Protein powders vs Naturally occurring Proteins.

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protein powders are good for you...just as food is. they are quick to make and you can take them anywhere. whey protein is fast digesting which means they get to your muscles faster. casin protein is a slow digesting protein that takes 8 hrs to digest. its a good protein to take before bed so your body doesn't break muscle down. eggs, soy, whey..and all protein powders have different absorbtion rates. whole foods take a while to break down..but if you can meet your needs for the amount of protein you need...then you're ok. casin protein is also nice if your out somewhere and you're not going to be eating in a while b/c it's broken down so slow that last for 8 hrs. it's very filling.

huh! that makes sense too, actually. I was going to add that real food keeps you full longer than whey as a plus in the real food column, but getting protein to your muscles right after you just spent a lot of time breaking them down also makes sense.

just a note on absorption, yes it is faster but your body has a 24 hour window to recover and usually what ever u eat is digested by time between 1-3 days so it wont really matter, i stick to usual food and shakes when i dont meet my macros or i cant cook, so dont over think it, just EAT and enjoy it

I have been using them mainly as my snack to curb hungry or after a workout. Body Fortress is great tasting but it is sweetened with surculose (I just read this) so I just ordered the Biggest Loser Vanilla Bean powder because it is suppose to be one of the only protein powders sweetened with stevia (supposably a more natural source of sweetener).

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Ok, so yesterday I caved to all of the talk of protein powders and bought some. Today I ate some for one of my meals and to be honest....it brought back all of the memories of why I didn't like it when I've used it before. It almost made me feel...depressed or something. It was weird. Mostly I just felt unfulfilled by the consumption of the calories. I like to cook and consider myself a good and creative cook.

My question is this - if I stick with lean proteins like chicken, fish, and egg whites....are they as good as these sophisticated powders for building muscle? FYI, I'm trying to consume about 250 gms of protein a day for the next few weeks.

Why do people use them?

Sorry if these seems dumb or uninformed, but I would appreciate knowledgeable feedback from people who are lean and muscular.

They're not sophisticated, they're convenient. I use them because I'm a poor student. Sometimes I'm stuck at university and don't have time to go home and cook before an assignment is due and can't afford buying something expensive on campus. It's really easy to keep a little container of powder on me, and it doesn't go bad like a chicken breast would. Not to mention I'm always looking for ways to sneak more protein into my diet, because my nails have been significantly longer since I've increased my intake. It's also important to increase calcium in your diet the more protein you eat, so whey also seemed like a great idea there.

Why do we need more calcium? And how much more?

I'm kind off shadey on the area but I figured I'd throw it out there. This is my logic, and I am by no means a professional, and I'd love to hear a counter argument. But protein seems to be related to the amount of calcium excreted in urine from every study I have ever read. The more protein intake, the more calcium gets excreted. There is a fair amount of fear mongers out there (including these forums) who say protein 'leeches calcium from the bones' (just google "protein leaches calcium from bones site:myfitnesspal.com"). Nowhere have I found those studies...I think this fear has something to do with these studies. Anyhow, there seems to be some argument on why we excrete more calcium and how much gets absorbed in the body the more protein we have. Phosphorous may be related? Till then I figured it's better safe then sorry since I'm a female and protein/calcium/phosphorus is suppose to be related to bone mineral density and a lot of other things and you know, eventually menopause well get me Assuming the more calcium excreted the less is absorbed, better safe then sorry is my logic.

I think if you are hungry and it's a mealtime and you can incorporate protein, go for it. If not, I usually drink protein shakes (EAS brands) with lower calorie values, mixed with ice and/or fruit. That way I'm not sick of eating chicken and fish three times a day!

I started my weight loss journey 2 years ago on a MEAL REPLACEMENT soy diet shake made by GNLD..it is not found in stores...but by using this one time per day, even tho they recommend 2, I have lost 37 lbs...still ate out several times a week, and did not restrict myself....and did not exercise, which I know I should....I did notice that when I had one that I could go 4-5 hours without getting hungry... I ate reasonable but if I wanted something I ate it....it tastes really good, obviously since I was able to use it every day without getting burned out with it..........

In the last year or so, tho, I have found out that issues I have had for 15 years, turned out to be gluten issues...so now I eat NUTRIENT DENSE as much as possible, and have added another soy shake per day to keep my nutrients up...but my calories down....

I'm kind off shadey on the area but I figured I'd throw it out there. This is my logic, and I am by no means a professional, and I'd love to hear a counter argument. But protein seems to be related to the amount of calcium excreted in urine from every study I have ever read. The more protein intake, the more calcium gets excreted. There is a fair amount of fear mongers out there (including these forums) who say protein 'leeches calcium from the bones' (just google "protein leaches calcium from bones site:myfitnesspal.com"). Nowhere have I found those studies...I think this fear has something to do with these studies. Anyhow, there seems to be some argument on why we excrete more calcium and how much gets absorbed in the body the more protein we have. Phosphorous may be related? Till then I figured it's better safe then sorry since I'm a female and protein/calcium/phosphorus is suppose to be related to bone mineral density and a lot of other things and you know, eventually menopause well get me Assuming the more calcium excreted the less is absorbed, better safe then sorry is my logic.

An excess of protein is acidifying, homeostasis means the body will work to alkalinise the blood by drawing on calcium from the bones. That is perfectly normal and healthy mechanism and the body can easily remineralise the bones, but if it happens continuously over a period of time then you have a problem. Same issue with soda and other foods it's far from limited to protein. It's magnesium and vitamin D that work most closely with calcium in bone health, interestingly magnesium also opposes calcium in muscle contraction so they are a critical pairing IMO.

BTW there is not a ton of calcium in all whey supplements, check your product carefully. I have a cheapo Body Fortress at present and would need to take 260g to get the basic dose of calcium (1g for an adult female) - I have 10-15% of that in an average smoothie. it really is not an adequate whole dairy substitute.