has a little flavor in it already. I find citrus goes nicely with tea (lemon or orange), so do most berries. If I don't have any fancy black/green teas, I will mix a bag of fruity flavoured tea with a bag of black tea. It'll add a couple calories, but not enough t make a dent in your daily allotment (unless you're drinking a lot of it).

Keto_Vampire

sijomial wrote: »

BCAAs are at best a very poor choice, mostly just a complete waste of time and money.

That blurb sounds nonsensical, don't silly phrases like clean hydration - sorry "CLEAN HYDRATION" wave a huge red flag that this product is being marketed to the clueless?

If you want/need more protein then whey protein would be a far better choice.
If you want hydration then drink some water, maybe even choose CLEAN WATER, THE DRINK OF CHAMPIONS.
If you want/need electrolytes (sorry "CLEAN ELECTROLYTES") then choose an electrolyte product.

I'll 2nd these statements
Hell if you want some electrolytes to help from fluid loss just go with some gatorade, poweraid zero, or custom solution (salt, lemon juice, vegetable juice, etc.).

magnusthenerd

They aren't really 0 calorie either, if they contain BCAAs. Several BCAA makers have used FDA loopholes to put this zero calorie rule on their label. The FDA has rules about what should count as a protein and free amino acids do not. So this means BCAAs are to be taken as 0 protein, and using the FDA rules of 4 calories / gram * 0 grams is 0 calories.
In truth, BCAAs probably have something more like 6 calories per gram because the amino acids that are typically in them are ones that are more energy dense than average.