SHOULD I ADD PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS TO MY NUTRITION?

Why should I add protein supplements to my nutrition? Well, As a part of literally every cell in the human body, this macronutrient is integral to functions like our immune response and hormone production, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—as well as, most famously, building and repairing our body’s cells and tissues.

Protein is an essential macronutrient that is used in every cell in your body. The primary role of protein is to build and repair tissue. This is especially true for those who exercise because when you work out, your muscles sustain little micro tears. Your body then uses protein to go into those little micro tears and builds and repairs the tissue, allowing the muscle to grow stronger. 

Keeping a quality protein supplement on hand and adding it to your nutrition can be a good idea for a quick snack, a way to add protein to meals, and a good Plan B when mom-life gets too busy to stop and eat. However, relying on protein powders to meet your nutrition needs, or thinking that drinking a protein shake will negate other bad eating habits is not the way to go. Your focus should always be on getting your nutrition from wholesome, unprocessed foods first.

Protein is also more difficult for the body to digest and can put extra work on the kidneys to clear it from the body. Getting adequate amounts of quality, whole foods like meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and beans should be the primary way you meet your protein needs and add protein to your nutrition.

The amount of protein you should be getting each day varies based on factors like age, sex, health, and activity level, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. But for a baseline we can use the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which is based on the average amount of protein determined to meet the nutrient requirements of 97% to 98% of healthy individuals: 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. (That’s approximately 0.36 grams per pound. 

So why should you add protein supplements to your nutrition? It’s not a bad idea to have protein powder on hand to fill in the gaps, but we do not rely on it daily. I recommend using it as an addition to your clean food proteins. You will find my recipes include protein powders when I’m baking or adding it to my fruit smoothies. I fill my recipes with good, wholesome, ingredients, and you will often find added that I add omega-3’s through chia and flaxseeds included in most of my baking and smoothie recipes.

Which Protein Supplement do I recommend?

There are many supplements out on the market and it can be hard to narrow it down to the right one for you. You’ll see protein powders from two main groups: animal-based and plant-based. Plant-based is the preferred choice for us because animal-based protein powders (whey and casein) are known to cause some bloat and intolerance for those who may be lactose sensitive. I switched to plant-based protein powder after having my son due to an intolerance in my body. Plant-based protein powders do not cause bloat the same way animal-based powders will, and they are less likely to be made with artificial sweeteners. I also add it to my son’s smoothies for an extra kick of energy! 😛

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