Bodybuilding 101: What to Look For in Whey Protein

Most of us know that daily exercise is the way to go to be in great shape.  What some of us might not know is that supplementing your daily gym workout routine with a high quality whey protein is exactly what you need to take your workout to the next level and achieve incredible results.

The New Wonder Food: Leucine

The key to creating a lean and healthy body is leucine.  This is a chain amino acid that causes the creation of protein therefore building muscle.  The only problem is that you need A LOT more leucine than the recommended daily value to achieve the proper results.  When you consume leucine from food, it is mostly used as a building block and not as an anabolic agent; which is what you want.  

This is the reason why you need such massive amounts of leucine because you have to go way beyond the maintenance range.  In order for leucine to be used as an anabolic agent you need 8-16g daily, which is a lot more than the 1-3g you need to maintain it as a building block.

How to Get the Correct Dose of Protein

Now to reach these super high levels of leucine from food you would need to eat about 16 eggs, 1.5lb of chicken and more!  The good news is you only need 3oz of high quality whey protein to get that amount of leucine.  It is recommended to drink a protein shake after your workout to provide your muscles with the needed protein, but you can also have a glass in the morning as well.  

Now, not all whey protein is created equal.  In fact some can be harmful!  This is what you need to look to ensure that you’re getting a high quality whey protein:

– It needs to come from grass fed cows (this will ensure it has no hormones, pesticides or GMO diet).

– You want the whey protein to be cold-processed (this makes sure the nutrients stay intact.  You do not want heat processed).

– Make sure it’s acid free processed or ion exchange processed (this method is used to separate the whey from the fats and you don’t want that).

– The whey needs to come from whey protein concentrate and NOT isolates (this is VERY important, because isolates go through acid processing and this is something you need to avoid).

– Look to make sure it is low in carbs and not artificially sweetened.

Guidelines for Best Results

These are a few guidelines that will help you make a high quality purchase to ensure ideal results.  Consuming high quality whey protein after your workout will not only help you build muscle, it will increase your endurance and aid your recovery.  It helps you maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels while allowing your body to achieve its ideal metabolic rate.  

Everyone needs to know that there are two types of maltodextrin.  The one created in a lab and the natural occurring.  Obviously the one created in a lab is the one you need to avoid at all costs as it does more harm than good.   

You can find a really high quality whey protein at www.shop.mercola.com.  They have 3 different flavors: vanilla, chocolate and banana – yum!  Try it for a couple of months and you will see results.