The internet is full of contradicting information regarding protein supplements. I have heard the argument that the average American already receives an adequate amount of protein in the diet, meaning there is no need for addition supplement. On the other hand, some people swear that addition protein is necessary to see results in the gym. What do you think?
Protein shakes arent necessary. It really depends on what level of training/athlete someone is. Someone training casually and somewhat aware of their protein intake would probably be fine without additional protein shakes while someone training at an elite level may struggle to get their macros right and a protein shake may be a great option for them to optimise muscle protein synthesis.
If you track your macros and protein intake, the usual rule of thumb is 1gram of protein per 1 pound lean bodyweight. If you weigh 185 lbs, that would be 185 grams of protein per day. Breaking it down to 3 meals would mean at least 60 grams of protein for each meal. That can be difficult, depending on what you’re eating.
Protein shakes/supplements can help you meet those protein goals without as many calories. Maybe try tracking your macros and see how much protein you actually consume, and see where you stand vs what you want to achieve
Does the average American eat an adequate amount of protein? Yeah probably, adequate being their body functions. The average American is also overweight and that protein probably isn’t coming from a good source. Protein drinks are high quality proteins, usually in lower calories compared to getting your protein from a steak that will also have unhealthy fats. If you’re trying to meet a certain macro goal (to build muscle or whatever reason) protein supplements are a great way to do that without excess calories from other things.A good metric to almost guarantee results in the gym given other conditions are met is .8-1g of protein per lb of body weight. A protein supplement is an easy boost to reach that goal
The average American doesn’t receive enough if you’re a weightlifter.
The average sedentary American has more than enough, and most Americans are mostly sedentary.
So, if you’re regularly lifting heavy weights, you’ll see better gains with more protein, and protein drinks are one possible source of getting more protein.
You need more than “adequate” to build muscle growth.
You need to be in a caloric surplus. Calories consisting of your macro and micronutrients, protein being one of them.
And of course, muscle work/stress/tension from going to the gym.
Protein drinks just makes it easier for you but you can’t just rely on it alone, obviously.
No, it’s not necessary. What do you think athletes and bodybuilders did before protein shakes existed lol.
It’s good for SUPPLEMENTING overall protein intake and also because it’s usually a whey protein shake, which is the fastest absorbed and digested protein there is. This doesn’t mean that if you weigh 200lbs and have 10% body fat that you absolutely need to drink a 24g protein shake to see any results if you’re already consuming 175g of protein throughout the day.
It also depends on what you define as “adequate” in terms of bodily needs. An Olympic weightlifter or pro athlete would need much more than just your average weightlifter.
You need to remember that the average American is obese, and as such there’s very little chance that the average American is getting the adequate amount of anything other than things that are slowly clogging their arteries and killing them.
Protein shakes are good in situations where maybe you struggle to eat in the mornings and you need something easy to put down, or you’re sick. Protein is also the most filling. You don’t need to use them when it comes to building muscle, although it’s certainly helpful to have them around.
All of that being said, whatever protein your body doesn’t use for repairing/growing muscle will be broken down for energy before your body goes for fats, just something to consider if you see yourself plateauing, and one of the reasons people say you can have too much protein, sometimes.
I think that while the average person does consume enough protein in their daily diet the target demographic for shakes is more the people looking to make gains. Which is to say that while Joe from the office doesn’t need to supplement his diet John from the gym might. On the flip side you can overconsume protein as well so while its good for bulking it can be detrimental to burning fat. Perhaps it is an issue to take more on a case by case basis than as a sweeping generalization.
they do but the main reason for them is practicality
some people dont have the time for a real meal so they eat a protein shake cuz its better than nothing
definitely better
tho some specific brands may be total shit cuz the fitness supplements market is unregulated, its wild. A protein isolate from a decent brand will be totally ok tho. Not a fan of mass gainers cuz I think they are mostly junk.
As others have said, protein shakes are just a quick and convenient way to get protein into your body. There is nothing special about protein shakes, your body uses the protein to repair the muscles you damaged during working out and that’s how they get bigger.
You could easily get all your protein from natural sources and it’s probably better for you.
I’m 5’11, 170lbs and older than I’ll share on Reddit. I make a point to have one protein shake each day (usually 4:30pm). It’s part of my daily protein intake, which I otherwise get from the foods I eat (Tuna, Chicken, Beans, Quinoa, Tofu, etc…).
I think you’re fine having a protein shake, just don’t make them the basis of your nutritional plan. A varied diet is your best approach to building a stronger body. No shortcuts.
Here’s to your health!
When you hear about the average american eating too much protein, that is based off of the minimum amount of protein to prevent kwashiorkor (protein deficiency disease). Theres still alot of debate on whether thats the optimum amount for health.
From my research, I strongly believe that its not enough. Protein is used in literally every process in your body, its not just muscle growth. Everything from brain functions to heart function to cell creation requires protein.
There’s no need for protein supplements in the average person’s diet. I assume you are going to the gym to be above average? Then protein drinks help. You can do it without it, buts it’s so much easier than constantly cooking for that extra boost in protein.
There’s a school of thought that there is an “anabolic window”, after work-out, when your body is primed for processing proteins in order to rebuild muscle. But there’s been no conclusive research, and even less agreement about how long that window is - some say 30 minutes, some say it’s several hours.
Westerners already have protein-rich diets. Unless you subscribe to the “anabolic window” theory, you probably don’t need to add protein shakes.
If you want to be an average american then dont drink them. The average american is also suffering with a varying degree of obesity. I drink them because I cannot possibly eat 250 gr of protein a day with my schedule, and I am a chef working with and around food all damn day!I try to get the lowest carb protein drink I can because I want to keep my carbs in check
Unless you’re really pounding your body, there isn’t a great deal of benefit so long as you’re eating a healthy diet in general.
That said, I like to have 20-40 grams of whey isolate after I lift weights because it’s the least “calorie expensive” way to get protein. and it’s cheaper than eating a steak. Super simple.
So, in other words, it accentuates a healthy active diet, but is not superior to it, nor does it amend a poor diet.
I’ll leave with a quote from a convo with my doc:
Me: “how do you feel about supplements?”
Doc: “oh yeah sure not a problem if you want to have really expensive pee go right on ahead! Probably won’t hurt you!”
Someone might have already said it but you want around as much protein as your target weight or even 1.5 x that weight if your sizing up, yeah you can definitely get a lot of protein from wholesome home cooked meals but I still take em and also you can get Mark Lauren’s books about body fuel and you are your own gym which covers alot of special forces training, sports science and proven ways of how to food cycle and train efficiently on 1lib.us
People drink protein shakes for multiple reasons, including muscle gain, weight loss and injury recovery. Aside from protein supplements, there are many natural foods that provide us with high-quality protein, including eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and legumes. Protein shakes and powders have become very popular nowadays, primarily due to:
• Convenience
• Taste / palatability
• Cost-per-serving
Always keep in mind that protein shakes are a dietary supplement and not a substitute for real whole foods. They may help you complete or enhance your diet if you need an extra boost to meet your daily protein target and that’s it. If you decide to use whey protein opt for grass-fed and ideally organic to avoid the potential presence of antibiotics, agrochemical residues and bovine growth factors, such as rBGH.
To build muscle, 0.5g protein per lb of body weight per day is all that’s necessary. It can come from any source.
Some people, including myself, eat a lot more than that because it’s the most satiating macronutrient and protein supplements have very few calories for how filling they are.
Protein powder is the lowest quality protein you can get. The more the processing, the worse the nutrients.
Raw meat is the best protein for building muscle. Raw milk is good for bulking too. Eat raw unsalted butter with your meat