A recent investigation on protein drinks has been causing waves of concern or even alarm to ripple through the fitness and bodybuilding world. Supplement companies are up in arms and people are wondering whether they should stop drinking protein shakes after the magazine said they tested 15 protein drinks for heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and 3 of them came up above the proposed safe limits…

“We purchased 15 protein powders and drinks mainly in the New York metro area or online and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury” said Consumer Reports.

“Concentrations in most products were relatively low,” continued the article, “but when taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of micrograms per day for a few of the products was high compared with most others tested.”

Out of the 15 products tested, the following exceeded the U.S. Pharmocopeia (USP) suggested limits for safety:

EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate (ready to drink liquid): 16.9 arsenic, 5.1 cadmium Muscle Milk chocolate powder: 12.2 arsenic, 5.6 cadmium, 13.5 lead, 0.7 mercury Muscle Milk Vanilla Cream: 12.2 lead

* Amounts in micrograms

So, if you use protein drinks should you be worried? Should you stop drinking them? Well, it appears disconcerting that certain brands are high in these metals, but keep in mind that: (1) Some people and organizations are questioning the choice of 3rd party lab used by Consumer reports, as well as the definitions for acceptable safe levels.

(2) These test results showed that that 12 out of 15 products were within safe limits even at high doses (or had zero heavy metals present), and (3) Products which tested high were tested based on very large doses. Therefore, this might be a red flag only for very heavy users (three shakes a day or up to 8 scoops) of specific products (not protein powder in general)

Heavy metal contamination is a particular health concern for certain populations including infants, young growing children, women of childbearing age who plan to have kids soon, pregnant women, and nursing women.

However, I don’t believe this report is a reason for panic or giving up moderate use of protein supplements.

Due to all the publicity, I imagine that the few companies named will write rebuttals or responses, and if necessary, simply tighten up their quality control. Probably, the industry in general will start posting more information on their testing, safety and quality standards. Some companies have reassuringly already done so on their websites (which has probably boosted their sales, not hurt them).

I think this is mostly a non-issue.

Consumer Reports is a favorite publication for many people researching purchases of cars, electronics and appliances. They were probably well-intentioned in their protein article (although who knows what underlying biases might be there).

In the future, however, I’d like to see these types of tests performed under scientific scrutiny and get the results published in a peer reviewed journal. This way, we can review the test results, read about the experimental methods and get the evidence-based facts about protein requirements and contaminant safety standards, rather than depend on journalists whose usual job is comparing brands of toasters.

On a related note, the NSF has questioned the lab/testing methods used in this story:

NSF International cannot comment on the test results reported in the July 2010, Consumer Reports article on protein drinks. It omits critical information about the laboratory that performed the test and its accreditation qualifications. ISO 17025 accreditation is critical for any laboratory testing for heavy metals in dietary supplements and nutritional products. The article also omits the test methods used, analytical preparation, sample size, the basis of their risk assessment, detection limits, quality control data and instrumentation used for this report.

While it’s fine and good that this info was published, what really bothers me about the write up is that it seems their journalists are using these test results as ammo to attack the entire idea of taking protein supplements and eating a high protein diet.

“You don’t need extra protein” and “high protein diets damage your kidneys,” claim Consumer Reports. They also quote a dietitian who said the body can only utilize 5 to 9 grams of protein per hour. I’d like to see a research citation on that one!

They are clearly perpetuating some of the same stupid myths about protein that bodybuilders and strength athletes have had to debunk for years.

When mentioning how cadmium is toxic to the kidney, they added, “the way that high protein is bad for your kidneys.” That is false. A high protein diet (on par with what a strength athlete would reasonably consume), is not damaging to a healthy kidney.

High protein diets are contraindicated for patients who already have kidney disease and caution is warranted in certain populations where risk of sub-clinical kidney conditions may be present or where there is kidney disease predisposition. That’s not the same as saying eating a high protein diet causes kidney disease.

It’s quite true that there’s a “more is better” mentality among many muscle-seekers and protein supplement marketing often feeds right into that. The consumer may be told – via advertisement or editorial – to take protein drinks multiple times every day (better for sales than recommending occasional or light use only when needed, right?)

Protein marketing can sometimes border on the outrageous today – with all kinds of claims made for muscle gain, fat loss, enhanced performance and even anti-aging. The truth is, protein supplements are just food – powdered or liquid food – they’re NOT magic! A lot of muscle and fitness fanatics today depend way too much on supplements and not enough on whole, natural foods.

How many people actually drink 3 protein shakes a day, every day (21 a week)? I don’t know. No one in my circle does, and it’s not something I recommend. In my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program, I recommend eating mostly whole food, eating a variety of foods and using protein shakes or powders as an occasional supplement for convenience or if you need a supplement to help you meet your optimum level of intake.

Personally, I use protein powder once a day in my oatmeal and I enjoy an occasional protein shake – you can make some pretty tasty smoothies if you add things like fruit, peanut butter, ice, etc. I don’t plan on stopping.

Some people are freaking out over this. I know the personality type: certain people will say, ‘No way, if there’s ANY heavy metal in any protein drinks I’m not taking them at all! Why take a chance?” Seems prudent, except that most of the protein drinks tested were well within safety limits and all were within limits with more moderate usage.

Besides, small exposure is inevitable anyway. What’s in the whole food you’re eating? If you pressed the issue, you could find some substance to gripe about – including heavy metals – in many of the foods you eat daily right now – yes, the so called “clean foods” – dairy products, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, shellfish, etc.

Advice: (1) Too much of anything can be bad for you, so don’t go crazy with protein drinks or protein foods (or too much of any one type of food). (2) Avoid diets that make you dependent on protein shakes or meal replacement supplements. (3) Don’t believe everything you read in the mainstream media until you check out the real science for yourself. (4) Use Consumer Reports when you want to know what car or camcorder to buy. Take their bodybuilding and sports nutrition info with a grain of salt.

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Drinking · Found · Heavy · Metals · Protein · Shakes · Should · Stop · Them

Those who love muscle building know that low calorie protein shakes can make them reach their goal at a faster pace. The major benefits of these milk shakes are that they balance your blood sugar. They are easy to make and they pack tons of nutrition. The protein shakes supply the body with proteins to repair cells and build bones and muscles. Low cal protein shakes also give high energy to your body.

If you take protein shake after your work out, the nutrients of the shake make up for the wear and tear of the muscles. Increase in body metabolism and burning calories are its other benefits. Low calories are what we consider while dieting. So, even if you want to shed some lbs of weight, you can pick low calorie protein shakes. Another benefit of these shakes is their easy availability. It also curbs appetite.

Whey protein shake is one of the most liked low calorie protein supplement. Instead of buying from the market, you can also make your own low calorie protein shake. You can use your creativity to make delicious protein shakes for yourself.

Below are some recipes that you can try:

If you like orange flavor then try orange vanilla shake. All you require is mixing 8 oz. orange juice, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder, 2-3 frozen strawberries, 4-5 ice cubes, 1/2 banana, and 2 packets of sweetener.

Take 1 Scope vanilla Warrior Whey™ powder, 1 Cup ice, half of banana, 1 cup skim milk or water and blend till it gets smooth.

For banana bread low calorie whey protein shake, blend 1 banana, 3/4 cup Kellogg’s Bran Flakes, 2 scoops whey protein, 1/2 cup Quaker oatmeal, 1 bottle of water. Add white or brown sugar to taste.Want to know how to get bigger and healthier? Visit whey protein shakes.

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Calorie · Protein · Shakes · Whey

The other day, I received an email from someone who wanted to know if it was really necessary to order the medifast shakes online.  She had made the decision to diet, wanted to get started right away, and asked me, in part:  ”what’s to stop me from just buying one of the protein shakes at the grocery store and then getting the same results?  Let’s just use the new special K protein shakes as an example.  What makes the one of the shakes different (or better) than the other?” I’ll answer these questions in the following article.

A Quick Review Of Ketosis: Before I actually take a look at both of the products, I want to quickly explain ketosis, which I’m going to be talking about a lot.  This is a place that you want your metabolism to go because if you can get there, your body will begin rapidly and efficiently burning fat.  This happens because you aren’t giving your body as many carbohydrates while giving it more protein. The higher protein helps it complete this mission by giving it enough fuel to do it’s job.  The lack of carbs ensures that your body burns fat since it can’t burn sugar.  In my comparisons below, keep in mind that you need both a high amount of protein and a low amount of carbs and sugars to be able to accomplish this.

A Quick Comparison Of Medifast Shakes And Special K Protein Shakes:  I’m going to specifically address the example that she gave me, but there are tons of shakes available in the grocery store. I would argue that very few of these would favorably stack up to the nutrition and protein to carb ratio of the Medifast shakes, but I can show you that better than I can tell you. For this example, I’ll be using the 55 shakes because they are the most popular.

In terms of calories, Medifast is much lower with only 100 as compared to 180.  80 additional calories is almost twice as much and can really make a difference.  Now, the K version does have a respectable 10 grams of protein while Medifast barely edges it out with 11.  But, to me, the true difference lies in the amount of carbohydrates, which is 29 (for the K) as opposed to 13.  This is over double the amount which in my mind is very significant and enough to keep you from being able to get into ketosis.  Likewise, the special K shake contains much more sugar, a whopping 18 grams as opposed to 8 grams.  Again, this is more than double and can be a big deal in terms of ketosis.

I hope this article has shown you that while it may be nice to impulsively pick up your shakes at the grocery store, in terms of nutrition and effectiveness, you may well be better off waiting the few days that it would take for the company to ship your order.  And, they do sell all of the products individually as well, so you don’t need to place a huge order just to buy any of the products.

Lindsey Price is the author of the free ebook “Getting The Most Out Of Medifast,” which includes coupons and discounts, a list of all of the food options (as well as shakes), detailed information about the diet and how it works, it’s pros and cons, having success on it, and recipes for it. To get a free copy (immediate download/no information required), click here. You can also visit her diet review website at http://easiest-diet.com/

 

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Better · Compared · Differences · Medifast · Protein · Shakes · Similarities · Special · Work · Would

Protein shakeprovides for a healthy meal substitute or addition to help you maintain balanced nutrition and get all the essential minerals, vitamins, amino acids and nutrients for your body. However, there is a high possibility that some of these protein shakes can be fattening. That being said, intake of protein greatly helps in building muscles and muscles burn more fat than any other part of the body. These types of shakes provide your body with the required protein in an easy to digest and process formula.  Protein shakes are increasingly becoming popular among athletes and people who want to eat healthy and lose weight. These shakes are easy to prepare, delicious and healthy. However, in order to achieve maximum benefits, you have to be aware of the important ingredients, which a perfect shake should contain. With over hundreds of protein products available in the market, you can opt for the flavour of your preference. At the same time, you may get stuck with the product that is high in cholesterol, which leaves a terrible taste, high in saturated fat, high in sugars, high in sodium and high in calories. It is because of this reason that experts suggest that it is beneficial to examine the nutrition chart before purchasing protein powder. Once you find a product that satisfies the above criteria, your next step is identifying the type of protein the company uses.   One of the absolute and best sources of protein is whey protein. Some of the older shakes available in the market may contain animal protein. However, it is wise and beneficial to stay away from animal protein. It is difficult for human bodies to break down animal protein and in some cases people have experienced negative side effects and reactions following consumption. Therefore, whey protein is one of the best options. It is one of the most valuable and best proteins for human body which easily absorbs and digests this kind of protein. Moreover, it consists of all kinds of important amino acids. While selecting the shake, keep in mind what you are trying to achieve through it.  If you are someone who wants to lose weight then opt for shakes that have weight loss properties. There are few meal replacement drinks, which come with the power to satisfy hunger and help in boosting your metabolism. These protein shakes provide consumers with all the healthy ingredients and vitamins. They not only help in strengthening the immune system but also help the human body in defending itself from several diseases. Additionally, while purchasing protein shake, ensure that it has high number of natural ingredients and lower quantity of unnatural additives.  When you prepare your shake with natural ingredients, it tastes smoother. Chemical additives, artificial dyes and yeast often taste awful and provide little or no health benefits. Therefore, when it comes to healthy meal replacement protein drinks, try to find something that is natural and beneficial for your body.

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Benefits · Protein · Shake

A whey protein shake can help promote lean muscle mass as well as condition metabolism. Still, many starters recognize very gentle relating how to prepare their whey shake ingestion. Of naturally, there is an exact time to ingest whey protein for excellent results.Study has shown that our torso consumes in protein very quick right away after workout. There is a 1-hour gap and this is the brilliant opportunity to load our torso with whey protein shake. Whey protein is a kind of high quality of protein that is simply absorbed by our body. When taken instantly after an extreme physical exercise, an astonishing effects will be discovered.A couple of professionals recommend ingesting protein shakes before workout still others determine this thought to be unverifiable. That is to say, it works for a few people, but not for others. Few people learn that when they take a shake right before working out, they feel uneasy.Moreover, starters must as well find out that muscle grow and recuperation only while the body is at relaxation. When people are exercising, what is happening is that they are exhausting their muscles. Exactly after the physical exercise, the recuperation procedure starts right away. This process proceeds as long as people render your muscles with decent rest and nutriment.Because muscles develop while relaxed, it’s always gratifying to keep on ingesting a whey protein shake even on non-exercise days or regaining days.As an individual keep on the building up plan, better not to start drinking 2 shakes per day if they’re not conformed to whey protein. Preferably, start out having a single shake per day, preferably during morning. Our physical structure has been unstrain for eight hours without food. So, morning is a good time to consume protein shakes. Remember that protein shakes aren’t meant as a meal replacement. An individual should consume foods such as breadstuff, fruits, as well as others for a much well-balanced diet. Theses protein shakes may provide a large quantity of protein for a day.A person may also ingest a whey protein shake at night. By ingesting one shake per day, an individual may ascertain how their body reacts to these new adds on. Remember, unalike people will react dissimilarly. Although people may choose for a top-quality product that can fulfill their necessitates to sustain a healthy torso, so take the fullest select Warrior Whey™!

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Protein · Shake · Whey

So what’s all the hype about protein shakes? You’ve most likely seen the television commercials – Dan Marino saying how he lost 22 pounds with Nutrisystem – a popular meal alternative system.Ok, so what’s does this have to do with protein shakes? Well, one component of most meal substitution programs is protein shakes.Meal alternative?The idea with food replacement is to replace a solid food with a food substitute like a shake, oatmeal, chili or energy bar. Whenever it is time for 1 of your normal meals you would consume a food substitute food when it is time for a food.What’s a protein shake and what’s so special about it?A protein shake is normally a low calorie soy based shake with a higher amount of protein – about 10-15 grams on average. They are a fast and tasty way to get a large-quality source of protein without having a lot of additional fat or carbohydrates.They are simpler to prepare and a lot more convenient than a chicken breast.Ideal for anybody on the go or stretched thin for time.How is a straightforward shake going to retain me full or even fill me up for that matter?Several studies have shown that eating meals with protein fills you up much more than meals with higher fat content.You aren’t heading to remain entire all day; you’ll stay complete for about 2-3 hours and then you’ll be hungry again.This is when you drink one more shake.You’ll be eating 5 times a day, usually keeping your metabolism active instead of starving it and prevent you from overeating.If you’re total all throughout the day, you won’t feel the will need to take in or overeat.So when you use a protein shake as a food substitution you will shed fat.They are healthful and are a lot much better for you than a chocolate bar from the vending machine.And if you’re like me and you like to try to eat late at nite, a protein shake is a excellent way to prevent snacking on large fat and higher sugar foods, late in the evening.And also if you’re like me you want to try to eat some solid foods now and then, like a nice juicy T-bone steak with a delicious sweet potato smothered in cinnamon butter…mmmmm, then you might not want to try to eat protein shakes for the rest of your life. And that’s ok.The beauty of it is is that you can not be on protein shakes for the rest of your life.Kind of weird me telling you about all the advantages of protein shakes and then telling you you don’t have to take them? Let me explain.You use them to get down to your ideal pounds and then once you’ve developed the healthy consuming habits of a meal alternative program then you’ll be ready to retain those nutritious habits in place and go onto a bodyweight management plan which assists you retain that weight off.So you go on a food replacement software for a month on two depending on how a lot bodyweight you want to drop and then you just have to manage that excess weight.You can shed anywhere from 10 to 20 lbs a month, about 2-5 pounds a week, with food replacements. This permits you to get rid of fat rapidly and safely without having diet pills or risky obesity surgery.And it starts with a straightforward protein shake.Get started these days!

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Alternative · Days · Drop · Healthful · meal · Protein · Shakes

Protein Shakes For Weight Loss are a good weight loss adjuvant. Quite simply, using protein shakes for weight loss is a convenient way to cut down on the energy you must expend when loosing fat.

Loosing fat is not a complicated process. But it is a difficult one. Most people lack the willpower, not the knowledge, to undergo an effective weight loss program. Fast results always flat line, always.

In this article I will be revealing some of the ways in which protein shakes designed especially for weight loss can help you lower the effort required to stick to a weight loss program.

Benenfits You Can Expect From Protein Shakes For Weight Loss:

I hope that this article has allowed you to see some of the benefits that protein shakes can bring to your weight loss goals (actually fat loss goals, you don’t want to lose muscle).

For more information on  the best protein shakes for weight loss, visit: Protein Shakes For Weight Loss

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Benefits · Cocktail · Expect · From · Loss · Potent · Protein · Real · Shakes · This · Weight

Our diet has to be refilled by proteins. Protein shakes are competent of doing just that in a really short time and really conveniently. When too many fundamental things are acquiring a priority sometimes healthy nutritious diet holds a backseat. Protein shakes make healthy living so much simpler today. It throws all the figuring and counting out of the door. It’s so easy, the average body’s protein demand is around 0.8 grams for each kilo of body weight and deciding the amount of protein intake matching to this will be a good call in picking out a healthier lifestyle. Let’s see why proteins are so essential in our food intake. Proteins are primary for development, repair, and replacing of tissues. They build muscles, skin and ligament. They operate in alignment with amino acids. Proteins are basics in the functional buildup of red blood cells and immune system to combat infection, regulate hormones, enzymes and in repairing body’s tissue. Just making better selections in nutrition will make you appear better and stronger to your core. It is important to understand that adding protein as a component of your average proportionate diet should not mean hours of dull planning, you can do it quickly in a couple of minutes worth of time through protein shakes. Protein shakes replenish the body very instantly and if you consume certain shakes like whey (the fastest digesting protein), you are fit and good to go when you want it specially after a serious exercising. These shakes available in the market these days are mostly deduced either from whey protein, soy protein, egg white protein, bovine serum protein or by some combination of the supplements. For the people with quirkier and fussy taste buds they come in a full array of flavors like vanilla, chocolate, Strawberry, Mint, etc. Choice is all yours. Protein shakes in the powder cast just demand a couple of scoops that can be ingested either with your milk, water, juices or fruit shakes. In Reality a very stable and delightful way of going about it can be creating fruit shakes with the fresh fruits and putting the protein powder in it. This resulting blend, a health shake is not only loaded in vitamins, antioxidants, protein and other nutrients but can be such a solid alternative to breakfasts or junk snacking. The correct nutrient like, fruits vegetables and dairy are necessary to hold a balanced diet. There can be no other substitute for a good nutrition. Protein shakes, health shakes and all such food replacements are great if taken in moderateness. If someone thinks that rather than taking normal stable meals if such shakes are ingested to cut back fat and aid in weight loss then it is not right. Feeding more proteins than the body demands will decidedly not form extra muscles but it will be stored in the body as fat and will contribute to scary health hazards such as bone loss and kidney damage. For losing weight one must cut back the total calorie intake, eat healthy and get engaged in physical activity. It is fundamental that one should pick out wisely.

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Nutrition · Proper · Protein · Shakes · Short

If you are building muscles, I am happy to tell you that protein shakes are a great help. Aside from that protein shakes also limit or cut off the unnecessary fats. Generally, they come in the form of powder and are readily available in can or bottle form. Good quality protein shakes are made from eggs and even whey. If you are an athlete, sportsmen or just an active person, it is advisable to take 2 to 3 protein shakes daily. It is also good to take a protein shake just after your workout because it will be quickly absorbed into your blood stream and giving you instant energy.Things you can do with your protein shake:Make it palatable or tastier = add some ice or smoothiesIf it is too diluted = add some frozen fruit or instant pudding mixIf your milk shake is too thick = dilute it by adding just small quantity of protein powderIf you are blending your protein shake = add some liquid first and then add the protein powderIf you like chocolate flavored shake = add some cocoa powderProtein shakes can be made frozen up to 15 days. Also, you can store the protein powder in a dark cool place for about 3 months. Making your own fresh and natural protein shake is the advisable. You only need a cup of milk, milk powder, a few cups of ice and about 2 spoons of pudding.  Banana will add some sweets too.  This simple protein shake has already 16 grams of protein. To make it even more delight able add some tuna or cottage cheese.Like I said before, taking protein shakes are good after a rigorous workout. This is because during workout, lots of calories are lost and you need to keep the balance of nutrients in your body. The protein shake will immediately boost the energy levels of your body. The right combination of milk shake and protein plus your regular exercise regimen can help you build muscles at the same time keep your body fit and healthy.Consider workout at least thrice a week.If you are weight lifting or an athlete, you can always increase the amount of protein in your protein shake. A balanced meal is also recommended along side. You can use animal protein to get the right quantity of amino acids. They too help to build your muscles. Fish, eggs and poultry are also excellent sources of proteins as well.

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Benefits · Protein · Shakes

Protein shakes is a kind of protein drinks that prepared by inserting nutritious protein powder with certain amount of plain water, shake it with the shaker, and serve immediately.

Protein shake offered in different type of flavor and ingredients, but main content still is protein. This meal replacement food can use for substituting normal meal by the objective of weight loss. The protein powder was extracted and process from high-tech biochemical stages and some of it priced expensively due to the reason of huge budget has been allocated for food research and testing.

There were three types of protein shakes you can prepare cater for individual preferences and taste. The shakes will be added with different kind of healthy food like fresh fruits and cereal for enhance its nutritional value. The three sample protein shakes that I mentioned earlier can be explained as below:

Shake protein powder with fruit juice.

Shake protein powders with fresh squeeze fruit juice and serve it with ice cube. This protein shakes taste great and it is very suitable for serve during summer when weather is hot. The protein powder contained about 44g and plain water needed only about 300 cc.

Shake protein powder with multi-flavored non-fat milk.

Non fat milk can enhance the nutrition content of protein shakes especially for calcium and mineral salt. Medical research has shown that protein shake come with non-fat milk can help sustaining a dieter for not feeling hungry for longer period if comparing for consuming protein shakes itself only.

Shake protein powder with cereal.

Additional step required for preparing this shakes but I was not complicated. First what you need to do is preparing the protein drinks by shake the protein powders with plain water and keep it a side first. Then pour hot water for a packet of low-fat low sugar cereal drinks and make sure you mix it well. Then what you need to do is pour the protein drinks that you shake earlier to cereal mixture. This protein shakes is a bit different from others as mentioned earlier as it contained solid fiber which good for body detoxification. Hence this drinks also suitable for elderly age dieters whom required more nutrition for health.

Please visit her weight loss sites http://www.letsproteinshakes.blogspot.com, http://www.dietbarsfordieters.blogspot.com and http://www.mealreplacementfordieters.blogspot.com for further information

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