Protein intake: Shakes ~vs~ meats, etc???

Protein shakes are a good source of protein, period. Normally protein shakes were to supplement a diet where someone was trying to add muscle, now there consumed so people don't lose their muscle. If your consuming low cals, which seems to be popular then protein powder is not something I would advise, people need other nutrients in that scenario and foods with protein help in that respect.

if I'm trying to lose weight should I be taking the protein shakes? I weigh about 215 pounds. Will it turn my fat into muscle?

In terms of it's biological value, whey is the superior protein when compared to other sources. Whey is the best, bottom line.

Do all the amino acids need to be present each time you consume protein in order to get all the benefits of the protein?

There are essential aminos that the body cannot create that must be present in the food.

Just to be safe, you can make your shakes with actual meat. For example, you can make a london broil, mashed potatoes, & gravy savory shake. Or a lox, cream cheese & scallion. The possibilities are endless.

I've been using the wheybolic protein shakes, as well as the soy-based and casein ones sometimes for variety. I don't particularly like to eat meat much (unless it's definitely raised on a farm that doesn't use pesticides, hormone injections, or lots of antibiotics). It seems like I've seen several people mention on other nutritional msg threads that the protein from shakes won't have the same long-term effect that food proteins have. I know legumes, dairy, etc. all have protein too. I'm just wondering about the validity of these statements that are putting down the use of protein shakes. Any intelligent feedback from nutritional gurus out there???

If the protein powder is complete - contains a balance of all the amino acids the body needs - as egg and whey are then protein is protein. However not all proteins are created equal as regards other nutrients, some you will get a ton of carbohydrates, many you will NOT be getting the associated micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids). Stuff like long chain omega-3s and vitamin D from oily fish, vitamin B12 and haem iron from certain meats especially organs. Works the same for many proteins that are no longer in their whole form - chicken breast and egg whites are really not very nutritious.

Search for yourself, compare equivalent servings say 100g http://nutritiondata.self.com/
You can also use this to search for individual micronutrients, so ask yourself where are your sources of magnesium, vitamin D, haem iron or long chain omega-3s. Part of the reason I am a dairy fan is simply that it is a royal PITA to get enough bioavailable calcium from canned fish bones, almonds, leafy green veg, meat stock and so on.

Of course some protein powders are fortified, but I honestly don't see how that is any different to having white, refined flour which has been fortified and claiming a balanced diet. Or fast food plus a multivitamin/ mineral. You can't make a bad diet healthy that way, you never add everything back in the right proportions or in the best absorbed forms and combinations.

Not to say protein powders, egg whites and chicken breasts are bad, my personal comments if you have seen them have not been on using these but on OVER using these. Supplement a diet with these convenience products by all means, but don't make foods that have limited natural nutrition the foundation of your diet, eating them daily or multiple times daily and imagine it is optimally healthy.

BTW legumes are nutritious but not ideal to rely on as a source of protein because they are not complete and contain a relatively low percentage, you are better seeing them as a source of carbohydrates, fibre and minerals and the protein as a bonus. The better sources of protein are animal products, nuts and seeds.

To the OP and anyone else that's curious, this question breaks down to: Are replacements for food better than actual food? The answer is NO. It's always NO. Doesn't matter if we're asking if meat is better than protein powder, or if vitamins are better than eating vegetables, or if metamucil is better than oatmeal. The answer to is always FOOD.

Whey is a dairy (milk) by-product which comes from the process of making cheese. I always thought dairy products were considered food.

You just answered your own question: natural whey is not the same as whey protein isolate or hydrosylate, dairy BY product is not the same as a dairy product. I would have to eat something like 400g of dry powder to get the recommended amount of calcium from my whey protein. Protein powders are considered a food supplement because you have concentrated one nutrient and lost many others. Salt, sugar, gluten and many alcoholic drinks are all extracted or produced from natural sources: are we going to claim wine is a fruit, sugar is a vegetable, gluten is a wholegrain, salt is seafood?

To the OP and anyone else that's curious, this question breaks down to: Are replacements for food better than actual food? The answer is NO. It's always NO. Doesn't matter if we're asking if meat is better than protein powder, or if vitamins are better than eating vegetables, or if metamucil is better than oatmeal. The answer to is always FOOD.

Whey is a dairy (milk) by-product which comes from the process of making cheese. I always thought dairy products were considered food.

You just answered your own question: natural whey is not the same as whey protein isolate or hydrosylate, dairy BY product is not the same as a dairy product. I would have to eat something like 400g of dry powder to get the recommended amount of calcium from my whey protein. Protein powders are considered a food supplement because you have concentrated one nutrient and lost many others. Salt, sugar, gluten and many alcoholic drinks are all extracted or produced from natural sources: are we going to claim wine is a fruit, sugar is a vegetable, gluten is a wholegrain, salt is seafood?

boom

get the protein however you want to get it. Stop stressing. It is not that complicated.