As previously mentioned, protein is a very important nutrient for Bradley and I for very different reasons.

Every morning we have a smoothie that contains bananas, berries, greek yogurt, dates, almond milk, chia seeds and added protein powder. Recently we ran out of our favourite protein which is the vanilla Trutein by Trunutrition, so I decided to do some research on protein powders and what would be the best option to cater for both our individual needs.

I came across an article by Jess Ainscough 

Just to reiterate, Jess’ review of protein powders claims that protein powders can actually harm your body.

Jess explains that they are:

1. Highly processed: when we consume something that is processed to the point of some of these protein powders, our bodies don’t actually recognise it as food. It will then get confused looking for all of the missing nutrients and start leeching them from your body’s own reserves (usually the bones). Secondly, the act of processing involves the inclusion of extra man-made ingredients that are usually synthetic, chemical based, toxic and harmful to the body.

2. Absorption, excretion and acidity concerns: Being so highly processed, your body has a hard time breaking down and absorbing protein powders. What we don’t absorb is excreted from the body via the kidneys, which means that if you consume a lot of protein powder, you will be excreting a lot of this crap stuff and putting a lot of pressure on your hard-working kidneys. Many protein powders are also made from whey protein (a dairy isolate), which is highly acidic, or soy, which comes with a whole host of added issues.

3. Toxic sweeteners: Aspartame, saccharin, fructose, and artificial colours – They are all toxic.

4. Heavy metals: Many common brands of protein powders and protein drinks contain high levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Dr Mark Hyman has written a great article about the detrimental effect heavy metals have on our health.

Jess recommends her top 8 protein powder replacements

1. Spirulina or Chlorella
2. Bee pollen
3. Maca
4. Hemp
5. Vital Greens
6. Sun Warrior
7. Vega
8. Surthrival Elk Velvet Antler

Since Bradley and I live active lifestyles with (more so Bradley with his vigorous training regime) we both need extra protein in our diet. Reading this article has enlightened us about making the healthier choice and selecting a product made from natural, organic, plant-based ingredients.

Our Fitness regime looks something like this

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Danielle	Gym & Touch Footy	Gym & Evening walk	Oz Tag	Gym & Yoga	Gym	Yoga	Rest
Bradley	Soccer 5s Tuggerah	APIA Leichhardt Soccer Training	APIA Leichhardt Soccer Training	Yoga	APIA Leichhardt Soccer Training	Yoga	APIA Leichhardt Soccer Game Day

This amount of training we do generates a build-up of lactic acid which increases the acidity of the body. Jess’ point relating to whey isolate from dairy being highly acidic has highlighted the fact that it could potentially pose harmful effects in the long term for us.

Thanks to this article we have made the switch to a pea protein isolate by Rich in health which we add to our smoothie every morning. It definitely took a lot of getting used to as it certainly is not as tasty as our favourite protein which was addictively delicious.

We have also increased our intake of plant based protein sources such as nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, quinoa & chlorella.

The result
We have both noticed an increase in energy  on and off the field and no longer get upset tummies.