Wednesday, May 30, 2012

WHEY PROTEIN: isolate or concentrate?





To be or not to be?  Isolate or concentrate?

Whey is one of the highest quality protein powders.  Lately, I use whey protein as part of my regular diet because my nutrition is deficient on proteins.  I am not a meat lover and my meat consumption is very limited.  I don't like milk either.  

Many years ago I was a vegetarian, I am not one anymore, but I love salads and vegetarian food.  I don't like cooking, I hate being in the kitchen and I enjoy healthy eating - how do you reconcile that?

Eating out is a necessity for me.  To make it more fun, I do a lot of social dining.  In that way, I can kill two birds with one stone:  I socialize with my friends and I eat at the same time.  But when you eat out most of the time, good nutrition becomes an issue.  For that reason, I reinforce my diet with whey and vitamins.     

Whey builds muscle, reduces body fat, it's good for high blood pressure, supports immune health and more.  The most notable difference of whey is its higher percentage of essential amino acids, and specifically, amino acid leucine, which is good to increase the synthesis of muscle protein.  It's also a great after-workout meal. 

When you buy whey protein, you may see the label isolate or concentrate.  

I like to educate myself on nutrition, but it can be confusing and frustrating. One day milk is good.  Then milk is no good.  Coffee is good. Coffee is no good, caffeine is good, caffeine is no good...and on and on with so many food products and supplements.

And guess what?  Same thing with whey protein.  Which one is better:  isolate or concentrate?  Opinions vary.

Until I bought my last isolate whey protein a couple of weeks ago, I had always read that isolate is better because it's more pure than concentrate.

But just a couple of days ago I read that Ori Hofmekler, who is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to fitness, said that isolate is inferior.  "I'm totally against whey isolate," Ori says, "I think it's just the wrong whey."   Oh yeah, just to drive me crazy. 

So, which one is better - isolate or concentrate?

At this point, I don't know.  I cannot answer that question because I have read from different reliable sources and their positions contradict each other.  And just before finishing this writing, I went online to see what else I could find and I was shocked about the myriad of articles asking my same question - isolate or concentrate?

I do know one thing, though.  I recently bought the isolate jar shown below and paid good money for it, so I intend to finish it regardless of the experts opinions. 

Whey is good and both isolate and concentrate have different benefits.  I think the important thing is to buy a high quality protein powder, and you can't go wrong.  Generic or cheap stuff- I stay away from that.  For my health I want the best.  

If we want to be healthy and live healthy, we have to eat healthy. We are what we eat.



2 comments:

  1. im not sure what the answer is and honestly I don't have much of an opinion on Whey, I always get it at LVAC in my tropic treat but other than that I'm clueless BUT I do have to tell you I LOVE your playlist on the side of your blog. I think we're kindred souls. Ahhhh I just sat here playing the three songs over and over and feeling relaxed and just enjoying it! Love your choices. See ya soon

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    1. Oh Kim, you make me laugh. I'm happy you like my music. I intended it to be automatic background music when people open the post, but got lost in the process. My blog is still work in progress. We must have the same taste for music because I also love your choices of music for your Zumba class. You have the best music. Seriously.

      Thanks for following my blog. And remember, it was YOUR blog who inspired me to have my own. See you in class on Monday.

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