Is Your Protein Powder Toxic?
I just posted up the second part of my Bodybuilding Supplement Video Review Guide below:
One of the main issues that I cover in this video is with regards to protein powder safety. Especially with the recent uproar over certain protein powders containing toxic levels of Heavy Metals.
This is a serious topic and it has a lot of bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts concerned about whether or not they should stop drinking protein supplements all together!
This is something that you really NEED to watch right now, especially if you are consuming protein supplements on a regular basis.
After you watch the video, please leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your feedback about this…
3 Killer Tips To Fight “Ana-Metabolic” Adaptation…
You may recall a couple days ago I mentioned in my newsletter about the
“Ana-Metabolic Adaptation” phenomenon.
Well, in layman terms this is basically the ability your body has to adapt to certain foods that are consumed over and over again on a regular basis.
To give you an example:
If you eat pretty much the same type of foods day in and day out, your body will get used to them and it will consequently slow down your metabolism.
Now this SUCKS for bodybuilding because a slow metabolism means you’ll lose lean muscle and gain bodyfat… The exact OPPOSITE of what we actually want to do!
So here are 3 easy tips that you can start using right away to help avoid this dreaded “Ana-metabolic Adaptation” from ever occurring in your body…
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#1: Vary Your Macro-Nutrient Sources!
It is absolutely critical that you frequently rotate your
food choices. For example, do not rely on chicken breasts,
canned tuna, and protein shakes as your ONLY protein sources.
Make sure to get a wide variety of protein from other food
sources such as lean cuts of beef, lamb, pork, wild game, etc.
Include all kinds of fish and seafood in your nutrition program.
Also make sure to include eggs / egg whites and dairy products
to get a wide spectrum of high quality protein sources.
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#2: Use Spices!
Not only will spices add taste, flavor, and excitement to your
meals. But the latest research has revealed that cooking with
spices like Cinnamon, Garlic, and Ginger can jack up your
metabolism, control your blood sugar, and improve your insulin
resistance.
All of these things will help you strip away those excess pounds
of stubborn blubber while ensuring that the calories you eat get
shuttled towards building lean rock hard muscle mass!
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#3: Strategically Time Your Nutrient Intake!
It is a proven fact that consuming the right nutrients at the
right times, can more then DOUBLE the Anabolic and Metabolic
response you get from the foods you eat.
Basically it’s not just “What You Eat”, but “When You Eat It”
that has a HUGE impact on your musclebuilding & fatloss results!
Now I can’t go into a whole lot of detail about all the specific
times in this short post, but I will say this… First thing
in the morning when you wake up and right after your workouts
are 2 of the most critical times of the day when you NEED to
consume high quality muscle building nutrition.
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So there are 3 killer tips that you can use to keep your Muscle-Building and Fat-Burning hormones running at their full optimal Anabolic and Metabolic capacity!
And if you’d like to get some more in depth information about how you can:
“Beat The Ana-Metabolic Adaptation Process”
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“Anabolic Cooking” is by far the best nutritional system out there for maximizing your muscle gains in the gym and avoiding the pitfalls of “Ana-Metabolic Adaptation”.
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========================
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What Is The Best Time To Have A Protein Shake?
Note: This blog post is continued on from my previous blog post titled:
Should You Take Protein Shakes?
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When is the best time to have a protein shake???
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A lot of bodybuilders (myself included) consider protein supplements just like any other protein food. So rather than thinking: When should you have a protein shake? Think instead of… When should you consume a high protein meal?
The standard bodybuilding diet calls for a high protein meal every 2-3 hours during the day. So if you can consume a solid food high protein meal, great, by all means do that. But if you can’t, then this would be an ideal time to supplement with protein to make up for that high protein meal. |
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Breakfast…
From my experience of working with literally hundreds of people over the years with regards to nutrition, I can tell you that the most challenging time for most people to consume a high protein meal is with breakfast.
The average person tends to sleep in too late and then they are in a rush to get to work, school, or whatever and they very often skip breakfast all together or they’ll quickly woof down the typical high carb “breakfast foods” (i.e. cereal & milk, toast, bagel, muffin, etc.)
Let’s just say that this is NOT the ideal way to start your day. This stuff is just loading you up with a ton of sugar and starch with very little real nutritional value. High carb breakfast foods like this will spike your insulin levels, easily get stored as bodyfat, and they will also lead to the typical sugar crash a few hours later.
A much healthier and better option for building a lean muscular physique would be to start your day off with a protein shake and some slow digesting carbs such as a bowl of oatmeal. This is still a very quick meal that can be prepared in minutes and it will kick start your day with a good serving of muscle building protein.
Mid-Morning…
For the mid-morning break most people will either run to the vending machine, grab a candy bar, go for coffee and donuts, or some other high carb sugar fix. A better option would be to fill up on some protein instead. In cases like this when a quick convenient source of protein is needed, a protein bar can often work great.
Now I’ll admit protein bars are not “perfect” by any means, but they are a heck of a lot better then candy bars, chips, and donuts. So packing a couple protein bars in your briefcase or schoolbag can help bridge the gaps between meals and provide you a quick protein source.
Lunch…
When it comes to lunch, most people do “OK” with getting some protein. Most people who brown bag their own lunches will usually include some form of sandwich with meat on it (i.e. tuna, roast beef, chicken, etc.) While this is still a relatively small serving of protein, it’s better than nothing. But you could jack up your protein intake with lunch by including a protein shake mixed up in a shaker bottle and take it with you to work or school.
After Workouts…
Another critical time for consuming protein supplements is right after a hard weight training workout. This is when your muscles are depleted and could really use the fast digesting protein found in a protein shake to help aid with growth and recovery.
So taking a protein shake with you to the gym (often referred to as a “Post Workout Shake”) and having it after your workouts would be another fantastic time to consume protein supplements.
Dinner…
When it comes to dinner most folks tend to do pretty good here. In fact this would be the meal where the average person consumes the majority of their daily protein intake. When I ask guys what they eat for dinner the typical answer I’ll get is:
“What ever the wife cooks…”
Or:
“What ever mom cooks…”
But luckily, most of our wives and moms tend to cook up a solid “meat and potatoes” type of meal for dinner so generally your protein intake is covered for this one.
Before Bed…
After dinner / before bed is another time with most people tend to get slack with their protein intake. Again the average Joe is going to probably be kicking back on the couch watching TV… Or maybe he will be sitting at his computer reading an article on www.LeeHayward.com about protein… who knows 
And when he gets the munchies he will often reach for typical high carb snack foods like chips, cookies, crackers, etc. Now again I don’t need to tell you that this is just an insulin spiking, fat storing nightmare, especially when eaten prior to going to bed.
A good alternative here would be to consume a high protein snack instead. Below are some of my favorite tasty high protein snacks to have in the evening before bed:
- 1 cup of plain yogurt mixed up with a scoop of protein powder. This mixes up like a creamy pudding.
- 1 cup of cottage cheese mixed with a scoop of protein powder. Kind of similar to the yogurt pudding, but you get the curds from the cottage cheese in there.
- High protein blender smoothie. Mix up 1 cup of pasteurized egg whites, 1 scoop of protein powder, add in frozen strawberries, blueberries, etc. and blend it up to make a nice high protein smoothie.
Ok, so now you know the best times to have a protein shake. In my next post I’m going to cover the different kinds of protein powders that are available and which ones are the best for building muscle, without breaking your bank account.
Stay Tuned For That…
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Note:
If you’d like for me to create a complete “Done For You Customized Diet & Workout Program” that you can follow, just click here to get more info about my customized programs and one on one personal coaching.
These programs are an easy to follow “No Brainer” way to pack on lean muscle mass and burn away stubborn bodyfat. I’ll take all the guess work out of your workouts, your nutrition, your supplements, etc. and tell you exactly what you need to do day in and day out in order to get in your best shape ever!
Again the link to sign up for your very own customized diet and training program is at:
Should You Take Protein Shakes?
To Use Protein or Not Use Protein… That is the question…
Everyday I get tons of questions from my followers about protein supplements such as…
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- Should I have protein shakes? - Are protein supplements safe? - Are protein shakes necessary? - Will protein damage my kidneys? - Can I just eat high protein food? - Is it ok for a teenager to take protein? - When should I take protein? - What’s the best kind of protein? - Do I take protein before or after my workouts? - Will protein stunt my growth? - Should I mix protein with water or milk? - Will protein shrink my dick / balls? - Does protein powder contain steroids? - And on, and on, and on… |
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Those are just a handful of the many frequently asked protein related questions that I get asked on a regular basis.
First off, for all the absurd questions; like if protein will stunt your growth, shrink your junk, or if it contains steroids… The answer is NO to all of the above. Those are just stupid BS myths that get spread around by people who don’t have a clue what their talking about.
As for the questions with regards to protein’s safety, I think most of these come from concerned, but mis-informed parents, who are just looking out for their kids. But the fact is that protein powders are just natural food supplements. For example, whey protein, egg protein, vegetable protein, etc. So protein powder is just as safe as eating the natural foods themselves. And using protein supplements is safe for everyone; men, women, and teens.
Another common myth is that protein is bad for your kidneys and again that’s totally false. There has never been a single study what so ever that has shown a high protein diet causes kidney damage. Only people who already have pre-existing kidney problems need to be concerned with keeping their protein in check, and that’s something that would be looked after by a doctor. But again high protein foods & protein supplements Do NOT cause kidney problems to begin with.
Alright, so now that we’ve got the safety issues covered and we know protein is “safe” to consume. Now we need to cover the “why” questions.
Why use protein supplements in the first place?
Why not just eat high protein foods?
Well, you could and you should. There is nothing wrong with eating high protein foods. The only problem comes in with cost and convince.
Most typical bodybuilding diets require that you consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily, spaced out over 6 meals. Now if you have the time to cook, prepare, and eat 6 high protein food meals per day go for it. This will certainly help meet your protein intake needs.
The problem for most people is that we have a life outside the kitchen. So we either work, go to school, etc. and it makes it difficult to get in 6 high protein food meals each day. This is where protein supplements can help big time. You can simply mix them up in a shaker bottle and take them with you where ever you go and have a liquid high protein meal on the run. It’s harder to this with high protein foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.
Another issue to consider is the cost. While most people look at protein supplements and think they are “expensive”, they are actually cheaper when you at the big picture. Sure a 5 pound tub of protein powder is about $50 bucks (depending on where you live and the brand you buy). But you are getting 1600+ grams of pure protein from that 5 pound container. If you were to buy that much protein from lean beef, you’d have to buy about 20 pounds, and even at just $5 per pound it would cost you twice as much money on a gram for gram basis as buying the same amount of protein from protein powder.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should give up solid food protein and just live on supplements. But by including supplements in your diet you can make consuming a high protein diet much easier, and cheaper as well.
Ok, so we’ve established the basics here about protein safety and why we should use it. In my next blog post I’m going to cover the best times that you should have a protein shake.
So you can click on the link below to go check that out right now at:
What Is The Best Time To Have A Protein Shake?
