What Should You Not Mix with Protein Powder? - A Comprehensive Guide

Protein powder is an excellent supplement for people looking to gain muscle or just meet their daily requirements but there are certain things that should not be mixed with it such as artificial sweeteners or heavy metals.

What Should You Not Mix with Protein Powder? - A Comprehensive Guide

Protein powder is a popular supplement for people looking to gain muscle or just meet their daily protein requirements. It is also known as whey protein concentrate and sodium caseinate. Water is the conventional option for mixing protein powder, but you can also use coconut water, coconut milk, black coffee, or skimmed, non-dairy milk. Fibrous additions such as flaxseeds and chia seeds can also be an excellent addition to keep you feeling full for longer.

Using protein powder to gain muscle requires a different strategy than limiting calories and sugars. Put them in a food processor after soaking them, dates are the perfect binding agent for combining protein powder, chia seeds, nuts and peanut butter. If you're looking for a bulkier snack to take with you when you go out, protein bars are another good option. Dates can also be used to tie together protein bars.

Include some nuts, seeds, and chocolate chips for more variety and flavor. I've been in the fitness and health industry since I was in my early 20s and have tried many types of protein powders on the market. Some made me gain weight, others constipated me for days, and others made me feel bloated. Food sensitivity to gluten can trigger an immune-mediated response in the intestine that causes inflammation.

This causes gastrointestinal problems in some people and can contribute to a variety of health problems such as hormonal imbalances, skin conditions, fatigue, mood swings, and headaches. The most commonly used artificial sweeteners are sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), neotame (Newtame) and acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One). In addition to being unnatural chemicals, some people experience negative effects from headaches and stomach discomfort to mood problems and weight gain. As a mid-afternoon snack, I like to combine 1 serving of protein powder with 1 ½ cups of coconut water or water in a blender.

This will help reduce your appetite and prevent you from picking up the cookie jar when you want something sweet. The current daily protein intake requirement in adults (0.8 grams per kilo of body weight per day) is not a goal to aim for since it is a minimum amount designed to prevent the loss of lean body mass. Instead, aim for at least 1.0 grams of protein per kilo of body weight each day. For a 145-pound person, that's 66 grams of protein per day.

For athletes, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers or people who focus on achieving a healthy weight aim to consume at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight or about 80 grams per day. According to one study nearly 70% of plant-based protein powders contained measurable amounts of lead. The potential mental and physical health problems associated with lead are well documented so why does it appear in these protein powders? The main problem seems to be where the ingredients come from. Soil lead seeps into food that grows before it is harvested and stays there when it turns to dust.

Misleading packaging means you'll never really know what's in your dust. Sure you might have a neat list of ingredients but when you don't know how much of each ingredient is in you know if your powder is really what it claims to be. While protein powder and coffee are a great mix research shows that mixing them with a spoon could cause lumps. You should use a hand blender to add protein powder to your hot coffee.

Mixing whey protein with water or milk depends on the protein powder requirement for each individual. People who don't go to the gym can take whey protein to meet the daily protein requirement and therefore don't have to worry about the speed of protein digestion. You can also take whey protein with milk and water; the main agenda is to meet the body's protein requirements in one day. If you're looking for a protein powder shake that will give you energy until lunch this option will work great as a replacement for your breakfast meal.

While adding protein powder might not change the unhealthy parts too much it will add a little extra protein to this dessert. While protein fatigue alone won't mean much it could be a demotivating factor in the long term. Since caffeine is half of the reasons why coffee with protein powder is so beneficial you should buy healthy coffee with a higher caffeine content that is more pleasant to your teeth and stomach than regular coffee. For many vegetarians and vegans it's difficult to find plant-based sources that meet the recommended daily intake of protein; it makes sense that protein powder would be such a popular supplement for a variety of people not just weightlifters.

This makes it a healthy snack since you won't consume any additives that is unless you choose to include a spoonful of protein powder. Some studies indicate that it is important to space out protein intake throughout the day since the body can only use 0.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight at a time. Organic protein powders had on average twice as many heavy metals as non-organic options so if a brand doesn't reveal information about heavy metals to you you're left wondering. Plan how many calories you need in a day then pour enough protein powder into your morning coffee.