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…

– 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…

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 look 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?