Carbohydrate Absorption Enhances Added Protein

• October 31, 2018
• Sports nutrition
• Tatyana Andreeva

Every athlete knows about the benefits of protein for the human body. Protein supplements are necessary when playing any sport. With their help, athletes solve a number of problems: gain muscle mass, dry out before competitions, satisfy hunger, achieve better results and get rid of excess fat. This article will talk about carb-free protein and how to take it correctly.

Essence of Protein

Before delving into the topic, it is necessary to remember the purpose of protein. Protein is the main component of the human body after water. It is from it that living muscles, organs and tissues are formed. In addition, the body uses protein as a source of energy, breaking it down at the right time.

Protein is found in many foods: cottage cheese, meat, poultry, fish, liver milk and others. If you prepare your diet correctly, it is not difficult to provide the body with the necessary amount of the substance. But there is a problem: ordinary products contain not only proteins, but also a large amount of carbohydrates and fats, which must be limited in order to lose weight. In such a situation, the best option would be to purchase a carbohydrate-free protein. It is able to cover the protein needs of muscles without unnecessary ingredients.

It is also worth noting that the body’s protein needs when playing sports are enormous. A drying athlete's body needs two grams of the substance per kilogram of body daily. It is almost impossible to get such an amount of protein from food, and even without fats and carbohydrates.

Types of vegetable protein, which products contain it

Let's start with the most important thing: yes, protein is both plant and animal protein.
However, it should immediately be noted that not all plants and products of plant origin contain the necessary amino acids. The composition of plant protein is an organic type of compound whose cells are mainly composed of cellulose. Plant protein is the biological structure of plants, vegetables, grains, nuts, fruits and grains. In which products can you find vegetable protein with the most complete amino acid composition? We list:

• chickpeas
• hemp seeds
• chia seeds
• soybeans
• peas
• quinoa
• pumpkin seeds
• brown rice
• sunflower seeds
• Inca inchi seeds (sacha inchi, plukenetia)

All these types of plant protein can act as a complete and independent source of protein, without the need for supplementation by animals.

By and large, plant protein is very similar to animal protein, and in the composition of combined mixtures of several types of protein, the content of important amino acids is no lower, but we will talk about this later. Another thing is that getting the right amount of protein from plant foods is very difficult. For example, to get a serving of protein (20-25 grams) from nuts, you need to eat at least 100 grams of them, which is as much as 600 kcal and 50 grams of fat. An adult needs 4-5 servings of protein per day - 80-100 grams. For this purpose, they came up with protein in the form of a concentrated powder purified from fats and carbohydrates. This is an easy way to get the right amount of protein without unnecessary fats and carbohydrates.

Types of proteins by degree of purification

The initial raw materials prepared for protein isolation and purification contain a large amount of substances: fatty acids, sugars and other components.

In order to obtain the purest possible protein, special filtration methods are used:

1. Concentrates. As a result of such purification, the output is a product whose protein content ranges from 70 to 95%.
2. Isolates (isolation of the required substance using ion exchange). Allows you to obtain a supplement with a protein component from 95 to 99%.
3. Hydrolysates (carbohydrate-free protein). After such purification, the protein concentration ranges from 99 to 100%.

Harm from eating protein

Protein without carbohydrates can bring more than just benefits. There have been cases where sports protein has been harmful to health. Provoking factors are:

• Having a protein allergy. It is easy to detect: the digestive processes are disrupted. The causes of allergies are a lack of enzymes necessary for the breakdown of proteins and the presence of dysbacteriosis. Solution to the problem: reducing the dose of sports nutrition or completely abandoning it.

• Presence of kidney diseases. Protein is contraindicated for those people who already have similar diseases. As such, sports nutrition does not cause pathology, but creates a colossal load on the organs.

• Oversaturation of the body with protein. Protein is broken down in the liver, so taking a large amount of the nutrient leads to increased work of this organ. Sports nutrition is contraindicated for people who are predisposed to the appearance of stones.

• Including soy protein in a man's diet. The fact is that this product contains phytoestrogens, which are similar in action to estrogens. If a man consumes soy protein in large quantities, this leads to gluten intolerance, allergies, or signs of feminization.

Irreparable harm to health is caused by a low-quality product. High doses of heavy metals have been found in sports nutrition from some manufacturers. Therefore, you need to buy protein produced by reliable companies.

Which type is best for weight loss

The concentrate contains the smallest amount of pure protein and a significant amount of unnecessary components: lactose, carbohydrates, fats, lactoglobulin and others. This product is most often used for muscle gain, as it contains a lot of calories. When losing weight, it is used quite rarely, and only in isolated cases, mainly to replenish the required amount of substances with an almost complete exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet.

Hydrolyzate is a carbohydrate-free protein. It has a pronounced bitter taste and is not very pleasant to the taste, but the fat and carbohydrate content in this supplement is zero. It should be noted that it is highly expensive. It is because of this that athletes prefer to use isolates.

Isolate is considered a low-carbohydrate protein. This type of sports nutrition has a pleasant taste, average cost and is ideal for those who want to get dry or lose extra pounds.

Any of these types of protein can be isolated from both animal and plant fibers. The raw materials used are ordinary high-quality food products - eggs, meat, milk and its derivatives, soybeans, legumes, cereals, and so on. Whey isolate is the most popular in sports nutrition. But what about those who are lactose intolerant or vegetarian? In this case, soy protein is perfect. In terms of its properties, it is slightly inferior to other types.

Types of protein

Manufacturers offer different types of protein without carbohydrates, differing in functions, tastes and production methods.

According to the degree of purification there are:

• concentrate (degree of purification – medium);
• isolate (well-purified protein without impurities);
• hydrolyzate (partially fermented or highly purified form of protein).

The following types of industrial protein are suitable for weight loss (girls and women):

• whey (the best option due to the presence of a large number of amino acids);
• soy (the cheapest variety, therefore the most popular);
• casein (long-digesting protein that helps prevent muscle catabolism).

What is soy isolate?

This protein powder is isolated from soy and is a plant protein. It is believed that it has an incomplete amino acid composition, but this does not make it less popular. Soy isolate is not only a carbohydrate-free protein, but also a real boon for vegetarian and vegan athletes. The plant itself is unique; it contains many useful substances: protein, phosphorus, iron, potassium, calcium, B vitamins. Let us list the main beneficial properties of soy protein:

• Quickly absorbed.
• Reduces blood cholesterol levels.
• Does not contain lactose.
• Suitable for diabetics.
• Has antioxidant properties.
• Regulates female hormonal levels.
• Stimulates the production of tyrosine derivatives.
• Reasonable price.

Pureprotein soy protein

This is a protein complex from the domestic manufacturer PureProtein. The supplement helps build muscle, increases strength and adds energy. Its advantage is its low fat and carbohydrate content, as well as its reasonable price. Protein powder has a balanced amino acid composition and pleasant taste, and is also great for weight loss.

Should I take protein without carbohydrates and fat?

If a person does not know the basics of losing weight, he chooses low-calorie diets, which reduce the amount of vitamins significantly. The result of such nutrition is a sharp loss of body weight. But after leaving the diet, the weight returns to the same, or even greater, volume.

The process of losing weight in the absence of proteins occurs due to the removal of excess fluid and catabolic breakdown of muscles. Your diet needs to be balanced so that it contains plenty of protein and very few carbohydrates. In this case, excess weight is burned much faster. Protein foods slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, but optimize metabolism.

If you consume protein without sugar and carbohydrates, then the body notices a regular supply of the nutrient necessary for building muscles, and the diet does not become dangerous for it. So the weight starts to come off.

Whey protein isolate without carbohydrates is mostly suitable for girls trying to lose weight. There is also a complex protein fat burner. It is used by athletes who undergo enormous physical activity. Most manufacturers offer protein without fats and carbohydrates. The effect of consuming industrial protein needs to be increased. To do this, you need to add about 100 g of carbohydrates to each protein meal (25-50 g). The fat burning cocktail is ready. It is consumed before or after training. Don't forget about your daily diet: it should be rich in natural proteins.

How to use?

Protein supplements are taken one to three times daily. The first dose should be in the morning, the next doses would be advisable to take before/after training, depending on your sports goals and protein needs. To prepare a cocktail, mix a portion of protein (30 g) in a glass of any liquid; athletes usually use milk.

To increase the effectiveness of protein powder, experts advise combining it with other types of sports nutrition: BCAAs, L-carnitine and creatine.

How much protein do we need?

The amount of protein we need daily depends on our goals and activity level. For a person of normal weight (for a woman this is 64 kg) with a sedentary lifestyle, it is enough to consume a little more than 50 grams of protein per day.

But people who play sports have completely different protein needs. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends consuming 1.4-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day when doing strength training. Thus, an 82-pound person lifting weights should provide 115-164 grams of protein daily.

And many nutritionists talk about even more if you are seriously involved in powerlifting or bodybuilding: up to 1 gram per 0.5 kg of weight.

If you are on a diet, you will need even more protein: 2.3–3.1 g/kg body weight. For example, a person weighing over 200 pounds will need to consume 210-280 grams of protein per day to maintain muscle mass while burning fat.

The bottom line is that the more protein, the more difficult it is to get it from food, and you have to resort to protein supplements. Especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian who gets their protein from high-carbohydrate foods such as beans, rice, and quinoa. Indeed, in this case, by increasing the amount of protein, we increase the number of carbohydrates entering the body and add calories to our diet.

Thus, protein supplements are indispensable when it comes to achieving certain dietary and sports goals. They also help us out if we don’t have time to prepare certain foods.