Proteins are Not All Are The Same! 
Many people use some type of protein supplement as shakes throughout the day, as pre workouts, or post workouts. The problem is not all proteins are the same. In fact, some are actually bad for you for many reasons. Let us look at some examples:
Whey – Whey is very popular and can be very good for you. Whey provides your body with the precursor amino acids to produce glutathione in the body which does a bunch of good stuff for you like help you liver detoxify but mainly it helps protect your body from oxidative stress.
What are the precursor amino acids? Glad you asked. Cysteine, glycine and glutamate as well as a unique cysteine residue (glutamylcysteine) that is highly bioactive in its ability to convert to glutathione that is found in Whey. Whey has other scientific factors that promote the proper environment for glutathione to be produced but I will spare you from those and you can research it on your own.
However, the Whey needs to be correctly manufactured. Make sure that the whey you are using is from grass fed cows, cold pressed, free of pesticides, chemicals, GMOs, and sugar. Chemicals, sugar, and such degrade the environment in your body for producing glutathione, that is why it is imperative to avoid whey protein that has these included in the product.
Also, make sure that the Whey you are using is Acid Free Processing and not Acid/Ion Exchange Processing. Acid/Ion Exchange is a cheaper way to process the Whey but it denatures the amino acids by using acids and chemicals to separate the whey and fats.
Here is a biggie! Make sure that your Whey is Protein Concentrates not Protein Isolates. Protein Isolates are stripped away from their nutritional cofactors and there are many issues with that. Nothing in nature exists in isolation (we will talk about this again and a lot). Your body needs the cofactors to properly absorb the food you are eating. This process exposes the isolates to acid processing which causes the isolates to be deficient in key amino acids and also removes the fat that has needed components like phospholipids, phosphatidylserine, and cortisol and other scientific reasons that again, you can research yourself.
Your whey should be sweetened with natural sweeteners that have a low glycemic index and low carb. Do the research on your whey because the chemical sugars have fancy names that seem harmless but are not.
The whey should also contain MCT or, medium-chain triglycerides that aid in the digestion and not long-chain triglycerides which can put a lot of stress on the digestive system. Ideally the MCT would come from Coconut Oil which is one of if not the best source of MCTs.
The Whey should be free from toxic heavy metals or the lowest you can find as being completely free in our polluted environment now is very difficult to do.
Non- Whey Protein – Some people experience digestive issues with Whey and it is best to cycle on and off Whey anyways and use a vegetarian/vegan based formula that is high biodigestible. Again, it is important to look for ingredients that are pure source, organic, and processed properly. The trick here also is to make sure that the protein you are using provides all of the needed amino acids. For example, rice is low in lysine which over time will affect your body’s ability to construct protein. It is important that there is a mix of needed protein sources to provide the body with all of the amino acids to build protein.
The source should be organic, Non GMO, lightly processed, chemical free, and additive free.
Also, soy is not a good source for your body. In fact, soy should be avoided unless it is fermented and organic. Include wheat in the “to be avoided” category. The effect can be toxic for your body. That is for another article for another day.
What Look For In A Protein Power
Whey –
- Grass Fed Cows or Goats
- Cold Pressed
- Free of Pesticides, Chemicals, GMO Ingredients (Basically Organic), and Sugar
- Acid Free Processing not Acid/Ion Exchange Processing
- Protein Concentrates not Protein Isolates
- Natural Sweeteners (Lo Han Go, Stevia, Xylitol)
- Contain Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) Ideally from Coconut Oil
- Free/Lowest Level of Toxic Heavy Metals
Non Whey –
- Highly Biodigestible
- Pure Source, Organic, Properly Processed, Minimally Processed, Non GMO, No Chemicals, No Additives
- Contains Complete Amino Acid Profile (Like a mix of brown rice and pea)
- Non Soy, Non Wheat
- Natural Sweeteners
- Free/Lowest Level of Toxic Heavy Metals
*In the end it is important to do the research yourself!
Steve St. Martin
Personal Development Strategies – @stmartinpds
pinnacleathlete.com 