Hey y'all and welcome to the everyday athlete podcast recorded live from Omaha, Nebraska and I'm your host, Katie danger U S army veteran and founder of Red H Nutrition providing everyday athletes just like you, clean, effective nutritional solutions, custom formulated to help you reach your absolute potential every single day.
Hello. Hello, again, athletes. Welcome to episode number 29 of the everyday athlete podcast. And guess what? At this point we've been together now for over six months, and I just want to say thank you so much for listening to this podcast. And no matter if this is your first rodeo with the podcast, or if you've been tuning in since day one, thank you so very much. And before I get into today's topic, which is, are you using the right protein powder? I want to ask for a favor. Reviews are really, really important for the growth of any podcast and specifically for the everyday athlete podcast. It just makes sure that these messages that I'm sharing with you and these insights are getting to the athletes that need to benefit from them. So actually I have two favors. I have two favorites. One is if you like an episode, if you like this podcast, share it with your friends. If there is an insight that you have enjoyed, share it with your friends, right?
(01:11): We are paying it forward here. And then my second favor is, can you please leave a five star review for the everyday athlete podcast? And I'm talking about it on iTunes. So at this time the review platform that I've been leveraging the most is iTunes personally, as a human, I actually enjoy Spotify, but iTunes is really where, if you're a podcaster, a creator of podcasts, I've just had consumer, but this is really where you want your reviews to reside. And this is where a lot of your leverage comes from. So if you get a moment and if you have an Apple product, so if you've got an iPad or an iPhone go over to the Apple podcast app, open it up and check out the everyday athlete podcast, click on the leave review, leave a five star review. If you love us. And then let me know a little bit about what makes this podcast worth your time.
(01:56): So five star review. It means so much to me, you guys, if you've enjoyed any episode or everything that I've got to offer, please, a five star review would help. So, so much in one helping me identify what I'm doing, right? And potentially any, anything that I can improve, but also getting this message out to more people. Okay. So now back to what you really want to hear about, and that is, are you using the right protein powder? Are you leveraging the correct protein for your goals? If you've listened to a few episodes of the podcast prior to this, you've noticed that I've talked a lot about cardio. I've talked a lot about gaining muscle and I've talked a lot about losing fat. We've hit all of those points separately, and then together in some episodes. Now, depending on your main goal, the type of protein you use can really be a catalyst for greater results.
(02:41): So if your goal is losing fat or put no more muscle, different types of protein can help you reach your goals faster. The bottom line is that not all protein powders are created equal. So first I just want to go over the basics. I want to start with how much protein somebody needs on a daily basis. It's honestly a pretty open question. It's personal to each athlete, and it's also dependent on how active or sedentary you are. But generally, if you're an active athlete and you're training at least three to four times a week, you know, you're burning upwards of five to 600 calories a day. If you've got some sort of calorie tracker watch, that's great too. You're going to be looking at at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight every day to assist with your recovery goals.
(03:24): That's generally maintenance. Now, if you want to add muscle, if you want to gain muscle, instead of just maintaining, you're going to be looking at a greater amount of protein a day. I want you to check out episode number 14. So protein is important because it helps us control our appetites. It helps improve body composition and weight. It promotes muscle growth. Recovery helps us get stronger and it helps us improve our immune function. And I just mentioned episode 14, I got a little ahead of myself. If you want to know more specifically on how you can use protein for a muscle, that's awesome because I've already covered that. And that's episode number 14, nutrition for hypertrophy. So when you get done listening to this one, and you want to know more about putting on muscle for your goals, check out episode number 14, nutrition for hypertrophy.
(04:06): In this episode, we're going to dive into protein on a general level, as it relates to a wide range of fitness and nutrition goals. Ultimately you guys, protein from whole food sources is ideal. It comes packaged with all the good nutrients, the vitamins and the minerals. And I'm talking about whole food unprocessed sources. However, there is a great benefit to supplementation of protein powders because they digest quicker for most people. For most of you listening right now, when it comes to getting stronger leaner and putting on more muscle, it comes down to consistency of your protein intake. It doesn't necessarily come down to the timing of that protein throughout the day. So first and foremost, if you take away anything from this podcast and you'll hear me reiterate it a few times, make sure that you're taking your protein in daily consistently before you worry about protein timing, just make sure you're getting your protein in.
(04:53): You simply should just be taking your protein when it makes the most sense for your routine. For example, if you don't have time to make a good breakfast or you need a snack that satisfies you so you don't make a silly decision and grab the, M&Ms not that I'm speaking from experience or anything, but if you need something to fill, you, give you a snack. If you missed a meal, this is where a protein shake can make sense for you. I really think that this is all a personal preference, but there's considerations in protein. Like if it's vegan or if it's animal sourced, whether it's, you know, for health reasons or ethical considerations, there's allergens to consider like way, you know, are you lactose intolerant? Do you have any other food sensitivities? For me personally, I'm focused on the quality and the source of the protein first and foremost, because I don't have any dietary considerations and I don't have any allergies.
(05:38): That is what I get to focus on. First, I go for quality and source of the protein because proteins are made up of amino acids. You got to make sure that your protein choice shows the amount of amino acid per serving. And I did talk about this in the episode. Number 14, when you look at your protein container, you've got to see a nutrition facts label, but you've also got to make sure you see an amino acid profile label as well. Any good protein product will not only break down the nutrition facts. So how much protein are actually getting, but it will break down that protein with an amino acid profile on it as well. There is one hard and fast rule that I like to make sure about any protein that I'm using, whether it's vegan, whether it's way is that I'm looking for 1.5 to two grams of leucine per serving.
(06:20): Listen to episode number 14 with your done here. And you're gonna learn more about loosening, but leucine is a catalyst and a large role player in protein synthesis process. So if you want to gain muscle, having an adequate amount of leucine is essential. So look for that 1.5 to two grams of leucine per serving. That means that your proteins got, have that amino acid profile breakdown on the label. So now let's get into the different kinds of protein powders that you'll see out there. I'm going to start with animal based ones first, and we all have heard of whey protein. Whey is usually the recommended source for post-workout shakes because it's an incredibly high quality protein, and it's fast digesting and it's rich in branch chain, amino acids, more than likely in any, any even average way product out that you're going to find adequate amount of leucine in there as well.
(07:03): As far as whey protein, it can come in a few different forms. You're going to see a concentrate, an isolate or hydrolyzed formulas. Then there's casing casing casing. However you say it casing is often touted as the best type of protein to have before bed because it digests slowly. You're going to find casein in two forms. There's going to be my cellar casein, which is an isolat or the hydrolyzed casing. Now the interesting thing about hydrolyzed casein is that it's more processed and it digests faster than an isolate of casing. So it kind of defeats the purpose of the slow digesting protein. So if you are getting a casing, look at the back of it, make sure it's an isolate and or my seller or isolate. Those words are used interchangeably and not hydrolyzed because hydrolyzed casing is kind of defeating the purpose. And you're probably paying more, just go for a mice seller or isolate casein.
(07:53): Casein is slow digesting. What happens is when it gets ingested, it gets thick and gel like in the gut. So that's why it absorbs slower. And lots of people will use this to time. Their protein needs at bed. So they're getting a constant stream of protein to help with recovery. Then there's also milk protein blends. And you'll see this on the back of the label. It's usually a mix of both way in casing and they're marketed as the best of the both worlds. And it's true. And here's why they provide both fast and slow digesting protein. Usually you'll see them on the label as milk, protein, concentrate, or milk protein isolate. You might also see them listed separately. For instance, you're going to see whey protein isolate and my seller casing. A lot of these words are synonymous with each other. I'm not really sure why the supplement industry does this.
(08:39): However, majority of the time, you're going to see things like whey protein, isolate or whey protein concentrate. Now, when it comes to you, the everyday athlete, I suggest you just choose whatever protein you prefer based on quality, based on the taste and any other preferences you might have, including dietary or allergen. Now it stated earlier, it is not so much about timing as it is about finding one that you can stay consistent with. And that is high quality. There's also some more niche based protein sources out there, egg white protein and egg white protein is often a good option for those who are OVO vegetarian, which is milk free. And it's a source of a complete protein. So if you don't want any milk in your diet and you want a complete source of protein, egg, white protein is a fantastic option for you. Now, there's also collagen protein, which is super hot and popular right now in the supplement world.
(09:27): And generally you're going to find it in skin, joint, bone and gut health supplements. There's collagen peptides. It's the most common form of collagen supplements. And it's usually derived from bovine, Hyde or fish. So collagen based products are generally going to be animal-based sources. Some people also use it to boost their protein intake, but then there are a few college powders there on the market as protein supplements. But we'll get into that a little bit more collagen is not the most bioavailable or the highest quality collagen source. There's also very little studies behind the efficacy of college and for muscle repair and building muscle. So just take that note. Collagen is great for skin joints, bone and guts, but right now, when it comes to building muscle mass collagen is not going to be the best choice for you. There's also meat-based powders and they're often derived from beef.
(10:17): Usually they have an amino acid profile similar to collagen, which means they're incomplete and they're lower quality proteins. So take that into account just because it's a meat based powder. Like our whole food meat-based powder doesn't mean it has a complete amino acid profile generally because they have to be processed so they can be consumed there's bone broth, protein, bone broth protein is made by cooking the bones, the tendons and ligaments under high pressure to create a broth. A lot of people love their InstaPot's for this very process. Then it's concentrated into a powder, much of the protein and bone broth is from college. And so, like we mentioned earlier, it's not a complete source of protein. Now bone broth protein may be helpful for increasing your protein intake. If you can't have others like a way or a vegan because of allergens, but it's just not ideal for use as a protein supplement powder because bone broth protein is really, really expensive. It's not a complete protein and light collagen. Hasn't been very well studied as a protein replacement supplement. Now let's get into the plant based protein powders and everybody out there is probably familiar with soy protein. And when I say soy protein, you might've puckered a little and
(11:27): May already have some notions in your head, but just, just listen up. You might learn something. I'm going to get a drink here.
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Alright, so soy protein, soy protein is effective for promoting muscle growth.
(12:16): And it's also a complete protein. I'm going to say that again. Soy protein is a complete protein. In fact, research shows that soy protein supplements produce similar gains in both strength and lean body mass as whey protein in response to resistance training. If you guys remember, if you guys need any of these citations, any of these references, let me know katie@readytonutrition.com and I will get those for you. I just don't go into detail with those because it just weighs down episodes. Okay. So remember if you need any clarification, I think always email me katie@reddishnutrition.com. So soy protein that, why does it get so much controversy though? Will one is because majority of the soy that's out there today is genetically modified. So we all know that a GMO product, a genetically modified organism, it's not going to have the same nutrient profile. In fact, it may have anti-nutrients in it, which was another episode of ours.
(13:06): A few weeks ago. It has been the subject of much controversy, but if you get a organic, non GMO soy, it's going to be very, very good for you. And when it comes to hormonal health, that's kind of where all of the bad Juju around. So it comes from there's body of research that actually shows that soy foods and the isoflavones, which are the bioactive compounds found in soy. They actually have no effect on the testosterone and men and there's evidence that also shows that soy does not increase the risk of breast cancer and women. Now there's always more research that's needed, but the conclusive evidence shows us that high quality soy protein sources do not have any harmful effect on our hormonal health. So keep that in mind, because soy is a fairly common allergen. However, so soy proteins, aren't always the best for people because they can cause allergens.
(13:53): That can cause that silent inflammation, which we know is not good for our recovery nor gut health. So we just got done with talking a little about soy protein. Then there's pea protein and pea protein is a highly digestible hypoallergenic and usually inexpensive source of protein. Its rich in amino acids, lysine, arginine, and glutamine. Glutamine is fantastic for recovery. And although, as we mentioned earlier, although it's high in lysine, arginine, glutamine, it is low in essential amino acids. So it's not a complete protein. And what you'll find is most plant proteins are not complete proteins except soy. We just mentioned that there's rice protein, rice protein is also great because it's hypoallergenic tends to be relatively inexpensive, but it's low in lysine and other amino acids. So it is not a complete protein source. Then there's hemp protein powder and hemp protein powder is another one of those up and comers, especially in the I'm like the more niche wellness markets it's made by grinding up hemp seeds.
(14:49): And it makes a great whole food, you know, adding this to like baked goods because it's high in fiber, good source of Omega threes, but like rice protein, it's not a complete protein, very, very low in lysine and other essential amino acids. Here's where plant based protein powders can make up for some of their shortcomings. For example, most plant-based sources are not complete proteins, but a lot of smart manufacturers out there, lot of smart brands are getting privy on that and they realize that blends blends of plant protein powders are the way to go because what you can do is now, now we can reach those athletes that have maybe allergen concerns or ethical considerations in the food they're consuming and we can still get them a high quality plant protein source. So what's going on here is we're using multiple plant based protein powders.
(15:35): We're creating a more robust amino acid profile since these different protein sources contain different levels of amino acids. In fact, I want to share with you, if you haven't already checked out Reddit's nutrition's proteins, check out our no way vegan protein. So I understood the shortcomings of most plant proteins. And what I did is I formulated a rice AP and a keenwah blend. And this gives you an improved amino acid profile. It gives you that L leucine that you need so you can gain muscle and recover. And it's a complete protein for plant-based athletes. Check out that no way vegan protein, Reddit's nutrition.com. That is a fantastic example of a blend plant protein that gets you exactly what you need. So now athletes, we've got a list of the major types of protein sources, both animal and both plant based sources. Now the next question is which protein powder fits best for you in your diet and goals.
(16:28): I'm going to pound home the statement one more time that most of this is a personal preference because when you get the protein and consistently in adequate amounts, that is the first priority, then I want you to fine tune. So think about the foundation first, then start fine tuning. Don't worry about nutrient timing until you are consistently getting adequate protein in your diet. So as far as goals are concerned, let's start with weight loss or fat loss. Is that your goal, weight loss, or fat loss. If you're looking to lose fat pay attention to the protein, to calorie ratio of your protein powder, the best protein powder for weight loss is going to be the ones that are high in protein and low in carbs and fats. And you can get all this information from the nutrition facts panel on the back, look at the protein, make sure it's high in protein.
(17:12): Make sure it's low in carbs and fat because what you want is you want your calories coming from the high quality part of the food you're intaking. So if your goal is weight loss or fat loss, high protein, low carb, low fat, you don't want to be looking at a meal replacement potentially a way or a casing will do you well here, if you want to put on muscle to put on muscle, look for protein powder with a high protein to calorie ratio, as the main goal is to consume the adequate overall protein. If you're struggling to get the adequate overall calories, a protein powder that also has added carbs can be helpful around workout times and those carbs make sure that that is not with sugar. There are so many meal replacement or gains mass gaining proteins out there that are loaded with sugar instead of high quality carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates that are slow digesting.
(18:01): If you want to put on muscle, you kind of want to keep the same principle as the weight loss fat loss. You want to have high protein, and if you need more calories, then start to look at high quality carbohydrate consumption, high quality fats omega-3 is that's where you want your calories to come from. Okay? Put on muscle, add more calories, but make sure you're using the most high quality food sources you can find. Look at the ingredient panel on the back of the protein. Honestly, sometimes those meal replacement ones, those mass gaining ones, they're just loaded with sugar. And they're just really bad for you with all the sugar. You could be looking at systemic inflammation, which makes losing fat or putting on muscle really, really tough. So that's putting on muscle. Now let's talk about actual weight gain, which we kind of touched on before, but if you're looking to gain any type of weight, any type of weight, consider powders that are high in protein, carbs and fat, you want all three to be high.
(18:52): You want like probably four or five, maybe 600 calories per shake. Now this can be because you want to get excess calories. Maybe you're a smaller individual who has a tough time putting on weight. Maybe you're coming back from an illness, whatever it may be. Weight gain shakes, high protein, high carb, high fat preferably from the highest quality sources, you can find less sugar, the better meal replacement shakes. If you plan to use your protein shake as a meal replacement, it's important to make sure you're getting other nutrients in there too. Now there are protein powders that come with additional nutrients built in and I actually have my own recipe for my own gain shake. I call it a game shake. And what I do is I put fruit in there. I got some veggies in there. I've got healthy source of fat. And then I have my protein, my yes, whey protein for medic nutrition in there.
(19:39): So that way, what I'm doing is I'm getting all the whole food benefits of these ingredients. I'm getting the synergistic effect in my body. And if you want that recipe for the gain shake, I actually have it at my personal website, coach Katie danger.com. So that gain shake recipe that I told you about the whole breakdown of the macronutrients, check it out @coachkatiedanger or you can even email me katie@redhnutrition.com and I'll take care of you. If you want to make a protein shake. That is great for recovery and athletic performance. Here is the four one one on that. There's a variety of suggested ratios of carbon protein intake post-workout to maximize recovery, but there really isn't a lot of evidence that shows that any particular ratio is optimal. Now there's a lot of proteins out there that generally go in this format. There's a going two to one or three to one carb to protein.
(20:27): So you two grams of carbs for every one gram of protein. There are some that are on the higher level. Probably looking at more of the meal replacement shake realm, the three to one. So for every three grams of carbs, there's one protein. It might be beneficial. It might be. You have to kind of test these things out when it comes to that recovering athletic performance, but ultimately your total macronutrient calorie intake for the day is what's most important. So if you've got a macro profile, you follow for rest or recovery days, or for competition days, stay close to that and then focus your protein on high quality sources. Do you need something fast adjusting? Do you need something slow digesting? That's when those questions come in now I do have some specific guidance on athletes. If you're competing in multiple events in one day, consuming something, a liquid beverage with 30 to 45 grams of carbs, 15 grams of protein, and then some electrolytes like sodium potassium in Oh gosh, about two and a half cups of water.
(21:19): Every hour can really help with recovery and performance. If you want to know more about competition food timing, I have created a guide specifically for that@competitionnutritionguide.com. I'm going to say that one more time. Look at 45 grams of carbs, 15 grams of protein, some electrolytes get some liquid in there to three cups of liquid, and that could really help with your recovery and performance. If you're doing multiple events in one day. And once again, I go in detail with that@competitionnutritionguide.com. And that is a free guide for you as a listener of this podcast. I've got lots of good stuff hidden in here today, guys. So if you have to go back and relisten to this, I totally understand we'll do the best we can. We'll get all this stuff listed in the show notes. So athletes there, you have it. We broke down all the major types of protein powders.
(22:07): You're fine. And then we talked about what protein is best for your goals. So protein powders and supplements are not the be all end all though, whole foods matter. This is a dumb moment, right? Like we all know that protein powders and supplements have their place whole foods matter. When you think of protein supplementation, I want you to think of it on top of a food pyramid where it matters, but it only matters once you get the basics, right? And that is the foundation of whole foods. The cool thing is about supplements though, is it really allows you to bridge those nutritional gaps. It makes sure that your daily nutrient goals are being met. Supplements are tools. They are catalyst for those big changes in the results we want. So whole foods are great. Supplements are great. They really work the best when you do them well together, ultimately athletes, you're going to want to consider all the factors when it comes to choosing your protein.
(22:55): And it comes down to your goals. It comes out of the taste, the price point, you know, what can you afford? The type of protein is a vegan as a way, the brand, and then the nutritional content always, always, always make sure you are privy and taking into account the nutritional content. Look at the nutrition facts, then make sure that protein has an amino acid profile breakdown. And you know what? Feel free to experiment too. I do have a suggestion though. If you're looking for a protein to try reddish nutrition has both a nutritionally complete way and vegan protein powder option. I mentioned the no way vegan protein is a blend of P keenwah and rice protein, and then our weigh options. They mix well, they taste great. And as listen to the podcast, remember use code podcast 20 you'll save 20% on all your orders.
(23:40): And that includes our protein powder. So head on over to ready to nutrition.com. Remember use code podcast 20 and check out our high quality vegan and whey protein options. They are perfect additions. If you were looking to add a protein or try something new for whatever goal it may be, whether it's weight, loss, muscle gain recovery, you name it. We got you athletes. Thank you so much for joining me again this week. For another episode, choosing your proteins should be a lot easier for you now. So I hope that your gains come bigger and better than ever next week for episode number 30, I've got some information on my favorite things in the whole entire world, and that is coffee. I know that there are listeners out there who love coffee, just as much as I do. So you're going to want to tune into episode number 30.
(24:24): There's a lot more to coffee than you probably think. And that includes the international trades, dirty little secret about the safety of your coffee beans. There are some things about coffee beans that you might not know. So I want to share some information with you. So one, you can enjoy coffee and then perhaps enjoy your coffee. Even more knowing that you're making a good choice in terms of the quality of the beans, how ethically they're sourced and then some other things I don't want to go too in detail now, but if you love coffee, you're going to want to tune into next week's show athletes. That is all I have for you for episode number 29. Are you using the right protein powder tune in again, next week I will be here at same time,
(25:01): Same place. If you have any questions about anything, email me, katie@reddishnutrition.com, because I love to hear from you guys. And please, as I started out the episode, leave us a review on iTunes. A five star review helps us so much in reaching more people. And then your comments are appreciated as well, because I want to know what we're doing well and what we can do better. What types of content I can fill this space with to make this more enjoyable experience for you? Because that is what it is all about is about you. The athlete. This is Katie di you guys, same time again next week. I'll talk to you again soon over and out.
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