Protein shakes: contraindications to consider
Many athletes, in addition to maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, decide to take some type of supplement to ensure that their body receives the necessary nutrients for their muscles to grow. One of the most requested is the protein shake .
Although the daily protein consumption is recommended at 0.8 grams for each kilo that the person weighs, if you are an athlete or train in the gym, you can increase the protein dose to 2 grams to improve your qualities and achieve your proposed goals.
Index
Benefits of protein shakes
These are some of the advantages of consuming these drinks:
- Improve muscle health : Protein shakes are a source of essential amino acids to repair muscle tissues . They provide leucine, to help the body’s protein synthesis, and glutamine to improve muscle fitness in general.
- Energy source : These types of compounds are a quick source of energy by increasing blood glucose levels.
- They help to preserve muscle mass : They reduce the loss of muscle mass during high resistance activities. Intense training leads to muscle damage and to a large extent optimizing your weight training results requires building blocks to rebuild muscle , which is why you need protein .
- They are antioxidants : They increase the levels of glutathione , an antioxidant that helps reduce free radicals that are released with the oxidation of exercise.
- Protein source : Protein shakes ensure that we are providing the body with the amount of protein necessary for our muscles to grow strong and healthy .
- They stimulate the immune system : Its components are involved in different biological functions including antioxidant activity, anti-bacteria effects, for the protection of diseases , among other benefits.
- Lower Cholesterol : Whey protein has been shown to be very effective in helping to lower both total and LDL cholesterol . While it is probably not a replacement for blood pressure medications, combining it with a whey protein shake can help.
- They lose weight: Another function that these shakes have is that they help you lose fat, thanks to the satiating effect that proteins have in our diet. Proteins help us feel satiated for much longer than if we ate a food that contains carbohydrates or fats. Likewise, the thermal effect that it forces to destroy proteins makes you consume more energy than if you only ate carbohydrates and fats.
Contraindications of protein shakes
However, if we abuse them, we can suffer some side effects:
- Ketosis : Increasing the dose of protein can produce a carbohydrate deficit in the body that ends up affecting the body due to the lack of glucose in the body, which is known as ketosis . For this reason, a varied diet is recommended to avoid falling into this situation.
- Kidney stones : High levels of calcium in the body can end up generating calcium deposits causing kidney stones in addition to overloading them due to excess components such as nitrogen, which make these organs work more than necessary to eliminate through urine toxins provided by proteins .
- Osteoporosis : In the same way , protein shakes help the blood to acidify, and the body tries to eliminate this acid by extracting calcium from the bones, which can lead to osteoporosis and decalcification.
- Allergy : People with lactose intolerance may have allergy problems . These athletes are advised to choose isolated whey proteins , which contain less lactose, or look for a lactose-free substitute.
- Dehydration : By increasing blood nitrogen levels, people who have a high protein diet tend to drink less water and end up dehydration. It is advisable to drink between eight and ten glasses of water a day.
- Nausea : Sports supplements that sell a carb lock can cause gas , nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive problems.
recommendations
If we have decided to include protein shakes in our diet, there are a series of tips that we can follow to avoid or minimize their side effects .
- Do not consume alcohol : If we drink this type of shake, it is recommended that we stop ingesting other types of substances that also make the liver work excessively, such as alcohol.
- Eliminate saturated fats : Maintaining a healthy diet free of saturated fats is another way to reduce the work of the liver and kidneys , since this nutrient when it is assimilated by the body puts these organs to work.
- Include diuretic foods in our diet : It is important that we incorporate cleansing and diuretic foods in our diet that help our kidneys work, such as pineapple, watermelon, pear, citrus fruit, algae, artichoke, beet, tomato, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, melon, sunflower seeds, papaya, leafy greens, kiwi, nettle, oatmeal, Brussels sprouts, ginger, green tea, garlic, or onion.
- Drink a lot of water : It is recommended to drink a lot of fluids in order to eliminate the impurities that remain accumulated in the kidneys and thus avoid their deterioration.
When to drink the protein shake
There are different theories about when is the ideal time to drink the protein shake. The most common hours are as follows:
- Before training : It is one of the most effective moments, especially just 30 minutes before starting to train . If you go too far ahead, it will be less effective.
- After training : Whenever you finish a training session, your muscles are affected by small breaks in its fibers. At that time it is important to take proteins and, if possible, accompany them with carbohydrates. It is recommended that at this time we mix the protein with water and not with milk now that its absorption is faster.
- At night, before going to sleep : Taking at night is always associated with rest, and when we go to sleep we understand that the muscles will rest and recover from the activity carried out throughout the day. For this reason, this intake is usually associated with this moment, since if we also give the muscles an extra dose of protein, we will achieve a faster and more complete recovery to be able to face new workouts.
I began to be interested in nutrition from a very young age (I am currently 25 years old), but it was not until adolescence that I knew that I would dedicate my life to this career. I am the mother of a beautiful 5-year-old girl whom I adore and plan to instill in her all the values that guide us towards a healthy and balanced life. I was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where I currently live, and have my own practice where, of course, I practice my profession as a nutritionist.