Should I Supplement With Protein Powder?

While I would encourage you to read on, the short answer up top is: probably, but it depends.

A common question I receive from new clients is “should I take a protein supplement after my workout?” I want break this down into two questions that we’ll discuss here:

• Should you take a protein supplement?

• Should you take protein after your workout?

• If you came here by accident and are looking for the article on picking a protein powder, that can be found here.

Should you take a protein supplement?

The recommended daily value (expressed as DV or RDV) for protein in the US is 50 grams (50g). That is criminally low. In Canada the recommendation looks a little different - .8g per kilogram of bodyweight. So as a 74kg person, it would want me to consume 59g protein per day. Bonkers.

I want to keep things digestible (lol) to the average reader, so I’m not going to go too deep into the science of things. I’ll just say that recommendations that come in less than 60g/day are really undermining the importance of protein for so many functions of the body, including but not limited to brain function and muscle health.

I won’t make broad recommendations here because everyone’s needs and dietary desires are different.

Why do fitness folks focus so much on protein intake?

To answer this question directly - you’re really undermining your hard work in the gym if you’re not getting adequate protein.

Protein is important for building and maintaining muscle, making us feel full after a meal, maintaining a healthy brain (protein is the second most common element in the brain, second to water), and some proteins are/create hormones…. and as much as our heart, lungs, and brain are important, our hormones are truly the puppet-master of our well-being.

There are many ways to get adequate protein, so I’m not too bothered by how my clients meet their protein needs—just that those goals we set are being met, or at the very least, close to being met.

Does the type of protein really matter?

Yes. But also no. The underlying goal of protein consumption is twofold: to make sure you’re getting enough overall to support your health and any fitness goals you may have, The second reason is to make sure we’re consuming all essential amino acids. There are roughly 21 amino acids (this is complicated, so just trust me with my use of the word “roughly”), more than half of which our body can create on its own - neat! However, nine of those amino acids cannot be created in the body and need to be consumed through our diet.

Still with me?

Animal proteins (this includes meat, fish, and byproducts like yogurt and cheese) are complete proteins - this means that the protein source contains a sufficient amount of all nine essential amino acids. When we look at vegetarian protein sources, things get a slightly trickier. The importance of consuming a variety of foods with moderate amounts of protein becomes much more important when you don’t consume animal products because not only are we trying to meet overall protein goals, but we’re also needing to make sure we consume all nine essential amino acids at some point during the day.

A really excellent example of a food combo that is a vegan/vegetarian-friendly complete protein is beans and rice. While beans may contain all nine essential amino acids, they exist in varying levels and consuming the beans alone would leave you with a decent source of overall protein, but not a fabulous overall amino acid profile. Now, if we add in some rice, the rice offers a complimentary amino acid profile, rounding out the meal and creating a “complete” protein source.

The reason why I say its only slightly trickier to manage is because there is this idea that we need to be creating complete proteins at every meal, and while its probably helpful to ensuring that nutritional needs are met, its not going to mess things up if you have a salad with chickpeas at lunch and then have friend rice for dinner. You’ve gotten all the amino acids, its just spread out a bit.

Many vegan sources of protein also tend to have what I call “incidental protein,” meaning its mostly a carb source but it also happens to have a decent amount of protein. What this means is that you’ll end up needing to consume a higher volume of the given item to get a decent amount of protein.

The only type of protein I don’t love are protein bars, but that’s more a matter of personal preference. I don’t love the extra crap in them, they tend to have delicious-sounding names that end up tasting weird or having an unplesant texture—and then I’m annoyed I wasted my money and snack selection on something that didn’t give me any joy.

Who should take a protein powder supplement?

Anyone who feels like they’re not getting enough protein from their diet OR want’s to just offer themselves a boost just in case. Protein powders tend to be the best option in that their ratio of protein to overall calories tends to be quite good (brand-depending).

I usually keep some protein powder in my backpack just in case I need a snack in a rush or if I feel like my overall protein goals are lagging behind for the day (I aim for about 130ish-grams per day - based off my height, weight, and lean muscle mass).

There seems to be no real upper toxicity level for protein consumption. This means that unlike certain vitamins/minerals, salt, and sugar - there is no definitive evidence to show that perpetually “overconsuming” protein is going to have any negative effects. The caveat, of course, is that some people may have conditions that make them unable to process protein or they need to be careful of how much protein.—but the average person should be ok to increase their protein intake.

Any other considerations?

Yes! Vegan versus whey is a big debate - CLICK HERE to read about how to pick a protein powder!

Conclusion

Most people would benefit from increasing their overall protein intake. In my opinion, the best way to do that would be to include a variety of protein sources - both animal and vegetable/grain sources. A protein powder is a great tool to make sure you’re meeting your protein goals without adding a ton of calorie bulk (if that’s a consideration for you).