Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Natural protein powders

I have been getting a lot of questions about how to avoid aspartame and what kind of protein powder I recommend to those that still like to drink shakes. First of all, let me point out that there are several studies which show numerous detrimental effects from artificial sweeteners, such as memory loss, birth defects, links to cancer and erectile problems in males (if all the other ones don't scare you, I'm guessing the last one might cause you to raise an eyebrow). Mysteriously, none of these studies are conducted in the United States. I'm sure everyone can figure out the reasons why.

If you drink protein shakes, I recommend an all natural shake mix, something that is not made with bodybuilders in mind and does not contain all kinds of ridiculous "mass building" ingredients. One that comes to mind is Whey to Go by Solgar. This contains nothing but whey protein and and natural vanilla bean flavoring. The taste is very minimal but it's probably better than ten packs of Nutra Sweet.

Jay Robb also makes a protein shake in which the protein comes from cows who have not been exposed to steroids and other chemicals. This contains no artificial ingredients either.

You may find that you do not fill up or bloat as easily with these natural shakes as they contain no fillers and are fairly easy to digest.