The Many Whey Protein Benefits -
Why Whey Is King Of Supplements

Here we explain what is whey protein and take a look at the many whey protein benefits. If I was stuck in a situation where I had to choose only one supplement to use for my bodybuilding diet, I would choose whey protein. No doubt about it.

It is one of the most popular supplements in the bodybuilding industry, and reasonably so. Whey is perhaps the most beneficial and effective supplement of them all. So what is whey protein exactly?

What Is Whey Protein

Whey comes from milk. Milk is made up primarily of casein protein, and also whey protein. They whey part of the milk is filtered out when milk is turned into cheese.

Whey protein is a complete and very high quality source of protein. It comes without the fat content that is present in other complete protein sources such as meat and eggs.

Whey Protein Benefits

There are a few different reasons why whey is such a great source of protein for those looking to build or maintain muscle mass. Let's take a look at the main whey protein benefits:

• Whey is rich in essential amino acids. One of the main whey protein benefits is that whey protein is a very effective way of supplying your body sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids.

  What are amino acids? They are chains of nitrogen that contain sub units that make up a protein. Sounds a bit confusing, but all you really need to know is the types and amounts of amino acids found in a protein is a decider on how complete that particular protein source is.

  A complete protein source contains all of the essential amino acids. These "essential" amino acids cannot be produced by the body and so need to be supplied in your diet.

  Whey protein is an excellent, complete source of protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. It also contains decent amounts of other non-essential amino acids, and even more importantly, it delivers BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) to the body effectively.

  All of this means that whey protein is the ultimate protein source for those looking to gain muscle.




• Whey is easily digested and absorbed. Compared to the other complete protein sources out there such as eggs, beef, chicken, milk, fish, etc, whey is protein is very easily digested by the body. It is also efficiently absorbed and used by the body.

  You may have heard of the term BV before. BV stands for Biological Value, and is a measure of how well a particular protein can be absorbed and used by the body to assist muscle repair and growth. The higher the BV, the better.

  Whey protein in the concentrated form has a BV rating of 104, and whey protein in isolated form can have a BV rating as high as 170. When you compare this to eggs (100 BV), milk and casein (85), and beef (75), whey is a super efficient protein source.




• Whey can boost your immune system. Those who train hard with heavy weights are putting a lot of stress on their immune system, and so they must combat this with a good diet and the right types of food, vitamins, and minerals.

  Another of the important whey protein benefits is that it has been proven to help strengthen your immune system. It does this by raising the levels of the molecule called gluthathione. Gluthathione is an important antioxidant that contributes heavily to a strong immune system.




• Whey is a convenient protein source. Whey protein powders are such a useful supplement to take on a muscle building diet.

  Those looking to gain weight and build muscle must consume a lot of protein daily, spread over the day in 5-7 small meals. A lot of people find it hard to reach their daily protein intake through normal foods, as it is just too inconvenient. It would take too much preparation, cooking, and even a hefty food bill each week.

  That's where whey protein powders come in so handy. Instead of having 5-7 whole food meals in your day, you can split these up into a few whole food meals, and a 2-3 whey protein shakes. This makes it much easier to reach your 5-7 high protein meals in a day because a whey protein shake is so quick and easy to take. You just add water or milk to the whey powder and shake it for 30 seconds in a shaker bottle, and voila, you just drink it.

  For example, in a typical day of mine I have 2-3 whey protein shakes a day, and 3-4 whole food meals. I couldn't imagine not using whey protein, and having to come up with 5-7 high protein meals a day - that would be a total nightmare to manage over the long run.

Thanks to the many whey protein benefits, it's easy to see that whey is a very popular supplement. As good as whey protein is, don't get carried away though. Whole food protein sources such as eggs, beef, fish, chicken, casein and milk should generally take priority and form the base of your protein intake.

You could survive without whey protein in your diet, it would just be a major hassle and take a lot more time to prepare and eat everyday. So try to get as much protein from whole food sources in your diet, and then add whey protein here and there to help reach your daily totals conveniently.

Although, saying that, there is a time of the day where whey definitely is better than a whole food protein. Since whey is the fastest and most easily digested protein, it makes sense that you should take whey straight after your workouts.

After a workout your body is depleted of vitamins and minerals and your muscles have been damaged. By taking whey you can quickly fuel your muscles the high quality protein and amino acids that it needs to start recovery.

Different Types Of Whey Protein Supplements

There are two main types of whey protein, isolate and concentrate. You can read about both types and the difference between them in our article How To Buy Whey Protein.

I recommend you get your whey protein at IllPumpYouUp.com. They have very low prices and quality whey products. Take a look around their online store for yourself.

Building Muscle \ Weight Lifting Supplements \ Whey Protein Benefits