| This article was recently published as one of Truestar’s Healthy Lifestyle Newsletters! Enjoy! Protein shakes – they are everywhere; even fast food companies are getting the “smoothie” bandwagon. While it is a positive step forward it can create a lot of confusion on what protein powder or shake is optimal for our health. Like most things not all protein powders are created equal.
Give your body all that it needs.
To tone the body and build muscle does not just come from exercising. In order to get true results from your workout, protein is required to replenish the body and improve physical strength and appearance. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which help renew, regenerate and build new tissues. There are twenty amino acids that are required for growth in the human body. However, the body can produce all but eight of the amino acids, and so we must eat foods high in protein in order to ensure you are receiving these essential amino acids. The foolproof method is to make sure we are consuming complete protein sources in our diet.
There are many different sources of protein in our diets today, many traditional choices are animal based like meat, milk, cheese and eggs. But with the growing number of diet specifics like dairy intolerances and the different shades of vegetarianism many of us are turning to plant based sources of protein like soy, legumes, hemp and other grains. However, animal sources, as a complete protein, are more bioavailable to the body than plant sources and are a popular choice for protein powders.
On the markets today we see a lot of whey protein, some of you may know that whey is the liquid that separates from curds in the cheese manufacturing process. Whey protein can be found in two forms–whey isolate and whey concentrate. Whey isolate is a pure high-quality protein that contains at least 90 percent protein with less lactose than whey protein concentrate. Whey concentrate will typically have 70 to 85 percent protein. A blend of the two is ideal!
Be mindful of what you pick up.
Tricky use of words, flashy graphics and slogans can be very deceptive. If you look closely at the labels of many of the popular protein powders on shelves you will find artificial colours, flavours and sweetners! Be wary, these are not something that you want to be fueling your body with on a daily basis. We want to give our body all that it needs, anything artificial will do more harm than good, even if it does taste better!
If you are looking for a great tasting, pure, all natural source of protein to compliment your healthy active lifestyle be sure to try TrueStrength! Some of the benefits of this versatile, delicious vanilla flavoured powder include:
-Can improve muscle recovery
-Assists with the building of lean muscle
-Promotes the loss of body fat
-Can improve immune function
-Improves body composition
-Increases antioxidants in the body
TrueStrength contains both whey protein isolate and concentrate with a complete amino acid profile. This is important when refuelling the body’s stores after an intense workout following your personalized Truestar Exercise Program or boosting your metabolism during the beginning phases of the Truestar Weight Loss Program.
TrueStrength provides a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids that can be used directly by the exercising muscle as an energy source, resulting in increased energy levels, endurance and mental performance. It also provides antioxidants, to help support proper immune function and improve overall health.
All natural goodness.
No need to worry about artificial ingredients in Truestar products especially when it comes to sweetners. TrueStrength is sweetened with natural fructose (natural fruit sugar) and BeFlora™ Sweet Fiber, a wonderful prebiotic fiber that is 8-10 times sweeter than ordinary sugar and helps to feed and nourish friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract, establishing a healthy balance.
Personally, I use TrueStrength in many different applications including my oatmeal every morning, shakes and even baked goods, anywhere I can sneak a little more nutrition in. Most people don’t expect protein powder to taste this good!
Here are a couple of the awesome smoothie recipes available on Truestar’s Nutrition Plan (FOR FREE)!
For more of these amazing recipes and perfectly balanced meal plans create your free profile today!!
Be well,
Gillian
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