The protein powder industry has been dominated by the men for years, but in recent years has seen a MASSIVE growth in the number of powders available for women.
The title may be quite shocking for some women, but for some, on the other hand, it’s quite obvious. Yes, ladies also need protein! And this is even more important when they are on a diet or exercising. Many of them, however, would think, that they don’t need proteins supplementation and that it’s only good for ‘gym-maniac’ men.
Why women should take whey protein?
Women, like all mammals, do need protein. There is however, either a lack of sufficient knowledge or a common belief that women don’t really need them. That as long as they’re not hungry, they’re ok. Not to mention protein supplementation. Yes, ordinary woman needs them less than ordinary man. That’s true. And this may be the source of that common belief mentioned earlier. What ladies forget about is, that when it comes to exercising andor dieting their protein demand simply isn’t fulfilled. It’s because either muscles require more proteins for recovery or, when cutting back on calories, proteins intake goes down as well.
Lower proteins intake leads to reduced muscle mass. When ladies may think they don’t need a lot of muscles, let me just remind them that muscles are the cells that burn calories! Oh, yes ladies! And when there are less muscles, less calories are burnt. I think you know where I’m heading to. This combined with slowed down metabolism caused by low- calories diets leads to yo-yo effect. For those who didn’t know that – now you do! I’m not trying to tell you that you shall ‘bulk up’ not to be fat. You shall provide enough proteins for the body to be able to keep muscles despite lower calories intake. Unfortunately the first thing your body does when it’s starving, is getting rid of muscles, as they burn calories. Fat doesn’t… And when you’re exercising, especially to ‘tone up’, and you don’t provide enough proteins, your body sacrifices one muscles group to rebuild another one on one day, just to ‘bite’ it to rebuild the first one on another day. And now we can go to supplementation.
Some women, as long as they provide sufficient amount of proteins, will be absolutely fine without supplementation. Although in many cases it’s required, some ladies are afraid of protein supplementation, as they think they would ‘bulk up’ just as those iron-pumping men. No worries ladies, you won’t! Just look at those body building females. They work as hard and eat almost as much as body building males and, it’s safe to write, that the best of women simply cannot compete with the middle shelf of male body builders. Women simply don’t have hormones men have and they aren’t meant to get really big! It’s nature! It’s also worth considering proteins supplementation because of other benefits it brings.
What whey supplemnts are suitable for ladies?
Whey protein is one of the most popular protein supplement available. It’s derived from milk and is full of amino acids required by the body every day. Although whey protein supplements are mostly consumed by men and often thought of as men-business, those supplements are pretty much unisex. It means both men and women can consume them. You can often find separate usage guidelines for women and men on the tins. On the top of that, there are some women-orientated whey protein supplements available. These supplements usually have less protein content per serving and are enriched in folic acid, iron and vitamin B6.
So what are other benefits of whey protein First of all, it’s a very fast absorbing type of proteins, what is crucial when exercising, as muscles deteriorate during them and require nutrients to recover. Furthermore, as it’s already been mentioned, when on a low calorie diet, your muscles are reduced first! It means your weight goes down, but you don’t really lose fat. And it can end up with quick body fat increase when off the diet. As proteins help maintaining muscle tissue they actually help in loosing weight or, to be more precise, body fat. The ultimate goal! And remember ladies, to lose weight (body fat) it is required you need to have negative calories intake, meaning you either eat less or burn more calories than you consume (this means exercising).
Whey protein shakes can be beneficial for another reason. They can be consumed as, pretty much, a meal. Whey protein supplements are usually very low in carbohydrates (the main reason for putting on weight) and fat. The shake fills up your stomach and helps fighting off hunger, stopping you from eating anything else. Of course those supplements are additional calories, therefore they need to be calculated in your diet plan, otherwise they can lead to positive calories intake and, in effect, weight gain.
Another benefit is the convenience. It takes a minute to prepare a protein rich ‘meal’. Whey protein shakes can also be used to treat yourself – either consume it straight, as there are loads of various flavours available, or use it as a base for desserts – mix it with bananas or strawberries or add it to dough and make pancakes, cookies etc.
Whey protein also boosts up immune system. It helps increasing glutathione levels what, in effect, helps in body detoxification. As derived from milk, whey protein is also a source of calcium – a very important element in women’s diet, as lack or deficiency of calcium may lead to osteoporosis.br Although whey protein is so beneficial it won’t build muscles on its own. Exercises are still required to ‘tone up’ or build nice and round buttocks. Nevertheless, whey protein can increase fat burning effects of exercising.
To sum everything up, ladies whey protein supplements are good for you as well. There are many benefits of using whey protein like improving weight (actually body fat) loss, toning up your body or health maintenance. Don’t be afraid of gaining men-like muscle mass – nature didn’t want you go this way, therefore despite efforts, women don’t gain large muscle easily. If someone you know already takes whey protein supplements = simply give it a try or buy some online.
