Friday 11 November 2011

Are Protein Shakes Good for You

Protein shakes are not normally very tasty, but they offer a simple and effective means of providing the body with essential nutrients, whether for dietary or exercise purposes. It's often recommended taking a shake before and after working out.

So, are protein shakes good for you? Well, it is important to remember that muscles have two contractile functions: concentric contractions (muscle shortening) and eccentric contractions (muscle lengthening). So what if your body is slightly acidic? Is it really going to affect muscle  protein  kinetics? When your pH is in an acidic environment, muscle breakdown occurs— and amino acids are released into the bloodstream and provide substrate for the hepatic synthesis of glutamine. For any athlete who wishes to increase their body weight (preferably muscle mass rather than fat mass), a combination of the right training (i.e. resistance training) and the correct nutritional intake are essential.

Healthy diets should regularly include high quality, low fat sources of protein, like whey protein. Compared to other proteins, whey protein delivers more essential amino acids to the body but without the fat or cholesterol. I have yet to meet a healthy man or woman that couldn't use more protein in his or her diet.

Today some people are a little confused about nutrition. Nutrition shakes or energy bars that provide both carbohydrate and protein are also a good source of energy. Bodybuilders often supplement their diets with a powdered form of protein. When it comes to protein supplements and shakes, one has to do some thinking before you buy. If you decide to supplement your diet with whey, look for one that's free of artificial flavours and sweeteners.

Meal replacement shakes or diet shakes for weight loss have become very popular in the past few years because of the known benefits. The Vi-Shape weight loss nutritious shake mix forms the core product of Body by Vi challenge program of Visalus Challenge.  Protein shakes for weight loss produced from soy beans are essentially the most preferred ones when considering proteins shakes.

Meal replacement products (MRPs) are either pre-packaged powdered drink mixes or edible bars designed to replace prepared meals .  Although not recommended as a meal replacement, protein shakes are somewhat similar to weight loss supplement shakes.  If you want to incorporate meal replacement shakes to your diet, you should first get an opinion from the experts in the field: the doctors and fitness instructors.