The sugar that hides your protein shake
In the fitness world we find a variety of supplements that we usually use to enrich our diet and obtain better results. One of the most popular is the shake of proteins, whey, casein or others whose use lies in the possibility of promoting muscle hypertrophy. And although its effectiveness is not discussed, we must not forget that it is ultra-processed and that is why your protein shake can hide a lot of sugar.
Sugar from protein shakes
Although there are protein shakes without sugars, most of them include between 1 and 5% of sugar because hydrates of rapid assimilation favor the absorption of proteins and thus, they contribute to stimulate protein synthesis. In addition, the sugars present in the shake make it more palatable the same or at least acceptable to the palate.
However, the important thing here is that most of the sugars that have protein shakes are usually added sugars industrially and not of natural origin , so if in these we find a very high proportion, we should avoid consumption.
We can only know if it is added sugars or natural by looking at the list of ingredients in our shake. For example, in this protein Boitec Nutrition option of bovine origin we see the presence of unnatural sugar:
Hydrolyzed peptides of bovine protein, maltodextrin, flavors (chocolate, almond), cocoa powder (10-12%), emulsifier (soybean lecithin powder), dextrose, sucrose , sodium chloride, thickener (xanthan gum), sweeteners ( acesulfame-K, sucralose)
A minimum of sugars in the shake can enhance its effect on the body, although it is best to choose an option without sugar and when consumed, combine it with natural sugars such as banana, milk or dates, dried apricots or other fruits.
On the other hand, sugar is a fact that we should always observe in the labeling of our protein shake , since in some cases the percentage of sugar is very high.
The amount of sugar hidden in the shakes
In addition to looking at the list of ingredients in our shake to detect the presence of added sugars, it is also important to consider the amount of sugar in our shake, for which it is essential to refer to the nutritional information of the product.
Although we usually observe the amount of sugar per serving, my advice is to look at the proportion of sugar per 100 grams that speaks to us more about the quality of a product and allows us to have a clearer view of it, since we look 1.5 grams of sugar per serving of 25 grams may seem very little, but not 6% sugar.
A product with more than 5% sugar is no longer considered an appropriate option and in many cases it happens as can be this MFB shake that has more than 30% sugars.
As a rule, the flavored shakes are the ones with the most sugar , but as we have said, there are options without added sugars and to which we can add better quality natural sugars to favor the use of proteins as well as to improve the flavor of the product.
Another alternative is to create homemade protein shakes to avoid having to resort to a supplement that is nothing more than an ultraprocessed industrial origin whose quality is always lower than that of fresh foods or combinations of these .
