Protein Shakes For Newbies: What To Buy And When To Drink

The protein powder market is a massive industry, with hundreds of companies pushing thousands of products onto unsuspecting workout newbies. Most people are left dazed and confused at the array of choice. Today, we’re going to provide you with a roadmap through the protein shake business, giving you the information you need to know about what to buy and when to drink it. 

Before we get into it, let’s make it clear that protein shakes are a supplement. Protein shakes are there to supplement a healthy, balanced diet, not to replace it. The majority of your daily protein should come from lean whole food sources such as beef, poultry, seafood, pork, eggs and dairy. 

Ok, so now let’s take a look at the main protein types you’ll find in your protein shakes. First up is whey protein. Whey is the soluble portion of milk protein. It has been found to be a superior form of protein when it comes to stimulating protein synthesis. This is the cellular process by which muscles increase their size. Whey protein will also speed up the flow of blood to the muscles. This helps you to get a better muscle pump when you’re working out. Whey has also been shown to boost the body’s levels of the antioxidant glutathione, which is known to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

There are a number of forms of whey protein. Whey Protein Concentrate has a 70-80 percent protein count with the remainder being carbohydrates and fats. It uses a relatively simple filtration process, making it the cheapest type of whey powder available. Whey contains lactose, which a large portion of the population have great difficulty digesting. This may cause bloating and flatulence. 

Whey Protein Isolate is a purer form that uses microfiltration to produce a protein that is 95 percent protein. An even purer form is whey protein hydrolysate, which uses a process called hydrolysis. Long protein chains are broken down into smaller peptide fragments, allowing for much faster digestibility. Of the three types of whey, hydrolysate is the purest, fastest digesting and, not surprisingly, the most expensive. 

The other major form of protein is casein, which makes up around 80 percent of the protein in milk. Casein is made up of globules that are insoluble in liquid. Instead they clot in the stomach, which makes them much slower to digest than whey protein. This can actually be a good thing as it helps to prevent muscle protein from breaking down. Research has shown that weight trainers who mix whey with casein after their workouts gain more muscle than those who just take whey. Another bonus of casein is that it contains a very high concentration of the amino acid glutamine. Glutamine boosts levels of leucine, which promotes protein synthesis and muscle growth. It also helps to enhance growth hormone levels. 

Micellar casein involves separating out the casein protein from the fat and lactose content. This is the best form to choose as a pre-bed protein source or to mix with whey as a post workout shake. Calcium caseinate adds calcium, sodium or potassium to the mix. Caseinate provides you with more than 90 percent protein content but it digests more quickly than micellar casein. However, it is still a far slower digesting protein than any form of whey.

An increasing number of vegetarians are seeking protein powders, and a market has developed to cater to their needs. Pea protein comes from green or split yellow peas. It does not contain all of the essential amino acids and has a protein content of around 85 percent. This is an easily digestible form of protein that is especially high in arginine, which plays a major role in muscle building. We should note, though, that pea protein has a unique taste which takes some getting used to. 

The most commonly used plant protein is soy. There is a misconception that soy protein contains phytoestrogens that can lower testosterone levels. This has been disproved by study after study. Soy is, in fact, a very good alternative to whey protein. It is high in arginine and lysine, which boosts human growth hormone levels. Some studies have also shown that it provides better workout recovery benefits than whey protein. A final benefit of soy protein is that it has been shown to assist with fat loss by decreasing hunger levels. 

As we’ve seen, protein powders offer many benefits. Yet, to truly maximize their effectiveness, you need to have a plan about how to make use of them. The two prime considerations are:

• When to take them 
• How to effectively combine different types of protein
  

There are four critical time windows when it makes sense to use protein powders. The benefit of specific protein powders over whole foods is that they digest more quickly and they have specific concentrations of component protein ingredients. The first critical window is first thing in the morning. When you wake up you’ve just undergone a 6-9 hour fast. Getting amino acids into your bloodstream will prevent your muscles from being attacked for their amino acid content. Take 20-40 grams of whey protein hydrolysate or isolate within an hour of getting out of bed. 

The second critical amino acid window is pre-workout. You need a rapidly digesting protein, such as whey protein isolate. Getting the amino acids into your bloodstream will provide you with more energy so you can train harder and will also prevent muscle breakdown during your workout. Take 20-30 grams of whey protein hydrolysate or isolate within 45 minutes of heading for the gym. 

The third critical window is post-workout. This is another time when you need fast-digesting protein, such as whey hydrolysate or isolate. Whey is a great post workout protein source because it is rich in the amino acid leucine, which has been shown to directly turn on protein synthesis. It also speeds up blood flow to the muscles to assist in post workout recovery. However, as we noted earlier, research suggests that mixing whey with casein actually boosts your post workout recovery. So, you might consider a 50:50 blend of whey isolate and micellar casein.

The final protein window is immediately before going to bed. Since you’ll be fasting for 6-9 hours on average, you should go for a very slow digesting micellar casein or caseinate protein. This will give you a slow and steady supply of amino acids throughout the night, ensuring that your body doesn’t have to use up the amino acids stored in your muscles for fuel. You should take 20-40 grams of micellar casein within half an hour of going to bed. 

Ok, let’s wrap this up with a quick overview of our main points. Firstly, protein is a supplement - most of your protein should come from whole foods. You really don’t want to have more than two protein shakes per day. There are four critical times of the day to take a protein shake, so you should select two of them according to your convenience.