Protein needs vary based upon the individual; the needs of an elderly woman verses a male athlete will vary greatly. Many are concerned with not getting enough protein, and some are concerned about taking in too much protein. Most meat-eaters do not have a problem getting enough protein unless they are unable to take in nourishment or are seeking high protein intake for building lean muscle mass. Vegetarians rely heavily on legumes, soy (such as tofu) and milk products for protein, but may need to find ways to supplement. Protein supplements are helpful for anyone undertaking an exercise program with the intention of reducing fat and increasing lean muscle.
1. Assess the reason you need supplemental protein intake. There are four main reasons to desire protein supplementation. The first is if you are unable to take in, digest or keep down food due to health reasons, such as if you are a cancer patient or unable to process whole food for whatever reason (such as long term or acute digestive problems, jaw or throat injury, etc.), then nutritional drinks like Boost and Ensure contain both protein and fiber to emulate regular dietary intake. Another option is milk (which has both fast- and slow-acting proteins whey and casein) and soy contain proteins, and for what you cannot tolerate to eat or drink, supplements can be added to meet reasonable daily minimum dietary goals. If you are unable to tolerate solid foods, the answer may be soy drinks, soy supplements and perhaps tofu. Generally if you are unable to intake or digest foods for whatever medical reason, and your kidneys are able to tolerate it, you should try to take in whatever you can reasonably stomach, unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Unless your medical problem is based on jaw deformity or injury, often if you have medical problems that limit protein intake, the protein powders might be too heavy for you to digest, but this can vary.
The second reason you might want to take protein supplements is if you are attempting to build lean body mass by heavy resistance exercise. You will need to have a fair amount of protein in small frequent meals. If you are attempting to build muscle, then try to get one gram of protein for every pound you weigh. For instance, a 200 pound man might try dividing his daily diet into 5 small meals and take 25 - 30 grams of protein per meal and, if able to tolerate it, a protein drink of 40 mg whey before exercise for fast-acting protein. If you cannot tolerate that much before exercising, try extra supplementing your meals surrounding your exercise period.
A third reason to supplement your protein might be that you have such a busy schedule that it sometimes prevents you from getting a nutritious meal. In this case, a protein powder is not really the right option for you since it does not really address your general nutrition needs, so you might want to review the protein shakes and bars that are available. Also a protein powder supplement is not really conveinent for your needs and is not very portable. Planning menus in advance and stocking up on healthy foods that are rich in protein and that you can grab and take with you on the go is your best option if you find yourself protein deficient but you are not interested in protein supplementation to support a heavy exercise regimen.
A fourth reason to increase your protein intake is if you are dieting and attempting to build some lean muscle for aesthetic appearance and health, you will want to intake more protein to subsidize your protein needs to feel full during the day as well as to have enough energy to support your light fitness workout. (For our purposes, we can define a light fitness workout as one in which you are a beginner or doing so in tandem with a diet, it is not an athlete or bodybuilders' workout, but it is a level increased physical activity to reduce fat and increase lean muscle mass for your metabolism). If you are dieting, you probably will prefer to have low-calorie high protein foods, like skim milk or adding skinless chicken to your salad or even a protein bar instead of the protein powders used by athletes and bodybuilders. Your use of protein powder supplements might include use in a smoothie shake, but likely you would be interested in avoiding the calories and would desire to intake your protein as food to satiate your appetite.
2. Assess the kind of protein you need and when you need to take it. You will need a plan to keep enough protein in your body to function for your exercise plan, which requires planning your protein intake during your meals and around your pre and post workout intake.You will frequently see whey featured in supplemental protein, it is found in protein powder and ready to drink supplements. There are two kinds of powdered supplementation proteins, whey (fast acting) and casein (slow acting). Whey is the good kind of protein to take about an hour before exercise since it is fast acting. Try to use the protein supplements when you cannot get fast acting protein via food or a whey based smoothie, since you really need the nutrients from actual food as much as possible. Try to eat complete proteins with all the amino acids such as milk, fish, eggs, beef, chicken and pork. Soy is the most complete non-animal protein, so if you are a vegetarian attempting to get more protein, soy and legumes are good choices. Nuts are also a good source, except for peanuts which are an incomplete amino acid. You will also need about a teaspoon of whey powdered protein in a sports drink mid-workout. Before going to bed, consume a meal or protein primarily of slow acting protein because you will not be eating for several hours, and have a high protein, quick acting protein for breakfast. When you cannot eat for awhile, a milk or casein protein will keep your stomach from releasing amino acids too quickly. When you cannot get enough protein from a meal, then using a protein drink is advisable. In summary, you will need some protein before and after a workout, a teaspoon of a powdered protein supplement during a heavy workout, and protein spaced throughout the small meals of your day. You generally should not need to use the protein drinks with your actual meals if you plan your menus well enough in advance and keep healthy, high protein snacks on hand.
3. Find a brand of protein supplementation you trust . Many protein supplements have excessive additives that you may or may not want. These range from chemicals that have a cortisone like affect to excess sugars. It is important to stick with a simple easy to understand protein supplement that have the basic items you need for a workout or meal substitute. Other bodybuilders and trainers at your gym or fitness center likely have favorites they might recommend. GNC is a very well known brand that is trustworthy, and they offer many flavors and mixes that can be used prior to exercise to get Protein supplementation including GNC EAS Myoplex DELUXE drink, which contains a fair amount of fiber and protein in a form close to actual food content, as well as being high in whey to meet your fast acting protein needs before your workout. You will likely want at atleast one protein supplement with whey protein in it, since if you are about to exercise, whey will kick in within an hour and the casein will be more slow acting for when your body is recovering and you need to implement muscle recovery supplementation. It is good to do some post-workout protein supplementation as well, usually in your post-workout re-hydration, so you will want a protein supplement geared toward restoring nutrients lost during the workout itself. When selecting this protein supplement, remember that this is after your workout, so you likely do not feel like a very heavy tasting powder supplement (for instance, some prefer a fruity taste to a chocolately one). While it is good to get in other supplements before and after your workouts, avoid protein supplementation with dubious additives that promise very quick results or have additives that you cannot understand or look up. The best brand for you will contain the pre and post workout nutrients you need to prepare to exercise and to recover from exercise. Creatine is a common add-in within protein supplements that increases the effectiveness of a protein and carb reaction. If you are supplementing for medical reasons of being unable to take in solid foods, these protein drinks are likely too hard to digest and contain additives your body does not need, so you should seek advice from your doctor or nutritionist instead of using a powder geared toward body building.
4. Assess the protein supplement ingredients for any allergy conflicts . If you are allergic to shellfish, soy, eggs, wheat, milk or other dairy products, these are likely to be part of a protein powder drink, so make sure to consider your allergy profile when selecting a protein supplement. Since these powders are often not tasty, they come in many flavors such as vanilla and chocolate, so you will have to assess if the artificial flavors, colors and sugar is too excessive for your diet or allergy restrictions.
5. Assess any medical conflicts . There is no current evidence that eating two to three times the RDA protein level is harmful for those looking to build muscle via heavy workouts, so unless you have kidney problems, you don't have to worry about taking in too much protein. If you are otherwise unhealthy or have unstable health and you are concerned about excessive protein intake, your doctor can advise you about the correct protein intake.
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/162508/guide_to_taking_protein_...