Don't Push the Pedal to the Metal (in your protein powder)
~By Sheila Garcia
Many people drink manufactured supplemental drinks to “beef up” or pump up their protein intake. Lately the question has been posed by many as to whether these drinks are helpful or harmful. Today, we are going to inform you so that you can create your own educated answer, and do what you feel is best for you!
Popular protein drinks and powders with names like Muscle Milk and EAS Myoplex contained potentially unsafe levels of heavy metals and other harmful substances, according to the study. Many other popular drinks tested EXTREMELY high for all four metals, in its various flavors, approaching daily limits for arsenic and exceeding them for cadmium and lead. (Arsenic – 15 µg per day, Cadmium – 5 µg per day, Lead – 13.5 µg per day, Mercury – 15 µg per day). All four metals are toxic and have health risks at elevated levels in the body, but cadmium, specifically, can cause major damage to the kidneys. Needless to say, ingesting these chemicals has serious long-term negative health effects.
Don’t let this deter you from protein powders and drinks altogether – the key to finding a high-quality protein powder is figuring out the right questions to ask: Is it organic and free of pesticides? Is it GMO-free? How is it processed; does the process retain it’s nutritional quality, vitamins and minerals? Does it contain artificial or refined sugars? Do they have HEAVY METALS? Here is a list of some protein powders that are on the market that are free of pesticides, GMOs, chemicals and metals:
* Vito’s Organic Go Shake (my personal #1 choice)
* Health Force Nutirional’s Warrior Food Extreme
* Tera’s Organic Whey
* Nutiva’s Hemp Protein
* 100% Natural Whey Protein Isolate (Bluebonnet)
Quality matters. Although these are a tad more expensive than the ones cheaper to produce due to processing, high-quality protein is more pure, more natural, produces better all-around results, and helps build your fitness legacy!
A study conducted by Consumer Reports Magazine tested arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury levels in 15 popular protein products.