The protein debate has been going on for decades… without a universal scientifically accepted optimal amount.
If you’ve heard of or use my Nutritional Typing program, you already know your body’s needs are unique and will be affected by whether you are a Protein type, Carb type, or Mixed type.
Why You May Need More Protein than Your Neighbor or Spouse
Your protein needs vary according to activity level as well as your Nutritional Type.
Laboratory measurements show that daily protein requirements increase for active individuals. Protein requirements for active people can be up to 100 percent higher than those for sedentary individuals (1.6-1.8 g/kg of body weight vs. 0.8 g/kg).
Which means this…
A typical adult weighing 150 pounds needs 88 grams of protein per day, which translates to approximately 30 grams per meal. That amount increases to 115 grams (about 40 grams per meal) for someone who weight-trains.
Many athletes report eating even more than this 115-gram level – which may indicate that the amount they feel is needed to maximize athletic performance is actually higher than 115 grams.
Current data suggests that protein needs are higher not only for active individuals, but also for anyone fitting these categories:
- Children and teens who are still growing
- Dieters
- Vegetarians
- Anyone with less-than-optimal muscle strength
- The elderly
Avoid Relying on RDA Levels as Your Only Guide
You probably already know that I’m a huge advocate of a healthy, active lifestyle. The benefits of exercise have been well documented for a long time.
Exercise is a crucial component of good health, especially as you age. It will help you:
- Sleep better
- Maintain your optimal weight
- Support your immune system
- Manage your optimal blood sugar levels and rate of cell division
- Support your cardio-pulmonary system
- Maintain a healthy, bright disposition
- Assist your brain in working better, making you smarter
Unfortunately, the government’s current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein makes no differentiation in ideal protein levels for active versus inactive people.
Therefore, the current recommended protein intake could be sub-optimal for you--especially if you are a regular exerciser or athlete.
Much of the data collected on physically active people since the time the RDAs were first published suggests that regular physical activity does increase protein needs.
How Much Does Exercise Intensity Matter?
It’s been known for fifty years that inadequate energy intake increases your protein needs… because your body ‘steals’ protein from itself to supply its energy needs. As you increase exercise intensity and duration, especially with strength training, your body uses more protein, presumably as an auxiliary fuel.
This is also true if your energy deficit is caused by nothing more than your increased energy usage during exercise.
Based on nitrogen balance experiments, heavy resistance (strength) training seems to increase protein need by 100%. Isotope tracer studies suggest that the increased need is not due to increased fuel use, but to the changes in the muscle protein synthesis rate and the need to maintain greater overall muscle mass.
Do You Feel Weaker After Exercise, While Others Feel Stronger?
Do you want increased strength, rock hard, tightly defined muscles, a slender waist, and a highly energetic lifestyle?
If you do, strength training is essential to your fitness regimen. Exercise alone will not make you strong. If it did, marathon runners would all have large muscles.
The stimulus that makes muscles larger and stronger is stretching them while they contract. When you lift a heavy weight, your muscles do just that – they start to stretch before contracting. This stresses your muscles and causes their soreness the next day. If you rest a day and let them heal, they’ll be stronger than before you trained.
In one study, obese non-athletic women were instructed to lift weights while on a restricted diet. They averaged a 35-pound weight loss in three months, and gained substantial muscle along the way.
Be Careful – Massive Difference in Protein Quality
What’s the Right Protein for You?
You need the right proteins delivered in the most effective way to guarantee peak benefits from head to foot.
Here are some great food sources of high-quality protein:
- Poultry: If you remove the skin, you'll benefit from a good protein source without saturated fat.
- Beef: Ideally grass-fed and organic, beef is an excellent source of protein.
- Eggs: From free-range organic chickens and consumed raw or lightly cooked.
- Beans and Legumes: Containing the most protein found in any vegetable, you can't go wrong with beans. In addition, they're a great source of fiber that'll help you feel full without overeating.
- Nuts: Eaten in moderation, nuts offer a lot of protein power in a very small package.
But one of the easiest and quickest ways I've found to make sure I'm getting the best supply of high-quality protein in my daily diet is to supplement with an all-natural whey protein powder.
Whey protein powder will refuel your body with critical amino acids, micro-nutrients and cofactors you need to maintain optimal health.
Why this is the Superstar of Proteins…
Whey protein is considered by many to be the superstar of proteins -- nature's richest source of biologically active protein and one of the world’s oldest ‘health foods.’
What makes it so special?
Several things…
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Whey protein is easy to digest and very bioavailable to your body. It's an extremely efficient protein. As such, it's digested so rapidly that it increases the refueling speed of your muscles during that critical time just following your workout. |
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Whey protein is rich in the amino acids critical for developing and sustaining new muscle mass. It contains every essential amino acid, plus some of the non-essential ones. |
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Whey provides more Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) than any other protein source. The BCAAs are leucine (mentioned above), valine and isoleucine. These make up one third of the amino acid profile of your muscles. The BCAAs’ most important job is to assist in synthesizing other amino acids that muscle building requires, including glutamine. |
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Whey supports your immune system by raising levels of glutathione – a tiny molecule that’s found in every cell as its ‘master’ antioxidant and detoxifier. It is one of your body's best-kept secrets in the war against free radicals and the normal signs of aging. |
Whey is often considered ‘King’ of the proteins, and therefore can claim ‘Most Valuable’ status in muscle building.
Truly High-Quality Whey Protein Powder is Hard to Find
In fact, it can be downright impossible.
Perhaps you've done what I've done, and tried just about every brand out there... and you also questioned the same sorts of things I did:
- What are all those random ingredients?
- How do I know it contains the best proteins I really need?
- Why does it contain so many artificial sweeteners?
- How can I determine where the protein powder came from (e.g., are the cows grain-fed or grass-fed, hormonally-treated or organic, and so on)?
- What's the difference between heat and cold processing and how does it affect the protein powder?
- Should I choose protein isolates or a concentrate?
- ... and the questions go on and on!
What's the most challenging part of finding a quality whey protein powder? Most brands out there don't actually give you answers to any of these questions.
That's why it's important for you to know why...
Not All Whey Powders are Equal
In my research, I've learned a tremendous amount about the available whey protein powders on the market. I was shocked by what I discovered and I think you will be, too.
For starters, many commercially-available whey protein powders are significantly damaged and nutritionally deficient due to over-processing and because the original source of the whey is compromised.
That means before you've even opened the container, quality may be less-than-desirable. And that's just not right. That's why I created a list that compares do's and don'ts when choosing a quality whey protein powder.
Do yourself a favor... Check out this list and make sure you're buying a whey protein powder that has all eight of these qualities needed to be a real winner...
The 7 Essentials to Look For in Your Whey Protein Powder
- All-natural, grass-fed cows' whey, NOT pesticide-treated, grain-fed cows' whey
Compared to grain-fed cows, grass-fed cows produce whey that:
- Is nutritionally superior to grain-fed
- Contains an impressive amino acid and immuno-supportive nutrient profile
- Is rich in healthy fats--lipolic acid and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)
- Hormone-free Cows, NOT hormonally-treated cows
Many American dairy farmers inject the hormone rBGH in dairy cows to increase milk production. This hormone has been linked to serious disease and illness, including cancer. I recommend that you choose whey made from hormone-free cows.
- Cold processed, NOT heat processed
Most whey is heat processed which:
- Makes the whey acidic and nutritionally deficient
- Damages the immuno-supportive micronutrients and amino acids
- Makes whey less-than-optimal for nutrition
Cold processed whey protects the nutrients in their natural state.
- Acid-free processing, NOT Acid / Ion Exchange Processing
Acid / Ion Exchange Processing is cheaper than acid-free processing, but it denatures the amino acid profiles by using acids and chemicals to separate the whey from the fats.
- Whey protein concentrate, NOT protein isolates
Protein isolates are proteins stripped away from their nutritional cofactors. There are three problems with that...
- All isolates are exposed to acid processing.
- Your body cannot assimilate proteins in isolated form.
- Due to over-processing, isolates are deficient in key amino acids and nutritional cofactors.
- Sweetened naturally, NOT artificially, and low carb
Most whey products are artificially sweetened making them less-than-optimal if you have sugar sensitivities, or just don't want to put artificial sweeteners or flavors into your body.
I recommend that your whey be low glycemic, low carb and not contain any artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohol, glycerin, fructose, sugar or gluten.
- Maximum biological value, NOT compromised or damaged
Most whey proteins provide some benefit. But, due to the ingredients, the source of the whey, the concentration of beneficial nutrients, or the type of processing, many whey products simply don't deliver what they promise.
You want whey that's guaranteed to retain its maximum biological value -- one with all the key amino acids, cofactors and beneficial micronutrients present and intact rather than compromised or damaged, and not missing any amino acids or essential nutrients.
The One Major Drawback of Whey Protein Powder…
There is a significant drawback of whey protein, as it’s usually consumed as a drink. And that’s the matter of convenience.
While it’s not difficult to use whey protein powders like our Mercola Protein Powder and it’s simple and convenient enough when you’re at home… it’s often not convenient to use it immediately following your workout – which is an optimal time to consume your exceptionally high-quality protein.
…And How We Erased that Disadvantage
I was convinced there had to be an extremely convenient way to get all the nutritional advantages of whey protein – whether you’re an elite athlete or weekend warrior, or you just want the convenience of high-quality, take-along protein to meet your needs during a normal busy week.
So my team collaborated to bring you…
Whey protein in the form of a super-delicious and ultra-convenient chocolate bites, called Whey Bites. Whey Bites come in three different varieties: Whey Bites with Cocoa Nibs, Whey Bites with Almonds and Whey Bites with Supercrunch
They're so delicious I quickly consumed all the samples our supplier sent us!
Dark Chocolate Tempts Your Taste Buds While it Builds Your Health
Emerging evidence during the past decade supports the health benefits of resveratrol... to the point of becoming one of my favorite antioxidants.
Resveratrol is a very potent antioxidant compound produced by certain fruits and vegetables including grapes, raspberries, mulberries, and peanuts.
Realizing that chocolate also comes from a plant (theobroma cacao tree) whose fruit produces cocoa beans, you may not be surprised at the scientific findings about it.
In fact, scientists report dark chocolate, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder all contain significant levels of resveratrol.
This potent antioxidant is somewhat different from the rest. It not only helps you neutralize free radicals, but can also cross your blood-brain barrier to help protect your brain and nervous system.
In vitro studies suggest that resveratrol may increase the lifespan in human cells.
Plus, resveratrol benefits you by how it...
- Helps protect your cells from free radical damage
- Helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range
- Promotes your healthy heart and cardiovascular system
- Helps improve your blood vessel elasticity
- Helps promote healthy cell growth activity
- Supports your body's natural defense system
In addition, it's important for you to understand there are 2 different forms of resveratrol -- "cis" and "trans." Both may be blended together in certain foods.
The difference between the two forms is the result of their molecular structure, and involves organic chemistry nomenclature.
However, the most researched form of resveratrol that provides you enhanced health benefits is trans-resveratrol. This is the form of resveratrol found in dark chocolate.
So, now you see why I strongly recommend dark, unprocessed chocolate as part of your selection criteria.
Other types of chocolate, including milk chocolate, potentially process out most or all of your antioxidant benefits.'
The ‘Forbidden’ Side of Chocolate… (Death by Chocolate Revisited)
One major problem with chocolate is its high sugar content. You see, pure dark unprocessed chocolate is quite bitter. That’s why most chocolate manufacturers load up on the sugar to decrease the natural ‘bite’ of chocolate.
Not only will all this sugar make you very susceptible to weight gain…It can also wreak havoc on many other areas of your health – making you vulnerable to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes… which in turn can lead to a host of other problems.
Not exactly good news for chocolate lovers…
Best Tasting Healthy Option to Sugar
But cheer up. There’s a silver lining to this issue. And a pretty sweet one (in the good sense of sweet) at that…
There’s a new sweetener on the block. And it’s one that’s completely natural, and doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels when you eat it.* It’s called Luo Han.
Luo Han is a cousin of the cucumber and a member of the gourd family. It’s cultivated in the Guangxi Province of southern China. The Chinese use these dried fruits in daily life year round for drinks, teas, soups, candies, cakes and crackers.
Luo Han extract has been used traditionally in China for centuries. But what brought it to the attention of American food manufacturers was the discovery of a secret locked in the fruit extract – called mogrosides.
The Secret of Mogrosides
As it happens, mogrosides are 300 times sweeter than sucrose, but contain hardly any calories and don’t spike your blood sugar.
These mogrosides are part of a group of compounds called triterpene glycosides. They taste sweet, but your body treats them differently than carbohydrates. Insulin levels don’t rise… they aren’t broken apart to produce energy… and you can’t gain weight from them.
Yet they’re not like artificial sweeteners which are only designed for taste, and contain potentially deadly ingredients and additives.
Luo Han is being investigated for potential health promoting qualities like its potential ability to help support already-normal blood sugar levels, heart health, and cell division rates.
This is great news for anyone looking to stay away from sugar. Because we used Luo Han instead of other sweeteners that are known to raise blood sugar, you can enjoy Whey Bites without worrying.
But in reality, it’s great news for everyone. You don’t want to mess around with foods that raise your blood sugar, period.
Cold Processed Makes this Chocolate Close to Raw
Highly processed chocolate, no matter where it’s purchased, compromises its great health benefits.
If you’ve been on my site, you know how much I advocate eating raw unprocessed foods as much as possible. Any time you raise the temperature above 118 degrees F on foods, they are no longer raw and living. And the molecular structure of your food completely changes.
The net result is that health benefits in their various forms – antioxidants, amino acids, and more – disappear whenever your chocolate (or anything else) is highly processed.
To preserve the natural benefits of the chocolate and whey, Whey Bites are cold-processed, with a temperature of below 45 degrees C (113 degrees F). So you can be confident that your bars contain the bioavailable nutrients that you expect to receive. No compromise.
You get whole food based nutrition in a minimally processed but very convenient package.
Other protein bars, chocolate bars, and energy bars on the market are refined and highly processed….
Still others contain potentially toxic ingredients that I hope you don’t want to put into your body.
What Hidden Demons Lurk in YOUR Protein Bar?
What we left out of Whey Bites could very well be just as important as what we included. Many protein bars are loaded up with hidden health menaces.
On a visit to a local health food store, my team discovered bars with many risky ingredients.
What sorts of health traps did they find? More than you might expect…
- Soy. Many protein bars contain soy, either as their dominant or secondary source of protein. The soy industry’s media blitz has been so phenomenally successful that nearly everyone has been brainwashed into thinking soy is actually healthy.
Enlightened consumers avoid unfermented soy because it contains:
- High levels of phytic acid, which reduces assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc – and is known to cause growth problems in children.
- Trypsin inhibitors interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders.
- Phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and can potentially cause fertility problems and breast cancer.
- The processing of soy protein forms a toxin, lysinolalanine, and a carcinogen, nitrosamines. Soy also has high aluminum levels, which are toxic to your nervous system and kidneys.
Furthermore, soy increases your requirements for vitamin D and B12… and hinders thyroid function, making it extremely challenging to lose weight, besides other problems.
Worse yet, soy is one of the world’s most genetically modified products.
The bottom line? In my opinion, soy is NOT a health food. Soy’s media hype only makes you believe it is.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup. Almost every sweetener skews your blood sugar levels. But some are far worse than that.
My team found three name brands – yes, even in the health food store! – that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
HFCS is a highly processed product that contains similar amounts of unbound fructose and glucose. HFCS is an extremely unhealthy product… it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar. Most fructose is consumed in liquid form, greatly magnifying its negative metabolic effects.
Fructose is a fuel source that your liver converts to fat and cholesterol. More than 35 years of hard empirical evidence show that refined man-made fructose metabolizes to triglycerides and adipose tissue.
It can also disturb your body’s appetite regulators, causing you to gain weight. I believe HFCS is at the root of the huge obesity and diabetes crisis today.Whey Bites were designed to give you the nutritious protein of whey in the convenience of a bite-sized medallion and with a touch of premium dark chocolate.
- Avoid these sugars that are perceived as “healthy.” Sugar can contribute to a long list of health problems. Elevated insulin levels are the foundation of many chronic diseases, so you are wise to watch your intake of sweeteners.
But be careful!
Many sweeteners in processed foods masquerade as healthy… while still risking your health by raising your blood sugar levels.
Here are some popular ones I believe you should stay away from:
Agave nectar. Labeled a ‘natural’ sweetener by the FDA. Just because a product is called natural doesn’t mean it IS natural.
Agave nectar is a highly processed incredibly concentrated form of fructose. It passes through a centrifuge process several times at high temperatures until it is finally converted into – get this – high fructose.
By the time processing is complete it’s far from the natural product its proponents claim it is. In fact, it can contain as much as 90% fructose – way more than HFCS’s 55% level. Because it’s fructose, it’s metabolized directly by the liver. Agave nectar is linked to the same diseases as HFCS.
Evaporated cane juice. One hundred grams of cane juice is pretty much the same as 100 grams of other sweeteners, no matter what you call it. Just because it sounds like a whole food doesn’t mean it does not still have all the negative effects of sugar. You’re not doing your health any favors with evaporated cane juice.
Brown rice syrup. Brown rice syrup is another culprit that has a ‘healthier’ sound – but it is far from healthy. In my opinion, you should stay away from it. Besides, it’s known to contain MSG (see below).
No matter what the sweetener, I recommend you stick to a protein bar with very low amounts of sugar – and choose a bar containing a sweetener that won’t give you ‘sugar shock.’ One of the bars my team researched had a whopping 24 grams of sweeteners.
- Fats Used in Bars Can Ruin Them
Polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to use in cooking or to put in a protein bar. These oils are highly susceptible to heat damage because of all the double bonds they have.
Heating oil destroys the antioxidants, oxidizing them. This causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans fats.
Corn, soy, and safflower oil contribute to the overabundance of omega-6 fats in your diet, and the imbalance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive consumption of omega-6 fats contributes to many health concerns.
There is only one oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage is coconut oil.
Medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs) are one of the healthiest choices for these bars.* Most other edible oils on the market today are comprised of the long-chain fatty acids mentioned above,
MCTs have many health benefits, including raising your body's metabolism, supporting your immune system, and supporting thyroid function, heart health, and digestive health.*
We use the highest quality virgin coconut oil as a source of the MCT. This oil is very stable, with a shelf life of over two years – and does not oxidize and break down quickly like other oils, even during cooking.
Alkalized cocoa. Raw cocoa has a somewhat bitter and acidic taste. In the 19th century, Dutch chocolate makers discovered they could treat cocoa powder with alkaline salts to reduce the bitterness.
This is now known as ‘the Dutching process’ or ‘processing with alkali.’ Alkalized cocoa provides fewer antioxidants than natural cocoa because the alkali processing destroys some of the cocoa bean’s natural flavanols.
In essence, alkalized cocoa is chocolate stripped of some of its natural goodness and healthful qualities.
Please be sure and make sure the protein bar you select avoids alkalized cocoa just like Miracle Whey does.
- Avoid MSG. MSG is not a natural or health food by any stretch of the imagination. It can serve as an excitatory toxin and actually harm your brain cells. Clearly this is something that needs to be avoided
As it pertains to protein bars and energy bars, MSG can hide in the following ingredients … (In the spirit of fairness, these items don’t contain MSG 100% of the time, but they often do.)
| Barley malt |
Malt extract |
| Rice syrup |
Brown rice syrup |
| Gelatin |
Calcium caseinate |
| Corn syrup and corn syrup solids (unless stated as MSG-free) |
Cornstarch |
| Carageenan |
Modified food starch |
| Xanthin gum |
Maltodextrin |
| Citric acid (when processed from corn) |
Isolates |
And though it may not be easy to avoid them, we're helping your efforts with our pure Whey Bites.
Why Bites Stand Head and Shoulders Above the Competition
Whey Bites were designed to give you the nutritious protein of whey in the convenience of a bite-sized medallion and with a touch of premium dark chocolate.
You could rightly call it a ‘good’ temptation.
Why? Because it can help build your health while providing you with a delicious chocolate experience.
The ‘Big Ten’
Why are Fair Trade Ingredients Important?
The vast majority of commercial chocolate is produced in Africa by children and adults who are essentially slaves to their employers, and where human rights abuse is rampant.
Fair trade is a worldwide effort to build trading relationships between consumers in developed countries and producers in developing countries. This means that:
- Producers receive a guaranteed price for their goods
- They have the security of long-term trading contracts
- They have guaranteed minimum health and safety conditions
- Workers, their workplaces, and the environment are not exploited
- Education and training opportunities are made available to producers – especially women and children
Just look at these ten big benefits it gives you to help promote optimal wellness:
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Excellent amounts of high-quality whey protein – 20% protein (10 grams per serving), in the super-bioavailable form of whey. Provides valuable protein to encourage muscle development and endurance, optimize weight, support your immune system, and much more. |
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Top of the line organic chocolate sourcing, free of pesticides, mold, and other additives. Never alkalized. You get cold processed pure chocolate. Chocolate the way it’s supposed to be. |
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Low temperature processing preserves all nutrients in their natural state for maximum absorption by your body.* |
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Avoids sugar shock – is low glycemic, contains no HFCS, other fructose, sugar alcohol, sugar… Uses Luo Han sweetener which does not cause blood sugar spikes. Therefore can be enjoyed by anyone concerned about sugar intake and glucose levels, or weight management. |
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Contains no binders. |
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Contains no isolates – just whole food nutrition, as nature provided it. |
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Water-soluble fiber added. |
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Contains no dangerous oils – just pure healthful coconut oil. |
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Contains absolutely no soy. |
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Is Fair Trade certified. |
Who should enjoy Whey Bites?
- Elite athletes and weekend warriors alike
- Children and teens who are still growing
- Dieters
- Vegetarians
- Anyone strength training and looking for an alternative to a whey protein shake
- The elderly
And you!
TASTE FOR YOURSELF - RISK FREE!
I could tell you again and again how wonderful Whey Bites are.
But why not give it your own personal test drive?
This is the first of its kind on the market. A large supply of high-quality health-building whey protein with a touch of premium dark chocolate, perfect for promoting youthfulness (based on its antioxidant content), muscle building and exceptional personal wellness.*