As an athlete and holder of an Advanced Certification in Sports Nutrition from the American Sport & Fitness Association I am comfortable telling people that Protein should be the main focus of a healthy diet. I always remind people that the word protein itself is derived from the Greek proteios, meaning “of the first rank” and “of prime importance” – so it’s no secret that protein is key.
If I were to design what I consider a healthy diet plan, you’d see lots of protein; much from healthy food sources like meats, eggs and dairy, and also from commercialized protein powders. From my perspective protein powders offer three advantages:
- Convenience – no cooking required and minimal clean-up
- Taste – after decades, I think it’s safe to say the industry has finally flavored these powders well, and it is a pleasing taste-option
- Pureness – the “macros” (meaning the amount of protein to carbs to fats) are amazing, with protein often composing well over 90% of the net calories
…and after all my years in fitness, I can tell you that I’ve probably consumed enough protein powder to fill an ocean.
But, not all Protein Powders are created equal. This is where the concept of hydrolyzation comes in. Protein Powders, usually derived from the “whey” in milk, work by providing your body with chains of amino acids which comprise a complete protein. Once mixed and consumed these aminos (which make up the complete proteins) are broken down, digested and put to use in your body.
When Whey Protein is put through the extra step of being Hydrolyzed in the manufacturing process, it pushes the powder one-step further for you. Delivering a complete protein source more ready to deliver the component amino acids; theoretically reducing digestion time, and delivering the key nutrients to your muscles faster. From my perspective this unique form of protein supplementation delivers the benefit of doing the work of hydrolysis (breaking down protein chains) before it ever reaches your stomach!
For this reason, I always look to a Hydrolyzed protein powder at two specific usage occasions. It makes an ideal first-meal of the day. At a moment where you’re coming out of a fast from sleep, a quick moving protein gets things started perfectly. Also, Post Workout… this is a time where you’ve theoretically depleted glycogen reserves in muscles, and perhaps tapped into other energy sources. Having a protein that hits fast is tremendously valuable and Hydro Proteins are just that.
There’s that old saying that “You can’t reinvent the wheel,” – but you can make it spin better. That’s really what hydro proteins are in a good diet plan. Coming from a quality Whey source, the facts-panel may not look that much different than other proteins, but understanding the nuance of the additional refinement process creates compelling usage occasions for this powerhouse supplement.