Protein Shake - Any recommendations?

Hey guys, just wondering what protein shakes those guys who life weights are taking? I'm based in the UK and have been using Reflex Instant Whey, however on closer inspection of the ingredients theres things in there which i'm not too sure are too beneficial for the body. The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients: Ultra filtered whey protein concentrate and ultra filtered whey protein isolate (43% B-Lactoglobulinm 18% Glycomacropeptide. 16% Lactorferrin and others. 15% a-Lactalbumin. 5% Immunoglobulin. 3% Bovine Serum Albumin.). Flavourings. Natural Colourings. artificial sweeteners (sucralose. acesulfame k). Digezyme. (digestive enzyme blend). Lactospore probiotics.

Obviously the artificial sweeteners stick out 1st, but theres other things in there which i'm not totally sure about.

I have seen a product called Vital Whey, which seems to be a more natural alternative but it's more of a meal replacement rather than being geared towards an after workout shake.

Thanks!

Just to add the same company (Reflex) do a 'Natural Whey' with the following ingredients:

Ultra fltered whey protein concentrate & cross flow micro filtered whey protein isolate (43% B-lactoglobulin, 18% Glycomacropeptide, 16% Lactoferrin & others, 15% Lactalbumin, 5% Immunoglobulin, 3% serum albumin), lecitin, cocoa powder (chocolate flavours only), natural flavourings, natural colourings, digezyme (digestive enzyme blend), Lactospore pro-biotics

Doesn't whey cause massive insulin spikes?

Go with Jarrow whey unflavored whey protein, or Now Foods whey protein isolate (sweetened with natural stevia). I try to avoid protein powders altogether because they are high in glutamic acid. (results of processing). Drinking whole eggs is a great way to get whole protein. I've been blending them up in rice milk and drinking them a couple times a day. This is probably the next best thing to protein powders from a body building standpoint. I'll throw in some super green food powder for extra health benefit as well.

Paradox wrote:Go with Jarrow whey unflavored whey protein, or Now Foods whey protein isolate (sweetened with natural stevia). I try to avoid protein powders altogether because they are high in glutamic acid. (results of processing). Drinking whole eggs is a great way to get whole protein. I've been blending them up in rice milk and drinking them a couple times a day. This is probably the next best thing to protein powders from a body building standpoint. I'll throw in some super green food powder for extra health benefit as well.

I have to disagree with you there. Eggs and hemp beat whey powders by a mile. For one, they are more bioavailable than whey. And, whey powders are such a scam; they are mostly made of low quality proteins and almost always include soy isolate.

zerx and paradox, do you drink the whole egg or just the whites? What do you think of store bought eggwhites that are sterilized?

I am pretty certain that raw egg whites deplete your biotin supply fairly harshly. I think (hair wise) the egg yolks only should be consumed raw. I use some whey protein along with brewers yeast, raw wheat germ, coconut oil, and spinach in my shake with at least one raw fruit. I mix either water or 100 % juice to liquify it and drink the entire blender for breakfast along with IH's regimen. I stay full well into the afternoon.

I agree with fadero.

It's a mistake to use only the egg whites. The best part of the egg is the whole egg, especially the yolk.

Soy Milk + Eggs Raw, Banana and Honey = Mix rich in protein and biotin

Damn, the name of this thread just made me thirsty! hehe ^_^

I haven't really looked into it but if whey does in fact raise insulin then that may be partly why it is anabolic. That obviously isn't a good thing from a health standpoint, but insulin will put on muscle. Body builders inject it with HGH actually. From my experience with steroids, pro-hormones, stimulants, and insulin...it seems that most things that put on muscle mass have adverse health consequences unfortunately. I first noticed my hairline receding after using exogenous testosterone for months when I was 18 yo.

Whey protien is plenty bioavailable. But not all brands are created equal. I use designer whey before and after working out. Has done nothing but good for my body and hair. Insulin sensitively is increased during exercise the whey works fine to repair and build muscle. It also helps burn fat. However, I do not recoomend using it in place of meals or as a staple protein source.

j87x wrote:zerx and paradox, do you drink the whole egg or just the whites? What do you think of store bought eggwhites that are sterilized?

I drink the whole egg after a slight mix (just enough to break the yolk but not blending). I dont think any store bought eggs is a good idea and definitely not eggwhites as federo explained. The way to go is organic free range. I also dont refrigerate the eggs to try to preserve the enzymes in them.

Shouldn't you cook eggs before eating them, isn't eating them raw bad?

j87x,

Always eat the whole egg and not just the whites as has been said. Eating raw eggs id perfectly healthy/fine. You may want to wash the shell first to be extra cautious but I don't bother with it. When you cook any food it basically destroys the structure of it and makes it toxic to the body. The body actually reacts as though a toxin has been taken in and has to work to fight it off. A good rule of thumb is that at least 50% of your food should be raw. When you do cook things, less is better. Even lightly steaming food changes it though.

I have used whey protein for years and think it's great aside from all the extra glutamic acid in it, which is why I don't use it lately. I wonder sometimes how much of the energy that protein powders provide is just the result of glutamate excitation.

If one consumes 1-5 eggs a day, how much biotin should be added in order to not deplete?

Any thoughts about this whey product: http://www.iherb.com/MRM-100-All-Natural-Whey-Rich-Vanilla-2-02-lbs-923-g/7017?at=0 ???

Why do eggs deplete biotin?

Someone should correct me on this if im wrong but isnt protein powder high in MSG and free glutamic acid ? I thought this was to be avoided when being gluten-free ...

tooyoung wrote:Why do eggs deplete biotin?

Eggs to not deplete biotin unless you do what the old school health nuts used to advocate (use the egg whites).

Using the whole egg is totally safe and provides biotin.

CausticSymmetry wrote:

tooyoung wrote:Why do eggs deplete biotin?

Eggs to not deplete biotin unless you do what the old school health nuts used to advocate (use the egg whites).

Using the whole egg is totally safe and provides biotin.

Also there is biotin in the yolk so no need to supplement with biotin just for that reason. Biotin is great for other reasons though.

From this great article on eggs I just found here: [url=http://www.jrussellshealth.org/cholesterol.html]

There are suggestions that one should not eat raw egg whites. This is because raw egg whites contain a lipoprotein called avidin that is very effective at binding biotin, one of the B vitamins. The concern is that this can lead to a biotin deficiency. The simple solution is to cook the egg whites as this deactivates the avidin. The problem is that this cooking also deactivates nearly every other protein in the egg white. Although you will still obtain nutritional benefits from consuming cooked egg whites, from a nutritional perspective it would seem far better to consume them uncooked. There is a lot of biotin in the egg yolk, one of the highest concentrations of biotin found in nature, so it is unlikely that you will have a biotin deficiency if you consume the whole raw egg, yolk and white. However, it is clear that if you only consume raw egg whites, you may develop a biotin deficiency unless you take a biotin supplement.

I usually mix three or four (range fed chicken) eggs in the morning with a juce. I stir lightly with a fork, add some brewer's yeast, then down it along with the morning supplements – the amount of which, btw, is growing at an alarming rate. . .

NrwgnKID wrote:Someone should correct me on this if im wrong but isnt protein powder high in MSG and free glutamic acid ? I thought this was to be avoided when being gluten-free ...

No need for correction- you're right... Well at least about the protein powders. Gluten and MSG are two different things. In fact many of the "gluten free" foods/sauces/etc in the store contain glutamic acid and sugar. Remember that gluten free doesn't necessarily mean healthy. In order to avoid glutamate just don't eat anything in a container (or limit it).

Paradox wrote:
When you cook any food it basically destroys the structure of it and makes it toxic to the body. The body actually reacts as though a toxin has been taken in and has to work to fight it off.

Is this actually true?

There is actually debate on this.

"One of the prime cornerstones of rawist ideology is a very old and dated research paper, Kouchakoff [1930]. In this research, Kouchakoff studied the effect of foods on human blood and observed what was termed digestive leukocytosis, an increase in the number of white blood cells after eating foods heated to a certain temperature, whereas raw, unheated foods did not have this effect. This observation has been widely publicized by raw diet advocates and is often cited as proof that raw foods are "good" whereas all cooked foods are allegedly "bad.""


That is from the counter argument to digestive leukocytosis found here: http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-1i.shtml

Since I personally don't know exactly who to believe, I adopt the practice of consuming as much raw food (fruit/vegetables) as I can, but I still eat cooked food including animal protein. I think most people eat too much cooked food anyway so it helps balance things out if you aim for more raw from how i see it. There is much debate about diet in general and it is one of those things that people just agree to disagree on.