Protein supplements are considered food – Burlington Times News

Q: My son is playing football and between the " voluntary" practices, 7-on-7 practices and position practices along with weight training with the team, he is losing weight. Are protein supplements a good idea for him to start using?

A: A protein supplement is still food. Whey is the most popular form of protein on the market now followed by soy, egg, meat, pea and hemp. Protein supplements, in general, are usually good-tasting when compared to how they tasted and mixed years ago.

Why would you use a protein supplement? If you're trying to maintain growth and recovery, a teenage male athlete would want to consume between .7 and one gram of protein each day for each pound of body weight. If you can't get that from food sources, then a supplement is a good idea. Sometimes kids just don't eat enough or at the most opportune time in order support maximum growth and recovery.

A protein drink after training is quickly broken down into amino acids and absorbed. This is an extreme over-simplification but consider eating a chicken breast. Hypothetically, there are five stages of breaking it down to a point that it is amino acids and your body utilizes it. Whey protein mixed in water requires only three stages to be broken down for utilization. Whey isolate protein is a two-stage process. The protein supplement is available for the body to use quickly so you can understand how it can be supportive for growth and recovery. Taking a good multi-vitamin/ mineral supplement also is a good thing to help maintain strong bones and B vitamins are essential for protein absorption. Don't use supplements as meal replacements. Eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Water is an essential part of muscle and for proper kidney function. God bless and keep training.

Daryl Laws is a certified personal trainer and owner of Body Unlimited Inc., 325 Holly Hill Lane, Burlington, NC 27215. Contact him at 336-538-0012 or daryllaws@aol.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BodyUnlimited.

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Protein supplements are considered food - Burlington Times News