Bottled water needs protein like a fish needs a bicycle
Posted on Monday, December 24, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Style/211683/
The marketing of Kellogg’s new protein water, Special K 20, aimed at the general consumer, has some nutritionists rolling their eyes. “Most Americans get plenty of protein through their diet,” says Nancy Clark, a Boston-based sports nutritionist and author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.
Bodybuilders who want extra protein to support and enhance muscle growth have been the primary consumers of high-protein sports products. But even for these athletes, she says, it’s not difficult to add protein to a normal diet.
In the United States, the recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0. 8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound person, this amounts to about 54 grams of protein. As a rule of thumb, an ounce of poultry, fish or meat has about 7 grams of protein. (One simple way to calculate your protein needs is to multiply your weight by 0. 4. The number you arrive at is roughly the number of grams of protein your body requires. )
For those seeking to bulk up, about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, per day, should be plenty, says Clark, but 0. 5 to 0. 75 gram is sufficient if the athlete is consuming enough calories.
Based on this formula, “a novice 180-pound bodybuilder gets more than enough protein with 180 grams of protein per day,” she says, citing an example from her online column, The Athlete’s Kitchen. “He can easily consume that much with one quart of skim milk, two cans of tuna [i. e., two sandwiches at lunch ], and one hefty [8-ounce ] piece of chicken, beef or fish at dinner. You could more wisely get the calories from carbs to fuel your workouts.”
Still, there are athletes and others who prefer their protein in water. So how do some of these products taste ?
A panel of veteran water drinkers from the Los Angeles Times ’ Health section sampled four protein waters. All of the products contain protein derived from whey, a milk product. None contain fats.
For what they’re worth, here are the unscientific reactions. Note that the testers’ favorite beverage, Accelerade, contains the most carbohydrates. Accelerade: 20 fluid ounces for $ 1. 99, 180 calories providing 9 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, 36 grams sugar, 290 mg sodium, 1 percent of the daily value for potassium, 2 percent of the daily values for calcium and iron and 60 percent of the daily value for vitamin E.
Comments: Accelerade has a 4-to-1 balance of carbohydrates to protein, so unlike the other protein drinks tested, it’s essentially a carbohydrate drink with a little protein — a beverage designed for endurance and recovery rather than building muscle. The peach-mango flavor tested was considerably more palatable than the other products, and in the words of one tester, “more like a drink for grown-ups.” Isopure: 20 fluid ounces for $ 4. 19, 160 calories providing 40 grams protein, no carbohydrates, 80 mg sodium, 1 percent of the daily value for potassium, 6 percent of the daily value for calcium.
Comments: The Alpine punch flavor settled on the tongue like a swig of chewy Hawaiian punch. The flavor wasn’t unpleasant, but there was a strong protein-y aftertaste, somewhat reminiscent of a meaty cherry lollipop. Kellogg’s Special K 2 O: 16 fluid ounces for $ 1. 49, 50 calories providing 5 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams sugar, 5 grams dietary fiber, 30 mg sodium, 10 percent of the daily value for calcium and 20 percent of the daily values for niacin and vitamins B 12 / B 6.
Comments: The mixedberry flavor was similar to that of cherry Jell-O. It was drinkable but tasted like something a 4-year-old might enjoy after a hard day of heavy lifting.
Stacker 2 Protein Water: 19. 44 fluid ounces for $ 2. 49, 80 calories providing 20 grams protein, no carbohydrates, 20 mg sodium, 4 percent of the daily value for potassium, 2 percent of the daily value for calcium, 6 percent of the daily value for phosphorus, 8 percent of the daily value for magnesium.
Comments: The pink lemonade flavor was refreshing at first, with a tartness similar to real lemonade. The pleasant sensation was quickly overtaken by a chemical taste with a soapy finish and rubbery-mouth afterglow.