Sunday, July 13, 2014

Are Supplements Necessary?

In my previous post, I mentioned how I use protein powder as a supplement. I know a lot of people, myself included, don't see protein powder as a supplement but rather as just a food source, the same as you would consider chicken or beef for example.

Protein powder doesn't have any magical properties, it's not going to give you an extra performance boost. It's there to help you meet your protein target for the day. You should be aiming for at most 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight each day. Some people recommend a lot more than this but it's not really necessary even though supplement companies might tell you otherwise for obvious reasons.

Since protein powder just gives you a source of protein it's not essential if you are already reaching your targets through your daily diet. Protein powder just gives you convenience. If you don't have time to cook and sit down to eat a full meal, a protein shake provides you with a convenient way of getting a liquid meal in.

Apart from convenience, the other major benefit is that it can actually work out as a cheaper source of protein than whole food. If you compare the price of chicken with the price of protein powder, for each dollar you spend, you are usually going to get more protein from the protein powder than you do from the chicken.

Some people may argue that the quality of protein from whey is higher than what you would find in whole foods due to its higher biological value. But once you take into account their adjusted scores there is really no difference. When you also consider that you will also get your protein from a large variety of sources i.e. a balanced diet then the quality of the protein source will have little to no effect on your overall results.

Most people prefer getting their protein from real foods. The major benefit of doing so is that you will find it more satiating. It’s psychologically better to be able to chew your food as opposed to drinking a liquid. Of course, if you are trying to gain weight and you struggle to eat enough then liquid foods could actually help you to get more calories in.

So, I personally do use protein powder, as I said before, as it does offer me convenience when I am pushed for time, however they certainly are not necessary.

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