All you need to know about Protein Powder

While food sources of protein are plentiful, there will come a time in your busy day when eating a baked chicken breast or a hard-boiled egg just isn’t an option. Your easiest solution? 

Protein powders. Not only are they convenient (there’s nothing faster than adding a scoop of protein powder to your oatmeal, shake or yogurt) but also of the many types available, each one provides additional health benefits beyond just building muscle. In fact, whether you’re a meat-eating gal looking to reduce belly bloat or a vegan trying to meet your nutritional needs and get buff, there’s a protein powder for everyone.  

Find yours with this handy guide.

Key:
1. Repairs and builds muscle
2. Aids in fat burning
3. Boosts postworkout immunity
4. Improves general health
5. Vegetarian/vegan option

Whey

Repairs muscles, fast!
25 grams of protein per scoop.*
*Average scoop size is 30 grams.

When it comes to building lean muscle, research proves that whey’s the way. As the most popular protein powder on the market, whey provides an ideal array and proportion of amino acids to assist with muscle recovery and growth, as well as enhancing fat loss. Derived from milk, whey is considered the fastest-digesting “complete” protein, which means that it contains all the essential building blocks of muscle (amino acids), including high amounts of the all-important group of branched chain amino acids (BCAA). BCAAs become depleted after exercise and are needed for the maintenance of muscle tissue. That’s why it is so often recommended to consume whey within minutes after your sweat session to quickly repair muscle damage.

Health Benefit: May help fight cancer through its antibody content, shows research. Whey can also aid your body’s own production of disease-fighting antioxidants.
Best Buys: Whey concentrates and whey isolates. The concentrated version contains the protein itself, but also some carbohydrate (lactose) and fat from milk. Whey protein isolate is virtually only whey protein, with trace amounts of carbohydrate. Isolates are ideal if you’re lactose intolerant but they are slightly more expensive than concentrates.

Casein 

Builds muscle while you sleep!

15 to 20 grams of protein per scoop.*

The other milk protein, casein, is also a complete protein. However, casein has a lower biological value (BV) than whey, meaning that a lower percentage of protein is absorbed out of the total protein consumed. The plus? Casein provides a slower and prolonged release of amino acids over time. This slow release is important for reducing muscle damage, which can occur for up to 48 hours postworkout. (Do you recall ever being sore two to three days after a workout?) For women looking to maintain lean muscle tissue, casein may be more beneficial before bed because the slow absorption will supply the body with protein through the night when the body enters a catabolic state (breakdown of protein tissue for energy). This slow release can also help you to feel fuller longer, thereby supporting weight-loss efforts by helping you take in fewer calories.

Health Benefit: Extremely high in glutamine, an amino acid that boosts immune function.
Best Buys: Micellar casein (the natural, unaltered form of casein found in milk) and calcium caseinate, which helps to strengthen bones. Look for casein that has not been hydrolyzed as this actually turns it into a fast-acting protein, similar to whey.

Soy
Ideal for all women!
20 to 25 grams of protein per scoop.*
A popular vegetarian protein source, soy protein is something that meat-loving gals should also consider for boosting overall health. And although sports research shows that soy results in inferior strength gains when compared to whey, the differences are minimal for a healthy woman. At the end of the day, an elite athlete may need the slight edge of whey due to heavy training, but for the average active gal, soy protein powder provide the biggest bang for your “health” buck.

Health Benefit: Research shows that soy can lower cholesterol levels to improve your heart health. Soy isoflavones have been shown to combat menopausal symptoms and reduce breast cancer risk.

Best Buys: Soy isolates. They contain very little fat or cholesterol, and provide higher amounts of isoflavones than a soy protein concentrate.


Brown Rice
Easy on the stomach!
15 grams of protein per scoop.*

While much of rice seed is carbohydrate, it does contain some protein, which is extracted without the use of chemicals during processing to make brown rice protein powder. As with all plant proteins (quinoa being the exception), rice protein is incomplete. It lacks one of the essential amino acids, lysine, which helps manage triglycerides (a form of body fat) and is necessary for hormone production and bone growth. You can solve this problem by pairing brown rice protein powder with milk or soy to fill the missing link.
Health Benefit: Some people experience gas and bloating from animal-based powders, like whey and casein, but rice protein is hypoallergenic and easily absorbed, making it very well tolerated if you’re lactose intolerant or have a sensitive stomach.

Best Buys: Consider organic brands when purchasing plant protein powders to minimize your exposure to pesticides.

Hemp 

Great for vegans!

10 grams of protein per scoop.*
Suitable for active people who avoid all foods of animal origin, hemp protein also offers the inflammation-fighting power of essential fatty acids. For your training, the omega-3s in hemp aid in muscle recovery after your workouts. Whole hempseeds also contains about 25 percent of a highly digestible protein, however, the amino acid profile is not complete, but eating a variety of plant proteins throughout the day (a daily mix of beans, legumes and grains) may provide your body with all the essential aminos you need.

Health Benefit: Helps your heart by lowering cholesterol levels with fiber, and the anti-inflammatory omega-3s boost memory, focus and concentration.

Best Buys: Consider organic brands when purchasing plant protein powders to minimize your exposure to pesticides.

Try Them All
Because each form of protein works somewhat differently, choose them with the same care you would when picking out your daytime and nighttime makeup. Here’s a sample starter menu that takes into account the best times you should take each powder, according to research. Try any of these meal ideas as a part of a balanced diet that includes whole food sources of protein. You can reap the health and training benefits of each protein powder plus figure out which one pleases your palate the most.

Breakfast: Mix a scoop of hemp or soy powder into oatmeal.
 
Preworkout: Stir some whey protein into coffee to perk up for a morning workout.
 
Postworkout: Unless you are vegan, always choose whey for quick delivery to repair damaged muscles. Try a scoop in your favorite fruit juice.
 
Bedtime or as a meal replacement: Add casein protein to a cup of non-fat milk.


Fast Facts:

• Skim milk powder delivers both whey and casein. Bonus: It’s inexpensive.
• 30 Grams of protein per meal your body can metabolize at one time. Contrary to popular belief, taking any more than that won’t boost muscle gains.
• Brown rice protein is gluten free and a source of energy-boosting B vitamins

Don't Resist - Lift Weights Today!

On Tuesday, I shared how Resistance Training can reshape your body and boost your metabolism permanently. 

Today I am sharing several other benefits to body and health


Healthy Bone Density: 
Do you know millions of people are diagnosed with Osteoporosis every month? Do you also know one of the top ways to prevent having this deadly disease occur in your own body? Doctors say that resistance training is one of the best activities you can do to strengthen your bones and repel Osteoporosis.

When your muscles are resisting against the weight that is pushed or pulled your bones are also being tugged on by your tendons and ligaments. This tugging results in your bones building themselves stronger to compensate for your muscles being stronger. If your muscles were stronger than your ligaments or tendons then they would snap right off of your bones. Your body was designed in such a way that it learns from the stimulus given to it and it adapts to perform better.

Other Benefits to Resistance Training
•    Increased Strength
•    Improved Coordination
•    Raised Self Esteem
•    Renewed Confidence
•    Feel Good Endorphins
•    Feel Younger Than Ever

Come back Monday for a Beginners Guide to Resistance Training!

Burn Fat with Resistance Training

 Muscle Tone Burns Fat

Long term members of CardioCore probably know that in order to burn fat, resistance training is needed to strengthen your muscles and raise your metabolism.

But some of you new to fitness may still be associating resistance training with big burly “muscle men” and not something that a weight loss enthusiast needed. Times have changed, and we now understand the process that occurs when you perform exercises against resistance.

First your muscle fibers break down with microscopic tears as you push or pull against resistance. Then your muscles feel sore for a few days as your body mends and rebuilds the tears. During the rebuilding process your muscle fibers grow in thicker and stronger—hence the term "ripped" or “hard body”. If you neglected your muscles and stick only with cardio, then your metabolism will waste away along with your firm lean tissue.


Want firm legs, arms and abs?
Well, this is exactly how you get them. Through resistance training. Resistance training is anything that gives resistance against your muscles. The most traditional resistance training is dumbbells or barbells, but it can take on many other forms as well. Cable machines and pulley systems give great resistance, as do elastic bands and kettlebells. Using your own body weight is another way to give your muscles resistance.


“But I don’t want to look muscular and bulky.”
I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten this reaction from women when I encourage them to lift weights! The critical thing here is that in order to be fit and toned you MUST lift weights! No, don’t give me that horrified look! Resistance training can literally change your entire body, let alone your self- confidence and self-esteem, but most importantly, resistance training could possibly be the best thing that you will ever do to keep your body looking better than ever. Trust me ladies you would have to lift some seriously heavy weights and ingest testosterone to make you look bulky or manly.

Resistance Training Improves Your Metabolism: Resistance training is the one thing that we do that elevates our metabolism for hours after a workout.

Cardiovascular workouts are effective and necessary, but, after an hour of running, your metabolism is only elevated for less than an hour before going back down to normal.

Resistance training will literally raise your metabolism permanently. 

This happens because weight lifting is actually a process of breaking down muscle tissue and re-building it back stronger, firmer and more tone.

This process takes time and energy (AKA calories). Once you have added muscle tone to a given area on your body it now takes even more energy to maintain this muscle.

Why is resistance training such a metabolism booster?

When you weight train you break down muscle fibers, which takes energy to rebuild, when these muscle fibers have been rebuilt they are tighter, toner, more firm and now take more energy to maintain. Hence: a higher metabolism all day long. Simple, yet so effective!

•    1 lb of muscle burns about 50 calories a day
•    1lb of fat burns 4 calories a day 

"I want to look Toned and Sculpted"
Resistance training is responsible for the beautiful sculpted and toned look that many athletes sport. As mentioned above, resistance training breaks down muscle fibers so that they can rebuild stronger. These strengthened fibers are denser than the weaker ones that they are replacing, thus resulting in a firmer, tighter feel.

Since we know that muscles consume more energy than fat, it is safe to assume that when you increase in muscle you will also decrease in fat. (This is of course assuming that your caloric intake does not increase and that your cardiovascular activities do not decrease.) Due to this decrease in fat, the shape of your muscles will start to be unveiled by the shedding of the extra fat tissue that covers them. Now that’s body sculpting!

Come Back Friday to learn more Amazing Benefits to Resistance Training

Boost Metabolism naturally

How can I raise my metabolism? 

Here’s How:

Enjoy great food and then burn fat effortlessly in your sleep! Does that sound too good to be true? Believe it or not, the following tips have been proven to help raise your metabolism, which causes your body to burn fat 24-7. These minor changes in the way in which you eat will jump start your metabolism and turn you into a calorie burning machine. Read on for simple and easy ways to feast your way to a faster metabolism.


Before you start any weight loss plan it is important to get yourself into the right mindset. Have you started weight loss programs in the past only to abandon ship a few days later? Are you skeptical that you will ever reach your fitness and weight loss goals? Wait—don’t give up hope!

This time, instead of forcing a drastic and strict diet upon yourself, try incorporating a few of the following tips into your daily life. You don’t have to lose all of the weight at once, but you do need to make at least one small step in the right direction everyday. Remember, every journey is made up of many small steps in the right direction! Keep making healthy improvements to your lifestyle and, before you know it, you will arrive at your goal.

1) More is better
Eating small meals throughout the day increases your metabolism, while eating too few meals throughout the day kills your metabolism. The first thing that you need to know about how to eat to burn fat is this fact: Eating small meals every 3-4 waking hours will increase your metabolism and reduce fat storage. This is a proven fact that bodybuilders, models, athletes and lean people everywhere abide by.


2) Get the Good Stuff
Eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple sugars. Eat Clean - Tosca Reno has a series of books that are very helpful in outlining this! Your body is in constant need of carbohydrates to be converted into glucose and used as fuel. When your body has extra glucose it will be stored as fat for later use. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, take longer to break down into glucose and will therefore be less likely to be stored as fat than simple carbohydrates such as table sugar, or fruit sugar. Also, complex carbohydrates often contain more nutrients than simple sugars.

3) First Things First
Eating Breakfast literally gets your engine started and gets your metabolism going. Eating right when you wake up is vital to breaking the fast your body goes into every night. Three to four hours after you eat your body shuts down your metabolism and acts as if it needs to store food. This is a great function to have if a famine breaks out and you don’t see food for weeks. Since this probably isn’t the case for you, it is pretty annoying when your body starts packing on the pounds. So, in order to communicate with your body that it is healthy, well fed, and not in need of extra fat storage, you need to start your day off with a small meal and continue to eat small meals every 3 – 4 hours.

4) No More Late Eats
Your body is most prone to store foods eaten right before bed directly as fat. Although comfort food seems to taste better right before bed, it is also more prone to stick with you when eaten late at night. One Step Weight Loss Tip: It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night. If you go to bed at 10 pm, finish eating for the day no later than 7pm. Once you have made this a habit, you will be ecstatic over the long- term weight loss!

5) Bottoms Up
Drink lots of water. Water is the healthiest beverage that you can drink. Water is needed for every function of your body, including the burning of fat. Try drinking a big glass of water in the morning, before meals, while exercising, and before bed.

You will be delighted with the results! Now that you have been enlightened on the dangers of popular diets and are armed with valid education on the subject of diet and weight loss—let’s move on to the next step...Resistance Training. 

Come back Wednesday to learn how this powerful act will skyrocket your resting metabolism...which means burning fat while sitting on the couch and even while sleeping.

Snacks are good for your Metabolism

Low-fat dairy products, such as reduced-fat mozzarella, are a good source for protein, calcium and carbohydrates.

Its 3 p.m. and getting the Power-Point ready for the morning meeting is starting to seem like climbing Everest without oxygen. Hiding under your desk for a quick snooze isn't an option. So you do the next best thing — you grab a snack. 

Of course, you're not alone. Whether it happens to be at the same time every afternoon or in the middle of the night, most people snack about as often as they eat regular meals. According to the International Deli-Dairy-Bakery Association in Madison, Wisc., 90 percent of us indulge in a snack on any given day, while only 75 percent eat breakfast and 88 percent eat lunch.

But contrary to conventional wisdom, it turns out that snacking isn't bad for you and is actually serving a biological need.

By snacking you are fueling your body and maintaining your energy level, blood sugar level, and appetite level.

Hold off on the Hostess That doesn't mean that Ding Dongs and gummy bears are the way to go. Everyone knows that even if they are tasty, they pack in calories, refined sugar and sometimes trans-fats — all of which contribute to weight gain and further medical problems. The risks don't keep us from wanting them. According to Packaged Facts, the publishing division of MarketResearch.com, retail sales of snack foods in the U.S. for 2005 totaled $61.4 billion, with the largest category being candy at $19.9 billion.

There's a more immediate reason to skip the vending machine, though. While candy may feel like it's soothing your craving, it's not. Eating candy or other unhealthy snacks such as potato chips, donuts, or cookies will amp you up for the time being, but cause your blood sugar levels to quickly peak and just as quickly, drop. That in turn, makes the craving worse and makes you lethargic, moody and probably intolerable. It is crucial to avoid foods that cause big swings in blood sugar. If your blood sugar drops too much, that's when you really lose self control.

Sugar causes you to eat more Eating food that is low in nutrients, such as candy bars, causes a person to eat more because the body still needs to meet its nutritional needs. If we don't meet these needs then we can't detoxify and remove waste. Then our bodies tell us to keep eating more and more food, called toxic hunger — basically, a food addiction.

Healthy choices Instead of sugary treats, dieticians recommend fruits and vegetables, along with food that contains good fats like omega-3, lean protein and fiber. Some examples are nuts for lean protein and healthy fat, while hummus provides fiber and is tasty.

Other tips for smart snacking:

• Freeze fresh fruit such as bananas in a plastic bag, then take them out a couple of days later to blend with ice, soy or regular milk, and a bit of cocoa powder to make a smoothie.
• Snack first, then get to other tasks. Trying to eat and do other things, even simple activities such as watching TV, can cause a person to overeat because they aren't paying attention.
• Be selective when grocery shopping. A good rule of thumb is if you have it, you will eat it, so avoid buying unhealthy food such as doughnuts and snack cakes and load up on fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
• Snacking is important to fuel the body — get that with a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates all at the same time.
• Pay attention to the times that you tend to get cravings each day, that way you can be armed with healthy food, instead of scrambling and settling for sugary snacks.

The right snack for the right person Of course, having the right snack varies from person to person. For instance, an athlete who works out for a couple of hours each day may need a snack that is higher in carbohydrates, but is also replenishing to the body. Instead of grabbing a candy bar, nutritionists recommend drinking a bottle of pure pomegranate juice because it is high in natural sugar and in antioxidants.

For those who constantly travel, meal-replacement bars make good snacks because they can easily fit into a backpack and contain essential nutrients, protein and carbohydrates. Just be aware of the glorified candy bars that are chocked full of sugar. Look for ones that contain a few grams of fiber and are high in protein. Try not to eat a whole one if the intention is to have it as a snack because they may have more calories than are needed.

Snacks are good for your Metabolism

Low-fat dairy products, such as reduced-fat mozzarella, are a good source for protein, calcium and carbohydrates.

Its 3 p.m. and getting the Power-Point ready for the morning meeting is starting to seem like climbing Everest without oxygen. Hiding under your desk for a quick snooze isn't an option. So you do the next best thing — you grab a snack. 

Of course, you're not alone. Whether it happens to be at the same time every afternoon or in the middle of the night, most people snack about as often as they eat regular meals. According to the International Deli-Dairy-Bakery Association in Madison, Wisc., 90 percent of us indulge in a snack on any given day, while only 75 percent eat breakfast and 88 percent eat lunch.

But contrary to conventional wisdom, it turns out that snacking isn't bad for you and is actually serving a biological need.

By snacking you are fueling your body and maintaining your energy level, blood sugar level, and appetite level.

Hold off on the Hostess That doesn't mean that Ding Dongs and gummy bears are the way to go. Everyone knows that even if they are tasty, they pack in calories, refined sugar and sometimes trans-fats — all of which contribute to weight gain and further medical problems. The risks don't keep us from wanting them. According to Packaged Facts, the publishing division of MarketResearch.com, retail sales of snack foods in the U.S. for 2005 totaled $61.4 billion, with the largest category being candy at $19.9 billion.

There's a more immediate reason to skip the vending machine, though. While candy may feel like it's soothing your craving, it's not. Eating candy or other unhealthy snacks such as potato chips, donuts, or cookies will amp you up for the time being, but cause your blood sugar levels to quickly peak and just as quickly, drop. That in turn, makes the craving worse and makes you lethargic, moody and probably intolerable. It is crucial to avoid foods that cause big swings in blood sugar. If your blood sugar drops too much, that's when you really lose self control.

Sugar causes you to eat more Eating food that is low in nutrients, such as candy bars, causes a person to eat more because the body still needs to meet its nutritional needs. If we don't meet these needs then we can't detoxify and remove waste. Then our bodies tell us to keep eating more and more food, called toxic hunger — basically, a food addiction.

Healthy choices Instead of sugary treats, dieticians recommend fruits and vegetables, along with food that contains good fats like omega-3, lean protein and fiber. Some examples are nuts for lean protein and healthy fat, while hummus provides fiber and is tasty.

Other tips for smart snacking:

• Freeze fresh fruit such as bananas in a plastic bag, then take them out a couple of days later to blend with ice, soy or regular milk, and a bit of cocoa powder to make a smoothie.
• Snack first, then get to other tasks. Trying to eat and do other things, even simple activities such as watching TV, can cause a person to overeat because they aren't paying attention.
• Be selective when grocery shopping. A good rule of thumb is if you have it, you will eat it, so avoid buying unhealthy food such as doughnuts and snack cakes and load up on fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
• Snacking is important to fuel the body — get that with a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates all at the same time.
• Pay attention to the times that you tend to get cravings each day, that way you can be armed with healthy food, instead of scrambling and settling for sugary snacks.

The right snack for the right person Of course, having the right snack varies from person to person. For instance, an athlete who works out for a couple of hours each day may need a snack that is higher in carbohydrates, but is also replenishing to the body. Instead of grabbing a candy bar, nutritionists recommend drinking a bottle of pure pomegranate juice because it is high in natural sugar and in antioxidants.

For those who constantly travel, meal-replacement bars make good snacks because they can easily fit into a backpack and contain essential nutrients, protein and carbohydrates. Just be aware of the glorified candy bars that are chocked full of sugar. Look for ones that contain a few grams of fiber and are high in protein. Try not to eat a whole one if the intention is to have it as a snack because they may have more calories than are needed.