When it comes to protein powder, most people immediately think of whey protein powder. Whey protein powder or protein powder blends are some of the most popular sports and nutrition products available in today’s market. Almost everyone has heard of them and if you lead an active lifestyle, chances are good you’ve tried at least one before.
Whey protein powder also comes in many varieties. You can choose whey isolate, whey concentrate, or a protein blend powder, which typically contains whey, egg protein, and sometimes casein protein as well.
All will be excellent additions to your diet plan. If you aren’t into whey protein powder, you may have considered other protein powders on the market: egg protein powder for instance if you can’t consume lactose, soy or hemp protein powder if you happen to be a vegetarian, or possibly even rice protein powder if you’re a vegetarian but don’t want to be putting soy into your system.
There’s still one more protein powder however that most people have not considered – a protein powder that can definitely improve your overall health, boost your athletic performance, and increase your overall recovery from exercise.
That protein powder?
Beef protein. If the thought of beef protein powder makes you a little sick to your stomach, pause for a second. The fact is, they have gotten very good at manufacturing this type of protein and if you were given both beef and whey protein powder as a taste comparison without knowing which was which, chances are, you wouldn’t know the difference. If you can get past the thought of it being beef protein, you’ll likely have no problem getting it down.
And, beef protein just happens to offer lots of amazing benefits. Let’s look at some of these benefits right now and why you should seriously consider adding it to your diet plan.
Total Amino Acids
The first key benefit to adding beef protein to your diet is the fact that it is a complete protein source. This means that it will contain the total amino acids that your body needs to function optimally and to repair all those damaged muscle tissues.
While whey protein powder also typically contains the full spectrum of amino acids, when you start looking at vegetarian protein sources, you can come up short.
Joint Support
Another unique benefit to using beef protein powder that does make it stand out from the others is the fact that it’s also a rich source of collagen. What does this mean for you?
Collagen is one of the main components in the joints and bones and therefore, can help to reduce joint pain and injury1. Those who fall short in collagen often notice they get nagging joint injuries that never seem to let up, while those who are getting sufficient collagen into their diet tend to experience fewer problems.
While you can also get a collagen supplement to take alongside your whey protein powder and that will also be just as effective as a combination, with beef protein, you can essentially get two in one. This way you don’t have yet another supplement you need to purchase.
Low In Fat
When most people think of beef protein, their mind tends to go to a thick juicy steak sitting on a plate, often rich in added saturated fat. While this much is true – there are many fatty cuts of meat out there, do realize that not all beef is fatty.
When it comes to beef protein, you can actually get a virtually fat free protein source. Many of the beef protein powders on the market contain no fat at all, therefore prove to be an excellent addition to your diet plan if you are trying to stay lean.
You may be cutting beef out of your diet if you are on an intense diet plan, but now, with the help of beef protein powder, you can add that back in. This is great news because beef protein contains many nutrients that your body needs, especially while in a calorie deficit.
Delivery Of Iron
For instance, one such nutrient that beef protein provides is iron. While beef protein powder may not provide as much iron as a thick piece of beef steak, you are still going to get some iron from it, which when dieting, is critical.
Iron is necessary to help transport oxygen around the body, which can help prevent the onset of fatigue during your workout session, allowing you to push harder each and every time you’re in the gym.
This is particularly important for women who are losing some iron each month with their menstrual cycle and are far more likely to become anemic. It becomes critical they’re replacing this iron they’re losing and if you are cutting beef out of your diet from food sources to try and keep your calories and fat down, there’s a good chance you aren’t getting enough.
Adding a quality iron supplement along with your beef protein supplement can help you get your bases covered.
No Cholesterol
Another added benefit of beef protein powder for those of you who are looking to improve heart health is the fact that it is cholesterol free. Most beef protein powders on the market contain no cholesterol, so this isn’t something that you need to concern yourself with.
Trying to cut back the cholesterol in your diet plan may seem daunting at times, but fortunately, with the help of beef protein, it’s that much easier.
Added Creatine
Finally, one last added benefit you’ll get when you include beef protein powder in your diet is a higher dose of creatine per serving than any other protein powder out there.
Beef is a naturally occurring source of creatine in the human diet – one of the best sources in fact, so is a great addition to any diet plan. If you can’t get beef in, beef protein is a great stand-in.
Creatine is one of the most well researched compounds as far as sport performance goes and boosting your lean muscle mass so is definitely something you want to take advantage of. Creatine will help provide the precursor to the high-energy compound ATP, which fuels each and every muscular contraction2.
So in theory, the more creatine you have in your body, the more intense exercise you will be able to perform before fatigue sets in.
When your creatine stores run out, your body is unable to generate this ATP as quickly and the intense level of exercise will need to stop.
So there you have all the many great reasons to include beef protein powder in your diet plan. It now comes in a number of different flavors, so don’t be afraid to give it a try and see what it has to offer. You don’t have to completely stop using whey protein in favor of beef – both protein powders do offer great benefits – but do consider it alongside your usual whey protein supplement.
Get some more information on protein powder by reading our blog 4 Little Known Benefits of Protein Powder.
References:
- Benito-Ruiz, P., et al. “A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of a food ingredient, collagen hydrolysate, for improving joint comfort.” International journal of food sciences and nutrition 60.sup2 (2009): 99-11.
- Kreider, Richard B. “Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations.” Molecular and cellular biochemistry 244.1-2 (2003): 89-94.
