Muscle Mix - protein drink evaluation

Nancy Clark

DO PROTEIN SHAKES ADD POWER TO YOUR SPORTS DIET?

"Which brand of protein shake is best for gaining weight?"

"How many protein shakes should I drink a day?"

"Is designer protein better than chicken?"

Active people have lots of questions about protein, protein shakes and their role in an exercise program. Do these engineered foods provide superior sports nutrition? Looking around a health food store, the abundance of protein shakes suggests they are a popular item. Promoted as a simple way to eat well without cooking, ads also suggest these "designer foods" are better than chicken and tuna.

If you are wondering about the role of protein shakes in your sports diet, the following information can help you evaluate the best ways to optimize your protein intake--and save money.

QUESTION: "I want to bulk up and gain weight. Following the manufacturer's recommendation, I drink three protein shakes per day. Is this enough or too much?"

ANSWER: To decide how many protein shakes you need, you should first determine how much protein your body can use. While adequate protein is important to enhance muscle growth, more may not be better. Excess protein does not get stored as muscle. To bulk up, you need extra calories, adequate protein, hard training and the right genetics.

Most exercise scientists agree that approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a generous protein allowance for athletes building muscle mass. This means a novice 180 pound body builder gets more than enough protein with 180 grams of protein per day. This amount of protein can be easily acquired from one quart of skim milk, two cans of tuna and two small breasts of chicken (8 ounces). Because you can obtain more than enough protein from your daily diet, you don't need to consume shakes. You simply need more quality calories--easily obtained from extra juice and milk.

QUESTION: "Is the protein in designer shakes more effective than the egg whites, tuna and chicken I eat with my meals?"

ANSWER: The fancy names on these scientifically engineered products can leave you wondering if mundane chicken, tuna and eggs are an equal match. Moreover, ads that rave "extremely bioavailable whey protein isolate," "no cheap protein blends" and "highest quality protein" also leave the impression that tuna doesn't quite make the grade.

Despite not having labels that claim "premium protein," "hydrolyzed protein" or "ion-exchanged whey," the protein from natural foods works just as well. Any animal protein is "high quality" and contains all the essential amino acids you need to build muscles. Eating balanced meals and then drinking protein shakes for "high quality protein" is an outrageous concept--and expensive. For the $26 you may spend on a box of protein shakes, you can buy lots of dried milk powder--the least expensive protein powder around.

QUESTION: I get confused when I read the ads in muscle magazines. They are filled with terms like "protein digestibility" and "bioavailability." Does this make them better?

ANSWER: In an overall well balanced diet, engineered protein offers no advantages over standard protein-rich foods. As long as you are healthy and have a functioning digestive tract (as opposed to patients in the hospital with intestinal disease), you don't need to worry about your ability to digest or utilize protein. Digestibility and bioavailability are an issue in third-world countries where protein and energy intakes are inadequate and every amino acid counts--but not in America where protein and calorie excesses are more common.

QUESTION: I'm lazy and have started to drink a protein shake for breakfast instead of eating cereal. Is this OK?

ANSWER: As an athlete, your body needs a foundation of carbohydrates in each meal to fuel your muscles. Some protein is important to build, protect and maintain muscles, but too much protein displaces carbs. By having a protein shake instead of cereal, you may consume only 20 to 30 grams of carbs--compared to the 100+ grams available in your cereal, milk and banana. Athletes should target 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight. That's at least 450 grams for the 150 pound athlete. Protein shakes fail to help you reach your carb quota--and can leave you feeling easily fatigued.

Cereals also offer more fiber and other health-protective nutrients than engineered foods. Hence, I recommend you be responsible instead of lazy. After all, you have taken the responsibility to train; you can also take on the responsibility to eat whole foods that fuel well. No engineered food can match the complex balance of nutrients found in whole foods. You can save the protein shake for "emergency food" on hectic days, but keep the cereal as part of your standard daily diet.

QUESTION: I eat very little protein and think I should supplement my diet with protein powder. However, I don't have much money to spend on protein shakes. How can I make my own?

ANSWER: Packaged protein shakes are indeed expensive. You can either spend $2.30 for a packet of protein shake or you can easily make your own version for less than $0.03 per gram of protein. Here's my favorite: In a blender, mix 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup milk powder, 2 tablespoons instant pudding mix (any flavor; this thickens the shake to a pleasant consistency) and 4 ice cubes. Blend for a minute or two, until the ice is gone. Optional: add banana, berries and/or sweetener as desired. This shake offers 16 grams of protein. By also eating some canned tuna and cottage cheese, you'll succeed in boosting your protein easily--without cooking and within a reasonable budget.

Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., is nutrition counselor at the Boston area's SportsMedicine Brookline. She teaches casual exercisers, competitive athletes, Olympians and professional athletes how to win with good nutrition. Her popular Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Second Edition is available at www.nancyclarkrd.com or by sending $20 to Sports Nutrition Materials, 830 Boylston Street #205, Brookline MA 02467.

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