Protein intake varies depending on a person's age, weight and labor intensity. Children and adolescents during the growth and development period, as well as pregnant or lactating women, generally have higher protein requirements. For special people in need, protein powder can be appropriately selected as a protein supplement. However, Professor Cai Donglian reminded that you must pay attention to the dosage of protein powder and take it according to the recommended intake. "Since the raw materials and processes used by various manufacturers are not exactly the same, their labels have their own recommended protein powder consumption. Users should not increase or decrease the amount at will. If you eat too little, you will not achieve the expected purpose. "Eating too much will cause waste or side effects."
Be particular about how to take it
How should you take protein powder? Professor Cai Donglian said that there are four things to pay attention to when taking protein powder.
First, don’t take it on an empty stomach. If you eat protein powder on an empty stomach, the protein powder will be consumed as a general "thermogenic food", which is a waste of valuable high-quality protein sources. Therefore, eat some other foods before or at the same time as protein powder. Protein powder can also be added to milk, soy milk, oatmeal, malted milk and other foods for consumption.
Secondly, the addition of condiments must be controlled. Protein powder can be added to a variety of foods. If you like sweet food, you can add sugar, and if you like salty food, you can add salt, but you can’t add too much. Because excessive intake of sugar and salt is bad for human health.
Third, don’t eat it with acidic drinks. Beverages such as apple juice contain organic acids. When they meet protein powder, they will form clots, affecting digestion and absorption.
Fourth, if you are taking whey protein powder, pay special attention not to overheat it. Because whey protein powder contains many active substances with special physiological functions, they are all afraid of heat and will lose their activity once heated, thus greatly reducing the biological potency. Therefore, whey protein powder cannot be cooked or boiled and can only be dissolved (mixed) in water, porridge and other foods below 40°C, and can also be consumed as a cold drink.
Four types of people should use protein powder with caution
Professor Cai Donglian emphasized that because the protein content in protein powder is very high, it must be decomposed by the liver in the body and then synthesized into the body's own tissue components. Its metabolites must be excreted in the urine through the kidneys, which may increase the burden on certain organs. Therefore, special groups of people should seek the advice of a doctor before deciding whether to consume it; if they want to increase the consumption of protein powder, they should also obtain the consent of the doctor.
Patients with liver disease should increase their protein intake appropriately due to obstacles in the liver's processing and utilization of protein. However, for patients with hepatic coma and advanced cirrhosis, supplying too much protein will increase the burden on the liver and aggravate the condition, so animal protein should be limited. And because its metabolism in the body will produce more ammonia, which can induce or aggravate hepatic coma, so these patients can choose some plant proteins rich in branched chain amino acids, especially soy protein. Because branched-chain amino acids are mainly metabolized in muscles, they have a protective effect on liver function.
Patients with kidney disease should strictly limit their protein intake, mainly protein containing 9 essential amino acids, and the amount of protein should be limited to 20-40 grams/day.
Gout patients should avoid eating protein powder with soy protein as the main ingredient. Because the purine in soybeans can cause an increase in uric acid in the body, causing or exacerbating gout.
In addition, children under three years old should not eat it. The best nutrition for babies is breast milk. If the child cannot take breast milk due to various reasons, he should choose formula milk powder corresponding to the month or age, and should not eat protein powder, because the protein composition of the latter is not suitable for young children and is not conducive to the child's digestion and absorption. It is likely to cause vomiting, diarrhea or allergies in the future.