Every now and then, some news agency reports that whey (or some other supplement) is useless. Most of the time it’s based on 1 (ignorant) nutritionist’s opinion.
True, the vast majority of supplements are expensive, worthless, and simply don’t work (here’s my list of supplements to DO work).
But whey ain’t one of them. That I can say for sure!
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MuscleHacker Tony shared this story with me on my facebook (follow me).
The “geniuses” over at MSN said this…
“PROTEIN POWDER: SKIP IT AND EAT BEANS, TOFU, NUTS, FISH, OR MEAT INSTEAD.”
“Marketed as necessary for weight gain and muscle building, protein is one of the best-selling supplements in the US. On the one hand, protein is good for you — it helps build muscles.
But most Americans get plenty of protein in their diets. In fact, most of us get too much. Meat, fish, beans, tofu, and nuts are rich in protein.”
Where do they get these people? This is their original article.
I was waiting on some sort of proof to be offered. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t come. There are 2 things they just don’t get.
(1) HIGHER PROTEIN NEEDS FOR LIFTERS
Of course they don’t mention that protein requirements are higher for lifters – much higher.
The daily protein requirements for non-lifters/sedentary people is actually quite low – that much is true. But I’m assuming that if you’re buying whey, it’s because you workout – and that’s a whole different ball game.
When you lift, you have torn muscle fibers – pretty much every day (even if you don’t lift every day).
Let’s say you use a full-body routine 3 days per week (like I do – here it is). You are producing micro-tears in every single muscle in your body 3 times a week. Since it will take up to 48hrs for the repair and growth process to complete, and since your body needs protein to do it, don’t you think that you might need more protein than the sedentary guy? No doubt about it!
Most of that daily protein is going to be used to repair all that damaged muscle tissue, then a little is used for growing thicker muscle fibers. This is how much protein you need per day to build muscle. And this high level is needed when ‘lean gaining‘ and when you are focusing on getting shredded. It makes no difference.
Now….another issue the MSN geniuses didn’t think of.
(2) PROTEIN QUALITY
They advise throwing away your whey and eating tofu and beans. My friends, these are not good sources of protein for building muscle. In fact, they’re kinda crap.
There are 2 issues regarding protein – its completeness and bio-availability.
The more complete (more amino acids) the better. The higher the bioavailability score, the better for building muscle.
Taking these 2 issues into account, whey scores the highest. Whey protein is the highest quality on the planet. That’s not my opinion. That’s a rock-solid fact!
Eggs score a 100. Whey scores from 100-159 in bioavailability.
Tofu scores a 64, and beans come in at a rather pathetic 49.
This is not how to eat to build muscle, guys! For more on this issue and the full rankings of many different types of proteins, see my post ‘The Top 5 Sources of Protein For Building Muscle‘.
Tofu & Beans are not good sources of protein for building muscle. Here's why Click To Tweet
So their advice was…
SKIP WHEY AND EAT BEANS, TOFU, NUTS, FISH, OR MEAT INSTEAD.
But the truth is…
SKIP BEANS AND TOFU AND EAT WHEY, EGGS, FISH, MEAT, AND MILK.
AND THAT’S A FACT.
My highly recommended protein manufacturer is MyProtein. They have never failed any quality tests and their whey now comes with a big ‘Labdoor’ sticker on the front as it has been tested and meets the high standards of Labdoor.
Use code MUSCLEHACK at checkout to receive 10% off your total order…and use these links.
Isopure in the US is also a great whey.
Mark McManus
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- I also recommend to US readers this Optimum Nutrition whey (and here's a low-carb whey)
- And this quality, inexpensive creatine ~ Mark McManus
I have a vegan friend who tells me a lot to switch to tofu and soy products for my protein needs. He thinks all protein is the same. I gotta show him this!
Hey Mark – Thanks for the info on the MSN article. People need to know about their FALSE information. You left out one of the most very important factors thought – Tofu is made from Soybeans and, here in the US, 90% of all soy beans are GMO. This means you are consuming Roundup! Go figure. The MSN article was probably sponsored by Monsanto! lol
@Rob. That’s a good point, buddy.
Soy for men is not a good idea in general. Below is just an example: https://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/11/2584.abstract
TL;DR “CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that higher intake of soy foods and soy isoflavones is associated with lower sperm concentration.”
@Bryan. Yep. I’ve come across this type of research before. Frightening stuff!
Amazing, this is a massive problem with the internet, people writing stuff with 0 proof, unfortunately on a site like MSN people will uncritically read this stuff and take is as fact.
Although I have seen figures that show that the average, SEDENTARY, American gets sufficient protein in their diet (a double whopper with cheese contains 48g protein so I can believe this).
I tend to think the more advanced you get, the more it matters. Largely because one needs to use their calories wisely to handle consistently heavy volume without getting that pear shaped physique.
Newbies seem to get away with a lot more in terms of less protein or poor quality protein, as half of those newbie gains you get when you start out are just liquid and glycogen 😀 Pushing further towards genetic limits of lean mass gain means an approach that is conducive to maximal lean mass repair and regeneration.
I’m a complete dinosaur who has never eaten tofu, although 4-6 eggs a day is regular. Am I missing much? 😛