Written by: Paola - The Vegan Booty
As of today, we have a lot of scientific evidence that supports the benefits of including an adequate amount of protein in our diet, both for athletes and regular people who do or do not exercise, however there are many myths that have been perpetuated around this macronutrient and specifically about protein powder isolate, which is why today we'll talk about the 6 most popular myths around protein powder and find out if they are true or not..
This myth is FALSE. There are many studies conducted on individuals who eat a diet high in protein, and it has been concluded that consuming a large amount of protein during the day, whether in powder or whole foods, does not represent a risk to the health of the kidneys in healthy people. The only scenario where it is recommended to limit your protein intake is if you have a pre-existing condition or have been diagnosed with a kidney problem, this to avoid aggravating your health problems or causing greater damage to them. However, if you are a healthy person and without any disease or previous condition, you can consume protein without any fear, the only recommendation is to always make sure you maintain good hydration by consuming enough water during the day, which in any case we should all do to enjoy good energy levels and good health.
This myth is FALSE. Protein is an essential macro in the diet and even more so if you're an active woman or who performs a significant amount of physical activity during the day. This will help you have a good muscle recovery, avoid the degradation of your tissues, it will help you feel more satiated and see better results with training if you do any. However, bulking does not only depend on consuming protein, there are many factors that come into play such as hormones, type and frequency of training, genetics, etc. In addition to the fact that unlike men, the ability of women to increase volume is much lower by nature, so don't worry, your chances of bulking up by taking protein powder are the same as consuming protein in any other food.
This myth is FALSE, although protein powder is a very convenient option to consume for many people due to its practicality and versatility, it's not essential to see an increase in muscle mass, protein either in powder or in whole foods will have the same effect on the body to recover or increase the volume of your muscles, so we can conclude that consuming it or not depends more than anything on a matter of personal taste.
This myth is FALSE: in a study carried out in 2015 by Babault y Cia. And published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 160 men between 18 to 35 years old were divided into three groups, one group consumed pea protein, another whey protein and the last group a placebo twice a day. The three groups carried out strength training focused on the upper body for 12 weeks, at the end it was found that those who had consumed pea protein had a much greater increase in muscle mass than those who had consumed the placebo, however there was not a considerable difference between those who consumed the pea protein and those who consumed the whey protein. Therefore, it was concluded that pea protein is an equally effective option to increase muscle mass in those who cannot consume dairy protein or who simply prefer a plant-based option.
This myth is FALSE, although there is scientific evidence that supports the fact that protein synthesis is much higher after training, this does not mean that consuming protein at the end of the workout is more important than consuming an adequate amount of protein at the end of the day . That is, if you consume 30 grams of protein at the end of your training but with your other meals during the rest of the day you cannot complete your total daily protein requirement, it will be of little use to have carried the protein with you to the gym and consume it immediately after training, because in any way you will not be giving your body what it needs for optimal recovery. As of today, we know that to see results it is much more important to consume an adequate amount of protein at the end of the day than to consume protein right after training. In conclusion, if you can have protein at the end of your training, excellent; But if you can't, don't worry, as long as you meet your total protein requirement at the end of the day you will continue to have excellent results.
This myth is FALSE, protein powder does not suffer any alteration when cooking with it, the body continues to receive all the benefits of consuming protein powder whether cold, cooked or baked. There's this idea that when the protein is heated it is denatured and therefore loses its effectiveness or nutritional value, however this is far from reality.
Although there are many myths around the use of protein powder, here we have already debunked 6 of the most common myths so that you can make a better decision when choosing whether you want to supplement, either for practicality or for some other particular need. Tell us if there is any other myth that we need to debunk!
Want to learn more about fitness tips? If building muscle mass is right on your alley, then check this article about progressive overload.
Many thanks to Paola (The Vegan Booty) for the article! You can find links to her social media below and benefit from discount code to buy Falcon Protein 😉⤵
For more post-workout snacks and content related to health and fitness, please feel free to have a look at our Birdman Blog.
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