Good Protein Drinks For Athletes

Everyone has seen the flashy ads of the elite athlete chugging a sport drink after he or she has completed his workout. While many of these are too intense for the average exerciser or the weekend warrior, there are other choices that can be made. Choosing a good protein drink can be fairly simple: make sure that you are choosing your protein sports drink by the right ingredients and your individual protein needs.

If you are drinking sports drinks to enhance performance, increase endurance and to aid in muscle recovery after your workout is done, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right one, because the wrong drink can actually cause more problems.

A Protein/Carbohydrate Drink for Athletes

Science and research changes what is recommended as new information is discovered. Recent research that has been done by John Berardi of Precision Nutrition, in conjunction with researchers at Gettysburg College and the University of Western Ontario, and published in BioMed Central in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, has shown a distinct advantage when athletes are given a sports drink that has both protein and carbohydrates. The benefits can be huge and includes faster recovery after exercise, a 22-34% increase in glycogen recovery, a decrease in muscle fatigue and soreness and increased vigor and increased sports performance. (Source: Landas, 2010)

These sports drinks may not be good for the light exerciser and may have too many calories or too much protein. However, for the elite athlete, especially those that are involved in endurance sports (the research was conducted with distance cyclists), the results are encouraging for the use of protein in sports drinks.

Other Options

For those who are not elite athletes but would still like to have a good protein drink to use after their own exercise program, there are a number of other options. In addition to buying pre-made protein drinks, you can use protein supplement powder and mix your own, a good option if you need to control the calories and additional ingredients in your drinks. There are four options for protein powder: whey, soy, rice and egg. Each of these have their own advantages and disadvantages, so you have to decide based on how common they are, the expense, your own dietary needs and potential allergy problems.

Whey protein powder is derived from milk and may not be appropriate for those who are lactose intolerant, especially in its most common form, the whey protein concentrate. The whey protein isolate is more specialized and has less lactose, but could still prove to be problematic to those with severe milk allergies. Of the four powders, whey protein is the most common and is the ingredient used by most brands on the market. Whey and whey protein powders have a number of benefits, including boosting the immune system, being an optimal source of amino acids, including the essential amino acids, and having the ability to enhance muscle recovery after workouts. Whey protein may also prevent muscle breakdown.

Soy protein powder is derived from soy flour and can be either a concentrate or an isolate. Like whey protein, soy protein is more effective as an isolate. Soy is one of the four protein powders that is suitable for vegans.

Egg protein powder is created from egg whites, the perfect protein source. It is fat free but is high in a number of additional amino acids, including alanine, argine, glycine and methane.

Rice protein powder is created from the isolated protein of brown rice. It is hypoallergenic and, along with soy protein powder, is suitable for vegans. (Source Segounis, 2010)

Before you make a choice for any of these protein powders, consider how you will be using them. In most cases, you should use an electric blender to make sure that the powder is completely dissolved and blended for the best taste. While there are small, portable mixers for this exact purpose, it is generally easier to mix the protein drink and put into a container to bring along with you. Make sure that you are reading the ingredients carefully, since not all protein powders are single ingredient. Commercial protein may also have more calories than you would like to have per serving, a consideration that you need to have in mind.

Finally, you might be shocked that many sports nutritionists and dietary experts have one more protein drink suggestion for those who are engaged in moderate exercise: milk, especially chocolate milk, as a post exercise drink. An eight ounce glass of milk has 9 grams of protein and supplies over thirty percent of the daily need for calcium. Chocolate milk may be even better by providing both protein and carbohydrates as well. Milk contains whey and is an excellent source of the amino acid, lecuine, a muscle builder. It may also act as an anti-oxidant as well as an anti-inflammatory. Milk also may help in the process of weight loss by acting to suppress a hormone called calcitrol. Calcitrol constricts the blood vessels in the body and also causes the body to hold onto fat cells instead of allowing them to be burned for energy. (Source: Marano 2007)

Other Protein Supplement Drink Options

Most protein drinks are fairly large and may be too much to drink for some people. They can also be a little difficult to carry along. The larger that a protein drink is, the higher the calorie count is likely to be as well. Again, make sure that you are reading ingredients so that you can ensure that you are not choosing a brand that is loaded with sugars, fats or other unnecessary ingredients. If you cannot find the ingredients listed or most of them are artificial in any way, choose another brand.

Non-drink Protein Supplement Options

In addition to protein supplement drinks, there are other options, including a pudding shot and protein bars. Again, make sure that you are reading the ingredients for these as well. Bars that have too much added sugar will be as high in calories as the typical, regular candy bar.

Regardless of the supplement type that you choose, make sure that you are picking one that has quality ingredients and a good amount of protein. Do not go over the right level of protein for you. Remember, most diets get sufficient protein without a supplement.

References

Marc Landas. Carbohydrate-Protein Drink Advantage Scientist Live

Hara Estroff Marano. The Human Kindness of Milk Psychology Today December 2007

Sofia Segounis, Nutritionist. Protein Powders Truestarhealth.com