Everything You Need To Know About Protein Powder

Introduction

Protein is a super important macronutrient. It supports your health over-all, hair health, and also muscle mass. That is why bodybuilders eat a ton of protein, they need it in order to build muscle efficiently.

However, hitting your protein goals can be quite hard. It requires to eat a lot of protein rich foods, such as eggs, chicken, beef, pork, etc. And, ultimately, eating these foods can prove to be challenging in the context of a calorie deficit (maybe you don’t want to go over your calorie limit) or in the context of taste and pleasure and variety in the diet.

This is why, a supplement was created, named protein powder. Protein powder is protein in the form of powder that was extracted from milk. This protein will then be used by the body to build muscle, and support health and hair health. Protein powders are easy to make (it’s a drink, simply put a scoop in a shaker with water), easy to consume, doesn’t take much stomach space, help get closer to your hydration goals for the day, and, on top of that, it’s low-calorie (most protein powders are around 100 calories per serving) and high in protein (20-30 grams per serving).

In other words, protein powders are one of the most famous supplements on the market, especially for weight-lifters.

But is it safe? Let’s take a close look at what science says.

Is protein powder safe?

Protein powder, at least the non-vegan one A.K.A the best one with the highest quality protein, is literally protein from milk that was extracted and put into a powdered form.

It’s perfectly healthy for the body to eat protein in this way. The only way to make protein powder dangerous is to consume it by its own, without water, and this practice is called a « dry scoop ». Just like taking anything dry without water (flour for example), it can cause damage to the body.

But if you take protein powder like everyone else, or mix it in your oatmeal or shakers for example, it should be safe.

Another case where protein powders are NOT safe might actually be the artificial sweeteners inside of them. Artificial sweeteners are « artificial » sugars which help create a sweet taste. Most people use it because it tastes similar to sugar, but it has 0 calories. Great, no?

Well, what is not great is that these artificial sweeteners affect your hormonal health (estrogen spikes up, testosterone lowers, which can lead to stress problems, depression, mental health problems, lack of muscle-mass, weaker bones, and a weaker, floppier human being in general), and your health over-all. It’s dangerous for your heart too, as artificial sweeteners have been linked to a higher chance of heart disease.

What I mean here is that protein powder, if 100% natural (with no added artificial sugars or weird ingredients) is fine, but the « vanilla chocolate protein cookie caramel deluxe extra » one isn’t a good choice to consume.

How much scoops per day?

There is no true « limit » to how many protein powder scoops you should take per day. The maximum would be to not trespass your protein goals (1.8-2g per kg of bodyweight), as it could lead to health problems down the line, some that are very serious. Do NOT, under any circumstances, over-consume protein. If you eat a bit more protein or even a 100 grams more ONCE, it’s alright, but don’t consume 200 grams of protein above your protein goals for example, on a daily basis, or else you’ll really have huge problems concerning your health in the future.

As for protein powders, try to limit yourself to 100% natural foods and 100% natural sources of protein, meaning whole foods, foods that you could find in nature and chase and cook and consume.

However, one to two scoops or three scoops per day of protein powder could help you get a great amount of additional protein without even trying, so I suggest not taking too much. The best would be one to two shakers per day, each containing one to two scoops.

But remember to ultimately try to get all of your protein from whole food sources first. This is the most important rule of all: whole foods! Protein powder is great but it’s a supplement, it’s supposed to SUPPLEMENT your daily diet, not BE your daily diet.

Why I don’t take protein powder

Protein powder is a great supplement, and I recognize its greatness and efficiency. HOWEVER, I don’t find it particularly helpful in my case. It simply costs too much for me and it’s not worth the cost, as I can reach this protein with natural foods. And most times, I do! So, I don’t really worry about my protein goals as I hit them sometimes effortlessly.

Also, I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners, and tasteless protein powders doesn’t taste that nice. I’ve found some on the market that tasted incredible WITHOUT any artificial ingredients and only natural ones to give it a « sweet taste », but still, I don’t find it worth it with the price, etc.

But really, if you’re interested in protein powders, definitely buy them. They are a convenient and useful source of protein, which will enable you to hit your protein goals in no time.

Conclusion

Protein powder is a safe and convenient supplement which will help you reach your protein goals. Overconsuming protein, "dry-scooping" and artificial ingredients and sweeteners could all be causes of protein powders not being safe.

I hope this article was of help to you. As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate it, and I’ll see you next time guys. Bye.

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