The protein world can be a little overwhelming in terms of selecting the best type for you, navigating the protein myths, and fighting through the sometimes-conflicting advice around protein supplementations. One thing is for sure, it’s important that you feel confident and comfortable when selecting the protein supplementation for you, whether you’re looking to improve your athletic performance, work on your muscle building or aid your weight loss efforts.
In this guide, we’ll be running you through everything you need to know about selecting a protein powder for women. First, let’s start with the basics.
What is protein powder?
Protein powder is simply a powdered form of protein: an essential macronutrient found in the body in the muscles, skin and nails (amongst other places, too).
As well as this, protein can be both plant and animal based, with plant-based proteins including examples such as brown rice protein or pea protein, and animal-based, or dairy-based proteins including whey protein and casein protein.
Protein powders are particularly popular in the health and wellness world due to their proven effectiveness in the assistance of reaching individuals fitness goals. We’re talking building muscle, repairing muscle tissue, and aiding in weight loss, just to name a few.
Common protein myths
Whilst its often suggested that by taking protein supplementations, women will become what many people call ‘bulky’, or perhaps put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time, this is of course not the case. Let’s clear that up pronto, as this damaging protein myth is a huge worry for many women who are keen to incorporate protein supplementations into their life but may be on the fence.
Protein is an essential macronutrient that humans need for normal body functioning, and with that, an integral element of a healthy and balanced diet. And whilst upping your protein intake is linked to increasing muscle mass, this won’t happen by taking protein alone, and won’t happen overnight. Trust us, this myth is just not true!
How much protein do women need?
Whilst it’s true that every individual is unique, and so what one recommended daily intake would be for one woman may vary very differently to another, generally, there are a range of nutritional values that women need to ensure that they are getting in their diet, to ensure a healthy diet.
Often, gendered protein powders or nutritional supplements geared towards women include folic acid, iron, and collagen, to help support in fertility, reducing the risk of anaemia and supporting the healthy growth of hair, skin, and nails, respectively.
We spoke to nutritional therapist and Innermost Insider Eleanor, who suggested that women should be consuming “at least 0m8g of protein per kg of body weight”. In other words, for a woman that weighs 65kg, your recommended daily protein intake is 52g.
For women who are more active, this number increases to around 1g of protein per kg of weight, with full-time or endurance athletes requiring a higher threshold again, looking at around the 1.4g mark.
The good news is that adding protein into your diet is an easy task, and whether you are vegan or otherwise, here at Innermost, we’ve got a wide range of protein supplementations to meet your goals and nutritional preferences.
Are protein supplementations for me?
If you’re still unsure, and If you’re feeling particularly fatigued after a workout or find that you aren’t making progress that align with your fitness goals, consider upping your protein intake and re-evaluate in a few weeks.
Whilst everyone benefits from a healthy protein intake, individuals who would particularly benefit from protein supplementations include:
- Women prone to injury
- Women training for an upcoming event or race
- Young teens or those that are navigating puberty
Is there anything women should avoid in a protein powder?
Not women specifically, but everyone in general should avoid harmful and unnecessary fillers in protein powders. We’ve spoken about this topic at length in our article that details four ingredients to avoid in supplements to maximise your results, but repeat offenders that we often see in protein powders include the below:
- Talc
- Starch
- Titanium Dioxide
- Silicon Dioxide
The best protein for weight loss
If you’re looking to aid your weight loss through a protein supplementation but want to ensure you’re doing it the healthy way, The Lean Protein is the way to go. Formulated with essential amino acids, leucine, glycine and more, this protein blend is sure to maximise your healthy and sustainable weight loss and maintain your energy levels, too.
The best protein for muscle building
Available in both creamy vanilla flavour and smooth chocolate flavour too, The Strong Protein is our dedicated protein blend formulated to maximise your muscle growth and fulfil your muscle building journey one workout at a time.
The best protein to increase athletic performance
The Fit Protein combines 29g of protein with maca, magnesium and rhodiola root to merge some of the best, natural, energy boosting ingredients on the planet. At under 150 calories per serving, The Fit Protein is not only great for your body, but good for your taste buds too – tasty and nutritious. The absolute best combo.
Taking protein supplementations to boost performance
The most important thing to note is that post-exercise consumption of a protein shake will not only improve your athletic performance, but as health and fitness coach and sports nutritionist (and Innermost Insider) Grace Travis states, will “increase training adaptation, enhance performance and speed up recovery”.
Sounds like a win to us!
Other food sources of protein
If you’re impressed with the benefits of maintaining a healthy level of protein consumption in your diet and looking to include protein in your diet through your meal plans, there are a few food types that are beneficial, and that you should consider adding to your diet.
After all, whilst protein shakes are a great source of protein, they should never be depended on Some of our favourites include:
- Meat
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Beans
- Legumes
- Fish and Seafood
- Low-Fat Cheese
- Oats
- Wild Rice
- Tofu
Summary
If you need help deciding on which protein blend is for you, never fear.
Take our consultation today and received personalised results that tell you exactly what protein supplementation you should be taking, when and why, too. It couldn’t be easier!
