Supplement quality has improved over the years by introducing different types of supplements made to boost muscle building, training performance, and losing fat.
Now you can get different supplements suited for different body types according to dietary restrictions and preferences easily. Even if you’re lactose-intolerant, you can get lactose free protein powder to boost your training performance without having to put your body through the adverse effects of lactose.
Neglecting the importance of taking nutrients puts your body at risk of injury and slows down the healing process required after a hard-core training session. This means that ensuring your body has the right amount of nutrients before training is of primary importance.
Even if you stick to a full-diet plan of lean-protein, vitamin-rich vegetables, fiber-rich fruits, and foods with good quality carbs, you might not see the results you train to get. This is where you will need to add protein supplements to achieve the required results and keep your body lean and strong for years to come.
A Closer Look at Protein Supplements
You might be wondering how protein supplements work. So, here’s a closer look at what they do. Protein supplements offer adequate amounts of nutrition that your body needs. Protein is a macronutrient that helps to build muscle, make enzymes and hormones, and repair tissue. In simpler words, it is the building block of your bones, skin, and muscles.
Protein helps tone muscles and repair them after a training session, thus improving your overall training results. Using protein supplements can also help in weight loss and make your body lean and strong.
Protein supplements are made from animal and plant-based sources that are processed to extract protein and remove naturally occurring carbs and fats. Protein supplements may also include herbs, nutrients, and sometimes even sweeteners.
There are many types of protein supplements that include dairy-based protein supplements, vegan protein supplements, lactose-free protein supplements, natural protein supplements, and many more. You can even get protein supplement pills based on the result you’re looking for, including protein supplements for weight loss, protein supplements for weight gain, and even on the basis of genders that include different protein supplements for women and men.
You can get your ideal protein supplements easily based on your dietary preferences or the results you are looking for easily.
Top Reasons for Taking Protein Supplements
If you’re still not convinced of the importance of taking protein supplements, here are the top 6 reasons for you to take your protein supplements seriously as a part of your daily routine.
1. Helps Manage Weight
Protein Supplements have been proven to manage weight as they help people feel fuller for longer. The feeling of being full results in smaller food portions and less snacking. This helps maintain a healthy weight and lose any excess if needed.
Whey protein is reported in 2017 research to help reduce total fat mass and body weight in obese and overweight people. It may also reduce their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The time you consume your supplements also aids in managing your weight. According to 2018 research, people who want to manage their weight with strength-training should consume protein supplements during their meals.
2. Promotes Muscle Gain
An essential component for gaining muscle is protein. Gym enthusiasts and several athletes believe that consuming protein supplements help them bulk up after strength training.
So, if you’re hitting the gym in the hope of building your body strength and increasing your size, then you should definitely take protein supplements. A 2018 research shows that protein supplements can significantly improve muscle strength and size when taken by weight-lifting adults.
The effects of protein supplements are equal in men and women; however, they might decrease with age as older people’s recommended daily intake is higher than young adults.
3. Speed Up Muscle Recovery
Protein supplements can help your body heal after a high-intensity training session. When we work out, our muscles and tissues get damaged, and we feel muscle soreness.
They need to heal for better training results, and many athletes and gym enthusiasts swear by protein supplements for speeding up the recovery.
Several studies also report that taking protein supplements can help improve muscle performance and help speed up recovery after exercise through muscle protein synthesis.
4. Provides Nutrition
People often overlook the importance of having the right amount of nutrition and find it challenging to meet the recommended amount for living a healthy life. This might be more of a concern for vegans and vegetarians as their food preferences limit their protein access.
The easy solution to this problem is protein supplements. According to 2018 research, athletes who train intensely can benefit from twice the amount of daily recommended protein intake. This ranges from 1.4 to 2 g per kg of body weight.
5. Boosts Metabolism
Getting enough protein can potentially boost your metabolism for improving caloric burn. It can significantly help you lose fat without losing muscle by reducing appetite.
This is because a high-protein diet combined with training can help build muscle and reduce excess fat since muscle burns more calories.
Thus, protein supplements can help build your muscle mass, ultimately jumpstarting your metabolism and improving caloric burn.
6. Improves Immune System
The immune system is your body’s system of fighting infections and wards off diseases. Especially this year, when the coronavirus spread worldwide, it has become critical to consume high-nutrition foods to boost your immune system.
Protein supplements significantly improve your immune system by providing the nutrition your body needs to fight infections and viruses. An inadequate diet can lead to a weaker immune system and make you sick more often, while a balanced diet full of protein can boost your immunity and protect you from diseases.
Evidence shows that taking protein supplements can reduce your chances of getting sick, as the antibodies that help fight diseases, like immunoglobulins, are made of protein. Specifically, whey protein has been proven to boost the immune system as it provides your body immunoglobulins to fight infections.
Recommended Amount of Protein for Adults
When taking protein supplements, it is important to know just how much is right for you. The daily recommended protein intake for an adult man is at least 56 grams, while it is at least 46 grams for an adult woman.
If meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are a part of your daily meals, then you would have no trouble meeting these requirements. However, if you train regularly, you need to have some extra protein to achieve optimum results.
Important Considerations
Protein should be consumed properly for effective results and no more than the recommended intake according to body type and activity. It is really important to calculate nutritional needs before using protein supplements as too much protein can result in damage.
Long-term excessive consumption of protein can lead to organ damage and might even affect the body’s bone and calcium balance. It may also lead to a lack of fiber-rich foods due to reduced hunger that can cause more harm than good.
The Right Time for Taking Protein Supplements
The exact time for taking protein supplements for achieving optimum results is unclear. Some people suggest taking it during meals, while others suggest taking it after a workout or even between meals.
Based on the 2018 research findings, taking protein supplements with meals is more effective for managing weight and losing excess fat rather than taking them between meals.
These results conflict with the findings of 2014 research that taking protein supplements after a training session improves protein synthesis among those who follow a reduced-calorie diet.
A study from 2017 suggests that athletes taking part in resistance and endurance training can benefit the most by taking protein supplements right before or after a workout.
Interestingly, what matters the most for people is having enough protein in their diet rather than its timing. So, make sure you have the right amount of protein daily either through protein-rich foods or protein supplements.
The Bottom-line
Protein supplements have become a necessary element for people who want to achieve better training results, build muscle, and lose excess fat. While the benefits of protein supplements are yet to measure up to the protein your body gets from actual food, they come close to second place.
A balanced diet, proper fitness plan, and regular intake of protein supplements can help you build your body, so it is lean, strong, and fit. It may also help fulfill your daily nutritional requirements if your diet does not have as much protein as recommended for adults.
We hope this article helped you realize the importance of taking protein supplements to improve your training results. Let us know in the comments below what else you think is necessary for better results after training. We would love to hear from you!
Author’s Bio
Alex Green is a copywriter with 3 years of experience. He is fond of healthy living and knows everything about home improvement. In his spare time, Alex likes walking with his golden retriever, meeting with friends, and attending the gym.