Howdy there folks!!

I have done my share of reading books, magazines, and commentaries about the benefits of adding whey protein into your diet.  Some say, for the average person, trying to lose weight and add muscle, all you have to do is eat right and work out. No fancy protein shake needed, just eat your chicken, fish, and brocolli, etc.  Others say it is a good idea to add whey protein to drinks and such.  Now I have no inkling to take any of that stuff quite yet, I continue to plug along with just the help of a good diet and exercise.  I am a bit cautious when it comes shakes, bars, smoothies and all....sometimes the calories alone make it hard for me to justify doing that.

So here is the question: an average person, does he and she REALLY NEED (and I stress NEED) to do the fancy powders and shakes?  When is it good to incorporate such products into your diet?  How much to do have to work out to get results from those? 

From reading posts and being assulted from all the advertising in my fitness magazines for such things, it is hard not to be curious about Whey. 

Julie

zookie - 05 May 2007 01:05 PM

So here is the question: an average person, does he and she REALLY NEED (and I stress NEED) to do the fancy powders and shakes?

Ofcourse I have no medical degree of any kind, so do make your own choices, but,…
Personally I believe in just eating a balanced diet. Can’t imagine that any regular person with normal fitness goals would need anything beyond that. If you where an omlympic class athlete training for competition perhaps you’d need to add some suplements to your regular diet, then again even before these shakes, powders and bars (and all the silly advertising that goes along with marketing them) existed there where people out there doing extraordinary things like running marathons fuelled simply by whole wheat bread and pasta,…

The real question is: do *you* feel *your* body needs something extra in terms of nutrition ? and ifso, would just an extra bit of fruit or a sandwitch do the trick ?

Not really an answer to your questions i suppose,
hope it helps anyway,
Take care,
Alex…

Personally, I don’t bother with the stuff. Being a smaller person, I can easily fuel my body through my diet. I imagine a person with much more muscle and a larger frame would have trouble keeping up with the demands of the body. But for normal people, I really don’t find it necessary. That’s just my opinion.

Bree

Hi Julie,

I have a whey fruit smoothie every day.  I am someone who needs protein.  I can feel the difference, an almost sluggish feeling, if I don’t have enough after a few days.  I use whey to supplement my protein.  I like to have protein at every meal, but lunch the protein is alway a weak if at all, so I have protein at breakfast.  I don’t want to have eggs every day so I have my smoothie with whey 4-5 mornings a week.

I get mine at the health food store, Jarrow Formulas Unflavored Whey Protein at 85 calories per scoop and 36% DV.  I use the unflavored after having tried a few others because it has no sweeteners of any kind in it.  The vanilla flavor by the same company has fructose in it & 15 more calories.

I think it is a very convient way to add more protein with out it needing to be stored in a refidgorator.

I’m with M.  I have a hard time getting my diet to 30% protein without a little help.  I can only eat so much chicken and fish.  So I use whey protein.  Sometimes by itself with water, sometimes as part of a smoothie or shake.  I’ve also been experimenting with a mix of protein powder and Gatorade as a pre-workout drink if I exercise first thing in the morning, to give me a little boost without weighing down my tummy.

It all depends on how you’re feeling - if you think it might help your energy level or your workouts give it a try. 

I think you are right to be cautious about supplements.  A lot of the pre-made stuff out there has an awful lot of sugar in it and often without the protein trade-off I’m looking for.  Plus some of it is yucky, fake tasting.  I’ve been looking at some recipes on the internet for homemade protein bars, stuff I can take on trails or boats without it going bad (no refrigeration like M says) but still provide the taste and nutritional profile I want.  If I find some I like I’ll let you guys know.