But fitness articles and influencers are constantly shoving down our throats ‘you need this to lose weight’ and ‘you need that for energy’.
Now don’t get us wrong, we 100% agree that there are amazing nutritional supplements out there that definitely help you with your fitness goals! But there’s also so many artificial fitness weeds out there that choke out the good, wholesome, plant based stuff.
As much as we’d love to turn this blog post into a short novel about all the fitness stuff in the world, we know if you’re reading this you would probably rather just get back to the treadmill.
So, we’re just going to focus on the most popular fitness supplement, protein, and give a quick guide on the ingredients do’s and dont’s.
6 things to avoid like the plague in a protein powder
1. Anything artificial
Get away from those colours, flavours, preservatives, sweeteners, and those ingredients with random numbers and words that you can’t even pronounce. They aren’t safe and can seriously mess with your metabolism.
2. Fillers, thickeners and gums
It’s a way for companies to cut product costs and really decreases the nutritional value of the product (if there was any to begin with).
3. Whey protein
Probably the most common type of protein supplement out there, but did you know approximately 65% of the worlds population is lactose intolerant? Although there isn’t too much lactose in whey protein concentrate and isolate, it could still be causing you some abdominal discomfort.
4. Soy protein
90% of soy in the world is genetically modified and seriously toxic for your system. It messes with estrogen levels, causes thyroid issues and digestive disturbances. Once upon a time, before GMO corruption, soy was actually good for you. So we recommend only taking soy if it’s organic (and non-GMO), and fermented for healthy absorption.
5. Vegetable oils and fats
These are often added to protein and weight loss supplements to increase richness. However, these often contain bad trans fats which wreaks havoc with your good and bad cholesterol levels.
6. Skim milk powder and milk solids
These are used as cheap fillers in proteins, and are high in lactose sugars that can cause bloating and other gastro problems.
6 things that should be included in your protein
1. Wholefood, plant based ingredients
Plant based is best! We love organic golden pea, whole brown rice and raw sacha inchi protein the most. They are all high in protein and nourishing vitamins, and combining them provides a complete amino acid profile.
2. Sprouted & bio fermented plant protein
Sprouted and bio fermented is much better than raw plant protein as it is:
- Easy on the stomach - sprouting and fermenting activates food enzymes, making the food more easily digested
- Highly nutritious - sprouting and fermenting increases the vitamin and mineral content of the food on a per calorie basis, and
- Improves mineral absorption - Sprouting and fermenting neutralises phytic acid which binds up minerals preventing your ability to fully absorb them.
3. Organic ingredients
Always always always go for organic proteins that are free from harmful pesticides and GMO ingredients. Organic is far more nutritious and better for your long-term health.
4. BCAAs
BCAAs, or branched-chain amino acids, is super essential if you do high intensity training. Your body needs three types of BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and valine) to promote muscle growth and repair, and to reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Our bodies don’t produce these naturally, so we can only get them from our diet in meat, fish, eggs, yoghurt, and some grains and nuts.
5. Pre and Probiotics
Gut health is everything, and it’s something that is being talked about everywhere these days. If your protein contains natural pre and probiotics to support your precious gut microbia, this will help increase your protein absorption.
6. Natural sweetener low in sugar
It’s important that your protein won’t give you a huge blood sugar spike, so look for proteins using a natural sweetener that is low in sugar.
Did you know our vegan proteins are sweetened naturally with Thaumatin, a protein found in a special West African cactus? Thaumatin has been used for hundreds of years in parts of Africa as a natural sweetener. It's 2000 times sweeter than sugar, so we only use a teenie weenie bit in our proteins, and therefore it doesn't contribute any measurable calories! It also has a really pleasant aftertaste - you will never want a stevia sweetened protein again!
Our vegan proteins also contain all of the above benefits plus a whole lot more! With far more than just protein, our Clean and Thriving Protein range are:
- Vegan and sugar free
- Gluten, dairy, soy, corn, wheat, GMO and nut free
- Sprouted and fermented for optimal gut health
- Contain a unique whole food probiotic blend
- Contain Certified Organic ingredients
- and contain all three BCAAs for optimum training and recovery results.
Shop our proteins here.
Image via @tezzamb
Originally published by Nutra Organics, visit the website here