Do Protein Shakes Work? Alternatives To Protein Supplements

Part one of two of an article by NYC Personal Trainer and Founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™ Kevin Richardson. Full Article: Do Protein Shakes Work

Do Protein Shakes Work & Are They Healthy?

Of all supplement questions that I have been asked as a personal trainer and natural bodybuilder over the years the one I get the most is do protein shakes work? The ubiquitous protein shake over the years have become one of the mainstays of the health, fitness and bodybuilding movement and is the golden boy of the multi-billion dollar supplement industry. Once used almost exclusively by bodybuilders and weight lifting types, sales of protein shakes and bars continue to increase every year as more and more mainstream members of the general public are use them as a quick and handy meal replacement. Within the framework of the fitness world- protein shakes are touted as an invaluable part of achieving a lean and muscular physique. Without a doubt there are few within the industry that do not use them, and I will be first to admit that I used protein shakes as well for about thirteen years. I don’t use them anymore, nor do I advocate their use to any of my personal training clients as I have found them to be not only ineffective for building quality muscle in a natural athlete, but also potentially unhealthy and a really easy way to get fat.

Do Protein Shakes Work & Are There Alternatives To Protein Shakes?

The important argument to be made that in spite of all the articles published and the innumerable number of bodybuilders, athletes and fitness enthusiasts that consume them religiously, protein supplements are inherently unnatural and have no place in the framework of foods with which our bodies have developed harmonious relationships over the past 150,00 years of our existence. The human body is a marvel of biological perfection, and so is the environment in which it evolved. Over the course of thousands of years human beings have relied exclusively on natural food sources for sustenance. Our ancestors ate meats, fish, grains, nuts, eggs and other foods, however their diets did not include protein shakes with cross filtered, pre-digested whey proteins or micellar casein! Now one might argue that both whey and casein are cow milk derivatives, but there are two points that invalidate this argument.

One is that although they exist in milk, a naturally occurring food, they do not exist naturally in isolation without the presence of other nutrients- a fact that we found to be critical in the way the body digests micro and macronutirents. You can take a vitamin tablet, but because the vitamins and minerals lack the almost countless other chemical ingredients naturally present in fruit or vegetables, our bodies simply cannot absorb the vitamins as well as it can from a naturally occurring food source. From the time that vitamins were isolated in the early 20th century by biochemist, Casmir Funk, man has tried (and failed each time) to reduce foods to simple compounds of vitmains, proteins, carbohydrates and fats, however the obesity epidemic, and ridiculously high levels of mortality from man made foods created using this very idea should set off a red light whenever someone comes along with a new fangled way of delivering nutrients to the human body.

Alternative To Protein Shakes- Regular Food

It took thousands of years for us to be able to eat the food that we eat today, a mutually beneficial relationship of sorts occurred between us and our foods as our bodies learned to extract vital nutrients from them and they evolved to be more and more appealing to our taste buds. Liquid protein, doesn’t share the kinship of real food and so it isn’t at all surprising that those that consume protein shakes over long periods of time begin to show signs of liver dysfunction. I was diagnosed with a fatty liver and abnormal liver enzymes several years ago and was advised to stop using protein shakes as the physicians believed strongly that it was the causative factor. I had several opinions from several leading gastoenterologists, and as doubtful as I was at the time, sure enough, when I stopped using protein shakes my liver enzymes went back to normal over time- even though I was still consuming the same amount of protein- but this time from real food.

Another very valid point that all naturalist make is that whey proteins are derived from cow’s milk, a food source naturally intended for the growth and health of other cows and not for human consumption. Some may argue against this, citing the number of European descent individuals that seem to have evolved into being able to easily consume cows milk- but again, this is a small number when compared to the world population and their bodies learned how to assimilate real milk, not isolated milk derived proteins.

Milk May Not Be The Best Protein Source For Adults

The Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine, headed by Dr. Neil Barnard, cautions against the near universal custom of giving children pasteurized homogenized cow's milk, as it is associated with juvenile diabetes, allergies, and mucus conditions. However, the American Dairy Board has done a very effective job of marketing this product. Almost everything that most of us know about milk comes either directly or indirectly from this powerful lobby group. Also it should be noted that no other adult mammal consumes milk past infancy, only humans do so against every biological indication that they should not. Lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk decreases as we age, a strong indication that consumption is meant only for infants along with the most obvious factor that human females do not breast feed indefinitely. All things considered, milk proteins are not good choices, especially in an artificially isolated form.

Protein Shakes Will Make You Fat

Milk proteins make up the majority of protein supplements and protein shakes on the market but there are also egg and soy protein products available. Both however have some drawbacks- soy product in general should be avoided by anyone interested in weight loss, muscle building or maintaining optimal health, (see the article Are Soy Products Good For You). Egg white derivatives look promising, but when you consider the additives and processing to enable it to last long enough on the shelves- it becomes less and less a food that belongs in our diet. Another often overlooked factor in the hoopla about protein shakes is that most of them are predigested, i.e. they are chemically altered to allow them to be assimilated easier by the human digestive tract. On the surface it sounds great, predigest a protein source so it is available even faster to muscles in need- especially after a hard workout, but a closer look reveals the backwardness of this trend of thought. A study done by the American Journal of Physiology confirmed what many in the fitness field knew for decades- namely that ingestion of protein increased the metabolic rate more than thirty percent more than other food sources. This increase in metabolic rate, called the thermic effect, is a key factor in body fat reduction and is one of the reasons why a high protein intake tends to promote fat loss.

However, by drinking a protein shake which of course is in liquid form and thus will be assimilated much faster than its natural solid counterpart to begin with, you significantly decrease the thermic effect. Factor in that these proteins are also partially pre-digested and it stands to reason that the thermic effect becomes negligible. The irony is that many all top (and I place the word ‘top’ here purposefully as to be perfectly honest many people compete in bodybuilding and fitness related contests, but only a very, very small percentage of them regularly make their way into the winners circle), natural bodybuilding and fitness competitors, who are able to really reduce their body fat levels while maintaining significant amounts of muscle, start their regime to get into peak conditioning by dropping protein shakes from their diets (if they use them at all, as I know many of them that don’t) and relying solely on solid foods. They do this to take full advantage of the thermic effect from a solid protein intake, and because experience has shown them that consumption of protein supplements tends to create a somewhat waterlogged and bloated appearance. Take a look at any regular gym-goer that drinks protein shakes on a regular basis, chances are that they do not sport well defined abdominals and impressive overall muscle definition. Instead they just tend to look bulky- a look that can be attained by spending a lot less money by simply drinking milk shakes instead of protein shakes- they are far cheaper and at the end of the day, will do pretty much the same thing- which is make you fat.

Do Protein Shakes Work Or Do Results Come From Hard Work & Proper Diet?

In the quest for muscle mass, men tend to do any and everything to try to get bigger, but getting bigger shouldn’t mean getting fatter. Do you build muscle while putting on that extra fat? Contrary to what most people believe, with natural, non drug using men and women, my experience is that the man or woman who stays lean, eats consistently well and puts on quality lean muscle without excess body fat always looks better, has more muscle and tends to be stronger than the those who choose to bulks up and diet down to increase their muscle definition. We know from recent studies that the common yo-yo method of weight gain and weight loss is unhealthy and increases the potential for cardiovascular disease and the process of losing significant amounts of weight will always result in losing significant amounts of hard earned muscle. Men and women who train and consume wholesome foods (and by that I mean avoiding all unnatural foods such as protein shakes) have more efficient metabolisms, feel better overall and all things being equal have far more energy and endurance than those relying on protein shakes on a regular basis, especially if they don’t eat as well.

Continued

Do Protein Shakes Work- Protein Shake Alternatives Part 2 of 2

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