It would be best if you classified your protein powder as a CARB.

Not just a carb, a mega-carb.

First, protein powder is not true protein and should not be classified as such.

Protein powders are processed denatured, partial amino acids. 

They are neither natural nor in a natural configuration nor often from the same source, and they are far from being a true “protein.”

In fact, your protein powder can say 30 grams on the label, but when tested might be 30 but can be as low as 15 because they mix in cheap amino acids with the expensive ones ruining any hope of a balanced protein potential to save costs and earn profits.

In a publication called “The Dangers of Protein Powder,” Harvard Medical School found heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, and high levels of BPA in one protein powder that contained 25 times the allowed limit of BPA, a molecule found in plastics and a xenoestrogen.

Protein powders have the highest insulin response that we have tested thus far. BCAA’s are the highest, but they are protein powders too. They are coming in at 700% higher than sugar. 

Amino acids turn off autophagy expressly but only ingested amino acids. 

How much protein does your body indeed per day?

Somewhere around 450 to 500 grams.

For reference, a 6-ounce steak has 42 grams, and an egg has about 6. 

See an issue with these numbers? You should.

500 grams is more than 80 eggs and over 70 ounces of steak. 

That’s over 6 and a half dozen eggs and almost 4.5 lb of steak daily.

Seem like a lot? It sure is if you had to eat all that. The good news is that you don’t have to eat nearly that much to get the protein you need. 

Your diet only includes less than 12% of your daily protein needs. 

The majority of your protein comes from your body. Your body will recycle 700% more protein than you eat each day as it breaks down cells and tissues through our regular daily maintenance and repair. 

When we eat, there is a significant increase in protein breakdown in our bodies, more than during fasting, if you can imagine. 

Back to the protein powder. 

Taking amino acids in protein powders bypasses the natural steps and systems that dietary protein usually undergoes. 

These amino acids, pieces of what can become a protein, get right into the system and triggers a massive hormonal response doing so. 

Insulin skyrockets as these damaged, fragmented amino acids rush in, calling all hands on deck to stop fat burning and store as much body fat as possible.

Insulin also determines ketosis. Just know that your “keto-approved” protein powders are stopping ketosis. 

But wait, isn’t the point of going “keto” to get and stay in ketosis? Yes, it is. The diet is named after this concept.

Now, on one side, you have amino acids stopping your recycling and repair process of autophagy by stimulating mTOR. 

Conversely, you have a considerable insulin spike stopping fat burning and promoting fat gain.

Tell me again, why were you on the “keto diet” in the first place?

Protein powders are the lowest quality amino acid mixes available, with none of the synergistic cofactors in a natural protein like chicken, fish, or eggs. 

Suppose they have what they call beneficial vitamins on the label. 

In that case, they will almost always be synthetic and not essential vitamins but molecular “look-a-likes” mostly made from petroleum products manufactured by a pharmaceutical company.

Ok, now you are taking the lowest possible quality amino acids that will shut off your recycling process in the body and shut down fat burning and promoting fat-storing while throwing off your hormonal profile at the same time, effectively stopping human growth hormone production, lowering testosterone in men and raising it in women and fueling the progression of insulin resistance moving you one step closer to diabetes. 

I used to be a big fan of protein powders and used them in my programs years ago. 

I saw the effects firsthand as my patient’s blood pressure increased, heart rate increased, bloating occurred almost instantly, and Heart Rate Variability quickly went the wrong way. Predictably, you can watch it drop for hours after taking the powder. 

That’s when I looked closer and realized what was happening. 

It all pinnacled after a high-level Spartan competitor I was working with who traveled the world competing ended up in the hospital before a race in Hawaii with a diabetic crisis. 

This man was FIT! He trained hard and took his nutrition very seriously. It took a while and many tests, but we finally isolated the issue, protein powders.

What’s the solution? Eat real food.

Protein powder is not real food or natural protein, so it is sold as a supplement and not regulated by the FDA the same way. That’s why it reacts so very differently than the real deal.

I know every gym fanatic out there will freak out that reads this. Please save me the hate mail and look into what you are taking and suggesting to your clients. 

That’s all I am trying to do here. Informed consent and educated decisions come from information and educating yourself. Without them, you are not making the best choice for yourself or your family you can because you don’t even know what’s out there or refuse to consider it.

When you know more, you can do more. 

We can do better!

Dr. Don