All protein supplements are NOT created equal…
So you’ve found out that you need about 50% of your current body weight in grams of protein every day in order to safely lose weight. You’ve learned that you typically lose 50% fat and 50% muscle with most diets. Since you know that your heart is all muscle, dieting scares the heck out of you, or it should. You’re concerned where to get protein supplements and what kind to get.
Here are a couple things you should be aware of. First, not all protein supplements are created equally. Some are more available to your body than others. For example, there are supplements out there that contain what is basically melted cow’s hooves as its protein source. Not only is that as disgusting as it sounds but it is only about 5% bio-available. If the label says 20 grams of protein, its only worth about 1 gram to you.
Rice protein is another source that is becoming popular. You should know that rice protein is only about 63% bio-available. Frankly only whey protein is 100% bio-available. But even there, not all whey proteins are equal. Most whey proteins, a milk derivative, come from cows that are raised in a manner that many find objectionable. These proteins are also greatly heated in the process of producing them so they lose a great deal of the value they have in a more raw state.
What should you look for? I recommend what is referred to as undenatured or non-denatured whey. This form of whey comes from range raised happy cows. Unlike heavily processed protein, which accounts for the vast majority of the market, only undenatured whey contains the three precursors your body needs to produce Glutathione, your body’s master antioxidant. Non-denatured whey is minimally processed and biologically active to maintain the full range of all the nutrients present in fresh raw milk.
Why is this important? According to Dr. Stephen Langer, M.D., “Glutathione is the body’s most important intracellular antioxidant. It works inside the cells, quenching the free radicals that are formed through normal cellular processes. Glutathione is present in every cell in the body and in all bodily fluids. Without it, we would be quickly overcome by free radicals.”
“Not only is Glutathione a potent antioxidant; it also helps maintain the activity of other crucial antioxidants like vitamins C and E. When these antioxidants have done their job, Glutathione helps reactivate them so they can keep working.”
“In addition to its antioxidant properties, Glutathione is a master detoxifier. It’s particularly important within the organs responsible for cleansing our bodies, particularly the liver and kidneys but also the lungs and the intestines. Here it works by helping to detoxify and break down the chemicals and pollutants that we ingest or inhale, or those that are produced within our bodies. Elevating Glutathione levels is one of the best ways to support our natural detoxifying processes.”
“Glutathione is also important to the immune system. It’s essential to the production and replication of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and it’s particularly vital to the activity of specific lymphocytes called “natural killer” or NK cells.”
“When you combine a lack of dietary Glutathione with a reduced ability to generate Glutathione internally, it’s no surprise that we see much lower levels in older populations and it’s easy to see why supplementation can be so beneficial. There are over 85,000 published studies on Glutathione, and the research shows that levels begin to wane around the mid 40s. After we reach age 60 we see rapid and dramatic declines in Glutathione levels. ”
A major hindrance to losing weight is metabolic inflammation. Since a major problem in losing weight is metabolic inflammation (studies show that 50% of us are affected by it and don’t know it), Glutathione would be very helpful indeed. Increased Glutathione (antioxidant) levels may reduce or eliminate metabolic inflammation altogether.
So you’re looking for whey protein, look for undenatured or non-denatured whey, it may just make all the difference for you.
Greg Arnold
Losing my big butt, healthily!
