Whey
There are many types of protein on the market - pea, whey, soy, beef - the list goes on...even cricket protein
Whey protein is the liquid substance you find at the top of Greek yogurt. This liquid whey can be separated, filtered, and dried into a powdered form…which is the substance you’re furiously shaking around in your shaker bottle after the gym!
Well…kinda sorta. There are a few more steps. There are two main types of whey: concentrates and isolates. You can think of “concentrates” as “phase 1” and isolates as “phase 2”; while both are considered sources of whey protein...
- Concentrates come from the first step: separating whey from milk. This first step yields a combination of 60-80% protein and 20-40% fat x carbohydrate mixture.
- Isolates are taken a step further and filtered once more, ridding the extract of more roaming lactose (recall that lactose is a sugar or carbohydrate sugar naturally found in milk and milk products, like cheese or ice cream in its most naked form). This twice filtered product is ~95% protein and only 5% fat x carbohydrate mixture. These isolate forms tend to be easier to digest for those that deem themselves lactose intolerant.
FUN FACT: Pre-Meal shot of whey protein to help control blood sugar?!In those with Type 2 diabetes, drinking a small amount of weigh protein before a meal has been shown to help control blood sugars (source)..
WHEY VS. SOY
Since whey in animal based, some vegans / vegetarians prefer to consume soy proteins or other plant based proteins, like pea, instead.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition compared overweight subjects in two groups: one group consumed whey protein while the other consumed soy protein or carbohydrate drinks, like Gatorade.
The study found that overweight test subjects who were instructed to consume whey protein daily for 23 weeks had an increase in lean body mass, a reduction in fat mass, and had a greater reduction of circulating ghrelin. Ghrelin is a noteworthy hormone, often called the “hunger hormone”, because stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage
WHEY, MITOCHONDRIA, and BCAAS - OH MYYYYY!
Whey protein also contains BCAAs = Branched Chain Amino Acids. Recall that protein, as it travels through the stomach and small intestine, is snipped into smaller pieces called amino acids. So, BCAAs are protein particles found in your grub.
BCAA's increase the creation of new mitochondria in muscle tissues. The Mitochondria, if you recall from ATP (A), are the power houses of the cells and where ATP (energy!!!!!!!) is generated from both fats and carbohydrates. This in turn means increased
