Is protein powder good for you? Pros & Cons

Is protein powder good for you?

Have you ever seen the second episode of Southpark, back in 1997?

It was the episode called Weight Gain 4000. Cartman became intrigued by a 30 second weight gainer infomercial, demanding to his mom that he needed it immediately. The popular trendy line that many people repeated after this episode was “Beefcake…Beefcake!!!

In my opinion, it’s a funny example of how people get hooked on protein powders, weight gainers, and random powders that supposedly make them bigger, more bad ass, and invincible!

Am I advocating that you go pick up that oversized propane tank like tub of weight gainer at your local store? No. Am I encouraging you to watch the Weight Gain 4000 SouthPark episode? Yes! (not for the easily offended)

People often ask me about supplementation. I was just asked last week, “Hey Damian, Is Protein Powder Good For You?” I usually use my ninja verbiage to dodge the question, without sounding like I am too opinionated.

Maybe you have been told that you should buy a powder because it’s such a phenomenal workout companion. You might have been mislead to believe that you absolutely need a weight gainer to get large and put on size. Bullshit. It’s mostly about the industry making moolah for the most part. Sure, there might be a time when you may need to use a supplement to assist your health. Using food as your supplement is a common statement a coach of mine always says.

I have had access to a Naturopathic Warehouse over the years, and have used some of the best supplements out there. It still doesn’t mean I need them to mend or heal my body.

Here are the pros and cons of using protein powder…

Pros:

Convienent To Use
Can be budget friendly (regular protein based foods are affordable too!)

Cons:

Processed, processed, and….processed
Many contain artificial sweeteners and colors (aspartame)
Body doesn’t recognize powders as nutrition. Where is my satiation??
Many contain fillers and synthetic additions
Hard to break down and utilize
Powders present more of a stressful process due to digestive difficulties. Whole food is more anabolic than a post workout drink…plain and simple.
Bloating, gas, and diarrhea stew can occur

You are probably thinking “then what the hell is the best kind of protein out there?? If you are not able to keep your britches on here, then I will throw you a bone and say Great Lakes Gelatin. The only “protein powder” that I use these days is grass fed gelatin by Great Lakes Gelatin. (I’ll get to that in another blog soon) The answer that I have is simply…one that is helping you modify your behavior towards eating healthier and staying on track. If you need to use a powder to help you stay on track and jumpstart your motivation, then keep your focus! If you find your cupboards bursting at the seams with Home Depot tubs of Weight Gainer 4000 and you rely on taking powders a few times a day…it will serve your health and your wallet by introducing whole food protein sources.

Is Protein Powder Good For You?

From a behavior modification viewpoint, powders can create a sense of ease when staying on track with a healthy lifestyle. In my opinion, from a physiological perspective, most protein powders are not healthy for the various systems of the body.

http://youtu.be/-pm06Jqp8C8

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/ToyFare-Exclusive-South-Park-Beefcake/dp/B000VCDK0O

Audio Credit: http://www.thesoundarchive.com/play-wav-files.asp?sound=spsounds/BeefCake-2.wav