Things You Don't Know About Your Protein Powder

Nasty Protein Powders

There’s nothing that bugs me more than highly adulterated protein powders advertised as healthy meal replacements. Ugh! Most of these powders and RTD (ready-to- drink) shakes have ingredient lists that will have your tongue doing gymnastics if you have ever been brave enough to take a crack at reading them. I’ve seen some with over 50 ingredients, including various toxic artificial sweeteners, soy protein isolate (see below), and hidden forms of MSG. Ingredients are listed in order of quantity. I often see calcium caseinate and sodium caseinate listed as the first or second ingredient. Both contain MSG! Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a common flavor enhancer used in processed foods. Like aspartame, it is an excitotoxin, which overstimulates brain cells until they burn out and die. This additive, which goes by many different names, has been shown to generate free radical production all over the body, leading to chronic degenerative diseases. Don’t get me wrong. Not all protein powders are necessarily bad. I use them myself after workouts and as a meal replacement when I’m pressed for time. The shorter the ingredients list the better. The ones I use have no more than five ingredients. My favorite is Vital Whey by Well Wisdom as it comes from grass-fed cows. 

Soy

Despite all of the marketing hype, soy is by no means a health food. In its unfermented form— the type that we eat—soy is high in phytates and trypsin inhibitors. As you learned in the section on grains, phytates bind tightly to important minerals, keeping you from assimilating them. Trypsin inhibitors impede your ability to break down and digest protein, which kind of defeats the purpose of attempting to meet your protein needs through soy. Soy is also considered goitrogenic, meaning that it slows down thyroid function. Of course, a poor functioning thyroid will reduce your metabolism. Ninety-percent of the soy available in the United States is genetically modified. Avoid all soy products with the exception of fermented items like organic miso, tempeh, natto, and high-quality wheat-free tamari sauces. Fermentation eliminates the antinutrients.

source: "Dark Side of Fat Loss" by Sean Croxton