When it comes to finding the best protein supplement, there are so many different options out there that it can be confusing. That’s why we’ve asked nutritionists and experts about what exactly makes a great protein supplement for you to make an informed decision. Here is what they had to say.
Proper Protein Intake
Most people can easily meet their protein needs through food, and many consume more protein than they need on a daily basis. However, using protein powders can be helpful for people who have higher protein needs—such as athletes, pregnant and breastfeeding people, and people with certain medical conditions. It may also be beneficial for those who follow restricted diets, such as vegans or vegetarians or those who don’t like many protein-rich foods. Protein powders can also help boost the protein content of meals and snacks that might otherwise be lacking, such as smoothies or oatmeal.
Rise of Protein Powders
Protein powders can be found in thousands of formulations on tens of thousands of shelves across the country. And while they’re popular for their ability to help people gain and retain muscle protein synthesis, these supplements aren’t just for bodybuilders — or even people with regular gym memberships. Protein powder is also great for vegetarians to absorb protein or if you have a picky-eater child. Some experts have no qualms about adding protein powder to their kid’s macaroni and cheese.
Hundreds of protein powders are on the market, but not all are created equally. Lean on the protein powder that matches your dietary goals and priorities. For example, if you’re following a vegan lifestyle, options like hemp, soy, or pea will be better choices. Also, consider which powder you tolerate best. For some, soy or a dairy-based protein powder may not be easily tolerated. It’s also important to consider additional ingredients like vitamins, minerals, added sweeteners, enzymes, probiotics, caffeine, and more.
Different Types of Protein Powder Supplements
Sources of protein found in most protein powders can be divided into two categories: animal-based and plant-based protein powder.
Animal-based protein powders are often made of either whey or casein. Whey comes from the translucent liquid part of milk, while casein comes from the top solid portion of milk. Both contain all nine essential amino acids. Other animal-based protein powders are made with egg white protein.
Meanwhile, plant-based protein powders typically include proteins from soy, peas, hemp, rice, chia seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
Whey Protein Powder
If you opt for a whey protein, consider the form you want to use. In addition to whole protein powder, options include:
Whey protein concentrate, which excludes water and other minerals from the protein
Whey protein isolate, a very pure purest protein source, which excludes all fat and lactose from the protein
Whey protein hydrolysate, which is often considered a “predigested” form of protein
Casein Protein Powder
About 80% of cow’s milk is made of casein protein, while whey protein makes up the rest. Casein is a slower-digesting protein, and because of this, it is often taken before bed or before long periods of fasting. Because it takes the body longer to digest casein protein than whey, casein is often a better choice for a meal replacement. Casein protein also contains lactose, which may be an important factor for those with allergies and sensitivities.
Pea Protein Powder
Extracted from green and yellow peas, pea protein is lactose-free and safe for people with milk and dairy allergies or sensitivities. The three types of pea protein extracts include isolates, concentrates, and hydrolysates.
While pea protein can offer a boost to athletic performance, it also has the potential to provide other health benefits. Research into pea protein isolate specifically has found that it may assist with lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Organic And Vegan Protein Powder
Those who follow vegan diets may have a tougher time getting the necessary amount of protein, which can make protein supplementation through the use of protein powders important. In addition to pea protein powders, other popular ingredients in vegetarian and vegan protein powders include quinoa and amaranth. Vegetable proteins are incomplete proteins, so choosing a blend of plant proteins or mutually supplementing, could be the way to go to ensure you’re getting all the branched-chain amino acids your body needs. One example of this supplementation is mixing bean and rice protein powders together in one smoothie.
How to Choose the Best Protein Powder
When choosing from the long list of the best protein powders, nutritionists and dieticians recommend paying particular attention to the product’s certification(s). There are no standards for labeling, so going with an item tested by a third party can offer peace of mind and make for a safer, healthier product. This best indicates high quality and lower/limited contamination or ‘filler’ products. It’s a red flag if a brand uses a term like ‘proprietary blend’ without detailing what it contains. That’s a safety concern for things like heavy metals, botanicals, and other ingredients that could potentially interact with other foods or medications. Whether you choose a plant-based or animal-based protein source is a matter of personal preference.
Nutritional Content
Nutritionists recommend looking at the nutritional content of the protein supplement before making a purchase, as this will give you an idea of how much of which ingredients it contains. A good rule of thumb is that a quality protein supplement should contain at least 20g of protein concentrate per serving, along with other important vitamins and minerals. It should also be free from additives such as sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Taste and Texture
Taste and texture are also key considerations when choosing a protein supplement. A great product should have a pleasant taste without being overly sweet or artificial-tasting. It should also mix easily with water or milk without leaving any clumps behind or having an unpleasant aftertaste.
Price Point
When choosing a protein supplement, it’s also important to consider the price point. Of course, everyone has different budgets when it comes to health supplements, but generally speaking, a lower-priced product might not be as high quality as one that is more expensive but still within your budget range. Nutritionists recommend doing your research and comparing products in order to find something that fits both your needs and budget constraints.
When choosing your protein powder:
Protein source
Every nutritionist we spoke to told us that the first and main decision is whether you want an animal- or plant-based protein powder, which they say comes down to dietary preference. (A person’s age, gender, or body type are not really factors to consider, according to the experts.) If you’re going animal-based, powders with whey protein (which comes from cow’s milk) are generally what they recommend for the most digestible fast-acting powder to help with muscle building and weight loss.There are two types of whey protein — whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate — and the experts say the best kind is whey protein isolate because it is strained in a way that gives it a lower lactose content than whey protein concentrate.
For vegans, vegetarians, lactose-intolerant folks, and anyone else who doesn’t eat animal products, plant-based protein powders are (obviously) the way to go. As the nutritionists told us, pea protein powder is generally considered the most effective plant-based alternative to whey. And they say a pea protein isolate, like a whey protein isolate, is even better because it has the highest amount of protein per scoop. While they warn that some people may experience issues like stomachaches with plant-based powders, all of the ones in this story are easy to digest, according to the folks who recommend them.
Flavor
From there, the experts say it comes down to choosing a flavor you like. The most common options are vanilla, chocolate, and unflavored. But some powders come in a range of flavors, including more exciting ones like matcha or chai. We recommend people just try one and see how they feel about it. This is especially true if you are sensitive to lingering aftertastes in your smoothies. All of the recommendations below were chosen for both their ingredients as well as their taste.
Clean ingredients
As with any nutritional supplement, you want to choose a protein powder that adds only the highest-quality ingredients to your diet. So watch out for powders with excess chemical additives and artificial sweeteners where possible. Nutritionists caution against powders with Splenda and suggest looking for ones with natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit. Some powders have also been NSF certified, which trainers explain is a “nationally recognized verification that proves there are no banned substances in the product” — or contaminants or masking agents — making it a great option for athletes who compete professionally.
Final Thoughts
In summary, when choosing the best protein supplement for yourself, consider its nutritional content, taste and texture, and price point in order to make an informed decision that meets all your needs. With these tips in mind, you will find the perfect match!
You will be hard pressed to find an oral health procedure that provides the stunning results that dental implants do. By implanting directly into the gum and jaw, dentists can give their patients the stability and strength missing from dentures. That said, it is surgery, and there will be a recovery period. Recovery from a dental implant comes in two stages. The first recovery stage is relatively short; in just a few days, you will feel better and go back to your regular activities. The second stage can take several months. This is the stage when the implant fuses with your jaw bone. Take note, though, that this stage will only have minimal impact on your lifestyle. During these times, you should adhere to a specific diet as your dentist from DDSS Sydney CBD, they will direct you. You can also visit this site if you want to learn more about after surgery care.
Herein, you will learn dental implant recovery diet.
You’ve just had dental implants put in. You’re thrilled with how they look but, naturally, you want to know when you can get back to a regular diet. No one wants to sit around eating applesauce for two weeks, even if it is necessary. This is a good time for patients, however. The time for regular foods will come soon enough, but you can harm your recovery if you jump right back into corn on the cob straight out of the dentist’s office. For the first week, stick with softer foods. This will allow the surgical area to heal and will let you keep food particles from irritating the area. Many dentists recommend using a salt-water mouthwash after eating for extra sterilization.
To start with, for the first 24 hours you need to take only liquid foods. Then you can move on to soft foods for three to four days. You can have soft foods such as mashed potatoes, pudding, and ice creams. Then you can move on to the ordinary diet. Make sure to ask your dentist if you feel pain when eating after your surgery.
A liquid diet before surgery is required to ensure that your intestines are empty during the procedure. Frequently, it is necessary a few weeks before a scheduled weight loss surgery. With the help of a cosmetic surgeon, you can lose weight and feel better about yourself. Your doctor might require you to undergo a liquid diet prior to surgery if you have not achieved your weight goal before the surgical procedure.
2 Weeks before your bariatric surgery, your doctor will advise you to switch to a liquid diet. Following your surgeon’s advice is significantly crucial as the operation’s success will highly depend on it. In addition, your health improvement post-op will also be affected.
What is Clear Liquid Diet?
By definition, a clear liquid diet is a process of consuming nothing else but clear liquids. It includes broth, water, and gelatin which are all easy to digest. Unlike solid foods, clear liquids do not leave any residue in the stomach, leaving it nice and clean for the operation. This diet is usually recommended to patients who are about to undergo weight loss surgery.
But because a clear liquid diet cannot provide proper nutrition such as calories, carbohydrates, fat, and many more, it should not be continued for an extended period.
What is considered clear drinks or foods?
If you are worried about the variety of drinks you can have during your diet, fret not. There are several clear drinks and foods that you can consume. It does not necessarily have to be crystal clear, as long as you can see through your drink.
Some examples are fruit-flavored beverages, flavored water, tea, Gatorade, Jell-o, and popsicles. You can even have coffee with less sugar and creamer.
The Importance of Liquid Diet
So what makes a liquid diet so important prior to surgery? It’s not just about helping you reach your goal instantly. But instead, it’s for your safety. A liquid diet allows your surgeon to perform the bariatric operation without any blockage in your stomach. Patients who are particularly obese have an enlarged liver, which might make your surgeons work a little more complicated as the liver covers the stomach.
Unfortunately, this is one of the top reasons why some surgeons opt to stop the surgery. The hindrances in the intestines and stomach make it unsafe to continue the operation.
What about nutritional concerns?
You don’t have to worry because your surgeon will indeed include protein shakes in your liquid diet. While you are on a pre-op diet, your fast weight loss may also break down your muscle mass. This is why you need to drink beverages with high protein. Specifically, you will need at least 60 grams of protein before your bariatric surgery per day.
Results
Frankly, going through a liquid diet is no fun. There are days where you will be tempted to cheat and indulge in your favorite meal. But you can expect to achieve the weight you and your doctor have been trying to get. In short, it does its purpose.
Be sure to follow the bariatric program guidelines to ensure that your stomach and intestines are clear for your upcoming surgery.
Pre-op Liquid Diet Example
Your doctor or dietitian will most likely provide you with specific drinks to include in your liquid diet. But you can expect the following clear beverages in your diet program:
sugar-free popsicles
gelatin
honey or sugar
hard candy
sugar-free drinks
carbonated liquids (root beer and cola)
decaffeinated tea without milk
decaf coffee without milk
broth
vegetable juice
sugar-free fruit juice
flavored water
Full liquids will include protein shakes. There is nothing much to be concerned about because your doctor will always ensure that you are healthy even though you only consume liquid foods.
Post-Bariatric Surgery Diet
After the surgery, you will have to continue your liquid diet. Your doctor will advise you to avoid solid food and continue following your liquid diet guidelines for about two weeks. After that, you will be allowed to start a soft food diet. You can add solid foods gradually and lead to healthier eating moving forward.
Staying hydrated is crucial as well. Your surgeon will ask you to drink 96 ounces of water daily. That may seem a lot, especially for people who are not used to drinking more than three cups of water daily. Yet the goal is not to gulp it all at once, but instead, sip more liquids frequently.
Once you are introduced to solid foods again, you might need to wait for an hour before drinking water. Remember that at this point, your stomach is smaller than it used to be, hence, making its food capacity much smaller as well. It would be best if you gave your stomach an hour to digest the foods first before drinking.
Risks
Due to the lack of nutrients, a clear liquid diet can be quite risky. You should only opt to do it with your doctor’s permission.
If your doctor instructed you to start the program before a medical test or medical treatment, it would be safer to follow the guidelines precisely as it is. Failing to do so may lead to inaccurate medical test results.
Health Conditions to Consider
Lastly, let your doctor know immediately if you have diabetes, low BMI, an eating disorder, an endocrine disorder, or nutritional imbalances. Ensuring your health and safety will be your dietitian’s utmost priority above anything else.
Go foods are one of the food groups we know to maintain a balanced diet. A balanced diet involves the appropriate combination of all three food groups. Furthermore, we have to eat healthy foods so that our body will stay strong and free from health issues. If you want to know various alternatives for all your health care needs, find out more at www.healthon21.com.au. Their health care services cover all stages of life.
Go foods
Overall, we have three food groups. The Go, Grow and Glow foods. These three groups compose various healthy foods that play vital roles to keep us in excellent health condition. This article will focus on Go foods, but it doesn’t mean the other two groups are unnecessary. All of them are essential to the body.
It is the food group that provides energy so that an individual will remain active each day. These foods contain fats and carbohydrates, where the energy source will come from. In effect, they can get sufficient energy to stay active and remain fit to do exercises.
This food group is the foundation of a healthy diet. From the name itself, “Go”, we can quickly understand this name as healthy foods to make us move. For example, this food group is beneficial to individuals who do physical labour, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Aside from providing energy, this food group is essential to maintain the healthy function of the brain. In effect, it can continuously provide the fuel necessary to keep the body moving. However, if we are not eating healthy foods, there is no way to maintain the body in good shape.
Examples of Go foods
The following are the foods that fall under this food group. Eat any of them sufficiently to maintain a good level of energy throughout the day.
All of these are only a few healthy sources of energy. There could be more of these sources to keep the body constantly active. According to studies, adults need about 255 to 325 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Importance of a balanced diet
A balanced diet will help you acquire the nutrients that your body needs. As a result, you can keep it functioning correctly. Without this, our body will be prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.
In actuality, if children won’t get enough healthy foods, this will lead to growth and developmental problems, poor academic performance, and frequent infections. Moreover, if the parents won’t do anything about this, their children will carry unhealthy eating habits until they grow old.
A balanced diet usually includes plenty of fresh foods and limited processed foods. Healthy foods, including the three food groups, are beneficial to keep the proper supply of nutrients to the body. However, we cannot remove the fact that we don’t have enough education to prepare a balanced diet.
For this reason, it would be best to ask a physician or nutritionist to help you create a balanced meal for the whole family. They will surely provide you with recommendations to enhance your overall health.
Conclusion
All three food groups are essential for the body. In this case, the next thing we have to do is identify how to prepare them in a balanced way. Since each food group plays individual roles for our health, it would be best to know how to include each of them in a meal.
In general, balancing a meal is essential to ensure that the body will receive the right amount of nutrients from each food group. Eating healthy allows a person to live a longer life in the long run.
Parents are often worried about how they can get the variety of healthy food that they need to introduce to their kids. A great way to do that is to follow the kids’ food pyramid. You can see there the different food groups that you need to make certain that your kids would eat. According to the food pyramid levels, your kids get to have a balanced meal that can give them the nourishment that they need as they grow. Is the kids food pyramid the same as the traditional one?
Kids Food Pyramid: Is it Different?
Everyone needs to have the right amount of nutrition in their body. Good food means better chances of building a healthy body strong enough to ward off any sickness or infection. Parents want this most especially for their kids, so they want to make sure that they give the right amount of everything for their little one. This is where the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed the Kids Food Pyramid. This food guide makes it easier for kids to understand what they need to eat and for parents and guardians to create meal plans that are both nutritious and complete.
In the new Kids Food Pyramid, USDA made use of vertical color-coded sections that represent the 6 food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, protein, dairy, and fats and oil. Each section has different widths, denoting the portion size that you need to consume per food group. For example, a good food plate should contain more carbs, veggies, and fruits, fat-free, then a good amount of meat for protein, and a glass of milk. These sections also appear in the traditional food pyramid but are placed horizontally, making it seem that the section with the bigger portion is the most important. With the new food guide for kids, every food group gets the same significance and value; it only dictates the portioning.
There is also the Kids’ Healthy Eating Plate, an informative visual guide on what foods should be on a child’s plate when it comes to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These concepts hold the same thought and importance, but we would like to put an emphasis more on the new Kids’ food pyramid for the time being.
The Healthy Food Groups
Here are the food groups as represented by the color-coded vertical sectioning.
The widest among the sections, kids need carbohydrates to get enough energy for the day. Active kids need to consume certain amounts of whole grains in rice, bread, and oats, based on their age and weight. For instance, kids 2 to 8 years of age should have 3 to 5 oz of whole grains daily, while 9 to 18-year-old teens should consume 5 to 7 oz.
Green – Vegetables
Consider fiber as an essential component for one’s digestion. Eating green leafy veggies can help in making sure our kids’ bowel movements run smoothly, eliminating wastes consistently without fear of diarrhea or constipation. Make sure that your kids consume at least 1 to 3 cups of vegetables for the whole day.
Red – Fruits
A good source of organic sugar that converts to energy, kids should consume fruits also because of the essential vitamins and minerals you can get from them. Give kids 1 to 2 cups of fruits, whether as a dessert or a snack!
Yellow – Oils and fats
This section is not necessarily considered a food group, but these also give good things to our body, such as helping us ward off disease risks, maintain our body temperature, and many more. As a rule of thumb, you can opt for a fat-free plate to reduce your risk of developing heart conditions or obesity. Make sure that you consume fat-free meals, or at least you choose the good fats, or monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and add them to your kids’ diet sparingly.
Blue – Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
A very good source of calcium and vitamin D, dairy foods keep our bones and joints healthy and strong, making us move and groove better. Ensure that your kids drink 2 to 3 cups of milk, or 1 to 2 ½ oz of cheese every day.
Purple – Protein (meat, fish, nuts, eggs, and beans)
One more thing that you can see in this new food pyramid is the presence of the stairs on the side of the diagram. This symbolizes the fact that while food gives you good nutrition, exercise also promotes a healthier body. The combination of both makes it easier for parents and guardians to provide better nourishment for the kids.
Kids Food Pyramid: What About Snacks?
Children, like adults, frequently fall into the pit of choosing junk foods for snacks. The convenience, flavor, and affordability of these treats capture their tastes and cravings. Unfortunately, these do not provide the goodness you need for your growing child. What’s worse is the fact that sugary, preservative-rich foods can hurt your overall health, starting with your teeth. Parents should consider getting excellent snack options in plain sight for children to grab after school or on weekends between meals.
For parents, fruits are the best bet. Make a fruit bowl for your movie time. Slice apples and prepare a peanut butter dip so they can experiment with flavor combinations. Prepare veggie sticks; cucumber, carrots, celery, and even zucchini can do the trick! Yogurt mixed with wild berries and honey can satisfy your kids’ sweet tooth.
Kids Food Pyramid: Practice What You Preach
Apart from making sure that your kids consume the right amount of each food group, you should also act as a good example to your little ones. Let us encourage each other to choose foods in their most nutrient-dense forms as often as possible, to keep added sugars and saturated fat intakes to a minimum.
Become an advocate of having a healthy diet and exercising so that not only are you introducing good food, but you are also maintaining the strength and overall health of your body through working out and staying fit and active.
The diabetic food pyramid is very different from the regular food guide or pyramid. In this specific guide, the food gets categorized based on their carbohydrate and protein content. Are you diabetic? Do you want to understand how to make a meal plan based on the food pyramid for your health condition? Read on to know more.
Diabetics Food Pyramid: Difference from the Traditional Guide
The truth is, choosing the right food to eat when you have diabetes and controlling your blood glucose is quite a challenge. If knowing what you need to eat to stay fit and healthy feels like a real struggle, imagine how difficult it would be to choose good food that has low sugar content.
According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have diabetes and you want to follow the traditional food pyramid, you may have to ditch some logical choices when it comes primarily to your carbohydrate and protein food selection.
Carbohydrate Group
You may see in the regular food pyramid that the base part includes the bread and cereals group (carbohydrates). On the other hand, the diabetic food pyramid contains these food types and includes vegetables like legumes and starchy ones like potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes. So, it does not matter what the food is made with; what matters is the carbohydrate content that can affect your blood glucose.
Protein Group
In the traditional food diagram, beans are part of protein-rich foods. However, suppose the diabetic food pyramid is your basis. In that case, the experts place beans on the carbohydrate level since their carb content is higher than their protein value, allowing you to better manage your blood glucose. Another difference you would see is about the cheese. Though this is a dairy food example and contains carbs, the diabetic food pyramid places cheese with protein.
Green leafy vegetables and plants that have fiber fall in this category. As mentioned earlier, veggies that have high carbohydrate content have transferred to the carbohydrate level, together with the bread, rice, and starch.
Fruits
You need to consume a daily allowance of 2 to 4 serving sizes of healthy fruits if you want a complete diabetic diet without elevating your blood glucose.
Milk
If the milk group in the traditional level is already small, you can expect that it gets visibly smaller with the diabetics’ food pyramid. According to the American Diabetes Association, you can get 2 to 3 servings a day. This can get translated into serving sizes of 2 to 3 cups of milk or yogurt, and you are good to go!
Fats, Sweets, and Oily Foods
Understandably the smallest food groups for both food pyramid diagrams, you should highly consider these as indulgent choices. Potato chips, biscuits for cookies, cakes, ice creams, and fried viands fall under this category. Want a rare and special treat for an exceptional occasion or celebration? Make sure that you choose one in this category.
Snacks from The Diabetics Food Pyramid
Want to create a perfect snack idea using the diabetics’ food pyramid? Here are some of what we can recommend from the well-categorized food groups that are both healthy and safe so as not to aggravate any of your diagnosed medical conditions.
Boiled eggs
Rich in protein and fats, experts from the American Diabetes Association found out that eating hard-boiled eggs help in lowering your blood sugar. A study including non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients eating 2 hard-boiled eggs daily have been found to lower their fasting blood sugar while following this recommended serving size for 12 weeks.
Yogurt
Another dairy product that’s rich in antioxidants, fiber, and protein. The probiotics present in the food metabolizes food without increasing or affecting your body’s sugar content.
Nuts
Cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and especially almonds – these nuts are perfect for diabetic patients. Not only are these full of essential vitamins and minerals like magnesium, manganese, and Vitamin B1, but they also have their fair share of good fats, protein, and fiber for your better nutrition.
Avocado
A fruit that technically does not go with your fruits food group, avocado is more likely grouped with oily foods. Filled with high-fiber content and monounsaturated fatty acids, this fruit can help manage your sugar and control the spiking of your high-sugary symptoms. According to the American Diabetes Association, follow a serving size of ¼ to ½ of an avocado fruit as a daily serving size, and you are good to go!
If you need more information about what you should eat as a diabetic patient, we hope that this article helps you understand and plan out your daily meal times safely and enjoyably. Armed with this knowledge, satisfying your cravings may never be too hard moving forward.
References:
Elliot B. (January 2018).The 21 Best Snack Ideas If You Have Diabetes
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.