Visiting shopping websites casually, all kinds of protein powder products dazzle people. Under the explosion of a large number of advertisements, many people begin to eat protein powder. However, before buying a buy, one question needs to be clarified first:
Do we really lack protein?
Protein powder is actually a high-purity protein, which is generally a powder composed of soybean protein isolate or whey protein, or a combination of several proteins.
If our diet lacks protein, we can naturally supplement it by eating protein powder. If there is no shortage, there is no need to spend money in vain.
For healthy adults, China’s latest dietary nutrient reference intake (DRIs) recommends that the daily protein intake for adult women is 55g and that for men is 65g.
So, is it difficult to reach this quantity?
In the daily diet, protein-rich foods include milk, eggs, beans and various kinds of meat. Let’s make a calculation:
- Eat half a kilo of grain every day, containing about 20g of protein. 1-22 ounces of livestock and poultry meat contain about 15g of protein. One egg contains 7g of protein; The two fish meat contains 18g of protein. 1 2 tofu contains about 6g of protein; 300 milliliters of milk contains about 9 grams of protein;
In this way, the protein is 75g, so it is not difficult to obtain enough protein as long as you eat three meals a day normally.
Some people will worry that this is only your theoretical calculation. Is this the actual situation?
Survey data to speak:
A survey on the protein intake of Chinese residents from 1989 to 2009 showed that the average daily protein intake of Chinese men and women reached 70.4 g and 60.9 g respectively in 2009.
It can be seen that the average protein intake of Chinese residents has basically reached the national recommended level, and the vast majority of people do not have the problem of insufficient protein.
Moreover, the more protein you eat, the better. Eating too much will also be harmful to your health. Studies have found that excessive protein intake will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, increase kidney burden and increase calcium loss.
Therefore, as long as healthy adults maintain a normal and reasonable diet every day, they will not lack protein and do not need to eat extra protein powder.
The Mistakes of Protein Powder
Myth 1: Eating meat will make you fat, so eat protein powder.
Many people think that only meat has protein, and it is easy to gain weight if you eat more meat, so you should eat less meat and eat more protein powder.
This is completely nonsense.
First of all, lean meat is not high in calories, and eating meat has nothing to do with getting fat. Besides meat, many vegetable foods also contain a lot of protein, such as tofu and dried bean curd. Even a bowl of rice we usually eat contains 6 or 7 grams of protein.
Myth 2: Eating Protein Powder Can Lose Weight
[High Protein Weight Loss Method], people are encouraged to eat only protein foods such as protein powder and eat less fat and sugar to achieve the goal of weight loss.
Although a high protein + low calorie diet is indeed helpful for weight control in the short term, on the one hand, the long-term weight loss effect is still unclear; On the other hand, it is useless not to control the total calorie intake at the same time.
In fact, getting fat is mainly because the energy you eat is greater than the energy you consume, causing energy to be stored in the body. Therefore, in order to lose weight, the most fundamental thing is to increase energy consumption and reduce energy intake.
If you eat too much protein powder, Without controlling the total heat, Excessive protein will also be converted into fat, Become fat on the body. Moreover, eating only high-protein foods can easily lead to excessive protein intake, which will lead to lack of other nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and will also lead to malnutrition. Excessive protein intake will also increase kidney burden, which is likely to be the first injury to lose weight.
Myth 3: Eating Protein Powder Can Become Strong
Everyone wants to have a strong body. Many people think that eating protein powder can build muscles, become strong and have enviable eight-pack abs.
In fact, strong muscles and strong physique need not only sufficient nutrition, but also accumulated exercise. It is impossible to have a strong physique only by diet, protein powder and no exercise.
Myth 4: Eating Protein Powder Can Enhance Immunity
The human immune system is a very large and complex project, which requires balanced nutrition, not a single food. Many immune substances need the coordinated participation of multiple nutrients to play a role, and protein alone is far from enough.
If we do not eat well and only rely on protein powder, it is easy to lack other nutrients, which will reduce our immunity. Moreover, blindly eating a large amount of protein powder will also affect the normal operation of the kidney and reduce the resistance.
Myth 5: Eating Protein Powder Can Grow Taller and Become Smarter
Similarly, children’s height and intellectual development are also affected by many factors. The protein provided by protein powder is only a part of the overall nutrition. It can neither and should not replace other nutrients.
Who can eat protein powder?
As we said before, the main function of protein powder is to supplement the shortage of protein in the diet. The following four categories of people can supplement protein powder appropriately under the guidance of doctors or nutritionists:
1. Certain disease conditions
For example, patients with injuries, burns, large-area skin ulceration, infection and major surgical operations are in a critical period of physical recovery and their protein in the body is in a state of severe loss.
2. Special patients
For example, patients with anorexia nervosa, dyspepsia, small intestinal absorption disorders and other patients have insufficient protein intake or absorption.
3. Certain special periods
For example, pregnant women and lactating mothers need more protein in their diets. For example, some elderly people with weak gastrointestinal function and less food intake may have insufficient protein intake.
4. Professional fitness crowd and athletes
Professional exercisers and athletes, who consume a lot of exercise, can take protein powder appropriately under the guidance of exercise nutritionists according to their own exercise conditions.