This review looks at a vegan protein powder and superfood smoothie blend, more specifically the Wazoogles Superfood Protein Blend – Peanut Butterlicious!

Protein shakes are a great way to add to your daily intake of calories as well as essential nutrients and ‘super foods’, and add just what you need. There is no need to overdo it on the protein, but sometimes we may find ourselves needing a little extra, especially on days where we may have trained a lot harder than usual for instance. 

I have tried many flavored plant based protein powders, and have found it difficult finding ones that actually taste good and have no awful aftertaste or pea taste. After many years of using unflavored raw pea protein, which I add to smoothies, I decided to venture out and try some new ones, like the Youthful Living Vegan Keto shake.

I used the Wazoogles Superfood Protein Blend and I really love the taste and nutritional profile. Lets take a deeper look at it.

the Wazoogles story

In 2010, after 10 long years of struggling with a weak immune system that his doctor managed with constant antibiotics, Warren was sick and tired of being sick and tired! He visited a top ENT specialist, who offered no solution other than a lifetime of chronic medication.

Unsatisfied, Warren began a search for alternative answers, he met a naturopath who conducted a blood microcirculation analysis and suggested a series of lifestyle changes. Warren took his health into his own hands, ditched the prescription pills and radically changing his diet. His health was upgraded forever. Months passed and the sickness was gone; Warren was feeling better than ever. And just like that, a deep passion for wellness was born. Read more on their blog.

Flavors and Sizes

The superfood protein blend powder is available in 500 grams or 1 Kg and comes in a few flavors, Peanut Butterlicious, Vanilla Sky, Chocolate Moondust, Plant Power, Unicorn Berry and Kungfu Coffee with a Cinnamon Kick. I tried the Peanut Butterlicious and the Chocolate Moondust.

The great thing about these different flavors, is that each one actually offers something a little bit different to the others. So while the flavors are different, so are some of the ingredients. They all have similar base ingredients, but depending on the flavor certain other ingredients and superfoods are added. Thus it is definitely worth checking out the ingredients to each flavor and seeing which you would want more for you.

• 1kg – 30 servings per bag
• 500g – 15 servings per bag
• 33g – 1 serving per bag

Mixes

The Wazoogles powder mixes well with no lumps or bubbles at all. It mixed well with both water and Macadamia/Oat milk, and mixes very well in a blender when added to a smoothie. It also is really great added to a bowl of oats with some fruit. It really gives it a nice peanut butter flavor.

Taste

In terms of the taste, I do like it. I quite liked the Peanut Butterlicious flavour and favor it over the Chocolate Moondust flavour. I felt like the Peanut Butterlicious is more versatile and could be used in smoothies and oats quite nicely.

I personally like to add some extra cacao powder to mine or add it as part of a smoothie with some chia seeds, banana and dates!

Protein content

This is the part that I was most concerned with, the PROTEIN and nutritional values.

It has a relatively decent nutritional profile, carrying about 38.1 grams of protein per 100 grams of powder.
Per serving (1 heaped scoop = 33 grams) it comes down to 12.6 grams of protein, which may not sound like a lot but is sufficient for one serving considering what else it’s packed with.

While the protein amounts may seem a bit low, it is packed with other Superfoods that contain protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Superfoods in this context are the most mineral and nutrient dense organic foods on the planet, easily absorbable and useable by the human body.

Extra Nutritional values

The extra nutritional values are just as important as the protein content.

The carbohydrate content is just about 34.0 grams per 100 grams while the fat content is at 13.2 grams per 100 grams.

It has no added artificial sweeteners and contains 18.7 grams of Fibre per 100 grams.

INGREDIENTS (Peanut Butterlicious)

Peanut butter powder, organic wild harvested mesquite*, organic raw chia seeds*, organic raw maca root*, Kalahari Desert salt, organic raw cinnamon*, organic raw lucuma fruit*.

*Organic Ingredients (29.9%)

Ingredient Highlights:

• Suitable For Vegans
• Sugar Free
• Made with Clean Ingredients
• No Preservatives
• Gluten Free 

 THE WORLD’S CLEANEST PROTEIN BLEND – 12g’s of protein made from real plants + a magical combination of the 5 highest quality superfoods on the planet. Seriously delicious and honestly clean. We’ve added no sweeteners, fillers or artificial flavours to spoil this blend.

 BETTER THAN ORGANIC – More nutrient dense = better for your body. Our blends are made of ethically harvested ingredients sourced from some of the most exotic places and nutritionally dense plants on the planet.

CLEAN INGREDIENTS – Highest quality roasted and cold pressed Argentinian peanut protein, blood-sugar balancing mesquite wild-harvested from South Africa, certified organic pea protein, organic chia seeds, organic maca, organic lucuma fruit, with a touch of Sri Lankan organic cinnamon and wild Kalahari Desert salt for flavour. No hidden nasty ingredients.

GOOD FOR YOUR BODY – Ideal as a quick breakfast smoothie. Every scoop is bursting with antioxidants, living enzymes, essential minerals, plant-based protein and a wide spectrum of vital nutrients. Formulated to nourish your body, support overall health, daily performance, reducing cravings and helping to provide sustained energy.  

Affordability

The 500 gram (15 servings) packet costs around ZAR 300 giving you, that’s just over ZAR 20 per shake. The 1Kg packet costs about R540. If you look around there are a number of specials where you can pick them up for a bit cheaper.

Final Thoughts

I really do like this vegan superfood powder. It ticks a lot of boxes for me, in terms of the following:

• Great taste.
• Easy to mix in both smoothies and on its own and bonus in breakfast oats!
• More environmentally friendly, being plant based.
• More than just a protein powder, full of superfoods and great nutrients and antioxidants!

If you are looking for a great tasting vegan protein shake, be sure to give the Wazoogles Superfood Protein Blend a try! And if you know of other great tasting vegan protein shakes please do let me know!

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Protein is a nutrient that our body needs every day, moreover, it is incredibly essential for our overall health. A relatively high-protein diet has a lot of benefits including muscle building, weight loss, and feeling fuller after eating.

A lot of research shows that a higher-protein diet is effective for weight loss, as it can help avoid overeating, and it can help build lean muscle that in turn helps in burning calories. This article will help you take a look at protein’s beneficial effects for your weight loss journey.

Protein Helps In Appetite And Fullness

Following a relatively high-protein diet can help you avoid hunger and cravings. Protein-rich food slows down digestion and helps suppress hunger and appetite for hours after eating. This is due to the fact that they influence the production of hormones like PYY and GLP-1. PYY and GLP-1 are hormones that lessen our body’s ghrelin levels, which is known as the “hunger hormone.” If you feel full and satisfied, you may find it easier to reduce your food intake to help your weight loss efforts.

Protein Promotes Muscle Repair & Growth  

In our weight loss journey, we tend to forget that losing weight can make us lose not only fat but also muscles. As seen in an article debunking myths about protein by Healthy Land, high protein intake promotes muscle repair and growth. Aside from muscle development, proteins help produce and develop various components including bones, tendons, hair, hormones, antibodies, and enzymes.

Moreover, the combination of high protein consumption and heavy strength training is an effective fat loss plan. 

Protein Boosts Metabolic Rate

The higher the protein you consume, the higher the number of calories you burn. Based on studies digesting protein can boost your metabolic rate as high as twenty to twenty-five percent. Consuming carbohydrates or fat can only increase your metabolic rate by five to fifteen percent. Protein has a higher “thermic effect of food” or TEF (which is the energy used to turn food into tiny and absorbable components) compared to carbs and fat. If you want to burn more calories around the clock, higher protein intake can undoubtedly boost your metabolism even when you are resting. 

Protein Can Slow Down Sugar Absorption

Although the reason why protein does not increase blood glucose levels is somewhat unclear, studies show that carbohydrates that are eaten together with protein can cause a slow, steady rise in blood sugar due to lowering the GI of the carbohydrate source. It can help avoid spikes in blood sugar and can carve your sugar cravings. 

Vegan Protein Rich Food

There are plenty of sources of protein that we may already know of, but for people who are vegan or vegetarian, they can opt for protein alternatives such as:

• Tempeh
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Soybeans
• Chick peas
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Tofu
• Chia Seeds
• Almonds
• Peanut Butter

Debunking the famous myth, you can get your daily requirement of protein from plant-based proteins. 

How Much Protein Do You Need?

Protein requirements may vary from one individual to another. The commonly recommended range of protein intake for both males and females is 0.8 to 1.0 grams per pound of weight (in kilograms) or 0.36 to 0.45 grams per pound of body weight. This is just the minimum and can vary depending on certain factors. You can use a protein calculator to help you calculate the amount you need. 

How to Maintain a High-Protein Diet?

You can maintain a higher protein diet by doing a bit of research and experimenting. Choose high-quality protein sources and consume a small portion of protein in each meal. It would also help if you keep a food diary and, at the same time, eat well-balanced meals. 

One important thing to remember is following a higher-protein diet by itself will not help you in your weight loss journey. You still need to do the necessary steps to help you lose weight healthily, such as consume less calories than you expend and ensure daily exercise or movement is done.

Lastly, make sure that you are comfortable with your diet and you are not causing any harm to your body and yourself. Your progress can still be called a victory even though it is gradual. As the famous phrase goes, slowly but surely! 

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@lilmiss.existential_xxiv and I love monkeying around when we’re done with reps and sets Fun Fact: Inversion is a great way to reverse the body’s blood flow, improving circulation. By placing your head lower than the heart, the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to circulate blood through the body. It helps you feel rejuvenated, increases energy, lowers blood pressure and relieves back pain caused by poor posture, amongst many other benefits.

A post shared by Melissa Kannigan 🅥 (@beyond_the_bikini) on Dec 18, 2018 at 2:13am PST

Two questions that vegans are inundated with (which leaves me a little salty at times), namely:

1. “why did you give up meat?”

Well for me, the short version is this; All it took was one Carte Blanche documentary to turn me vegetarian. I remember not finishing my dinner, going to bed with a heavy heart and waking up the next morning with one thought.

The meat I consume was once a living thing, it does not die peacefully for my consumption, instead an animal (like any human being) fights, begs and screams for their life – this is the negative energy I put into my body and have been doing so for the past 26 years.

The switch from vegetarian to completely plant-based occurred when again I came across a graphic video detailing the production of dairy. Three years later, I am still a vegan, and I do not think that I will ever go back to consuming meat or dairy.

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Hands up if you’ve heard of the Dragon Squat I’ve been wanting to give this squat variation a try for a while now, so I kicked my heels off (too many face plants) and hiked that skirt up (level:expert ) no doubt I won’t be able to sleep until I perfect it.

A post shared by Melissa Kannigan 🅥 (@beyond_the_bikini) on Jan 23, 2019 at 7:03am PST

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Don’t know which seeds to add to your daily intake I’ve pinned two of my regulars against each other, Chia seeds and Hemp seeds (AKA hemp hearts ) Similarities: Both are a complete protein, they contain all essential amino acids. Great source of healthy fats, especially in omega-3; essential for your immune system and brain function. Nutrient dense as well as calorie dense. Now let’s take a look at them individually. Chia Seeds: Source of calcium essential for bone health High in soluble fiber which assists in digestion and control of blood sugar Great for cardiovascular health, as chia seeds are high in phosphorus & manganese. Hemp seeds: Higher than chia seeds in iron, zinc and magnesium. Two tablespoons of hemp contains 7 grams of protein (equivalent to 1 ), higher in protein than chia seeds. Incorporate both in your daily intake for an upgrade in your health Have you tried either of these super seeds?

A post shared by Melissa Kannigan 🅥 (@beyond_the_bikini) on Nov 20, 2018 at 10:08pm PST

2. “where do you get your protein from?”

This question is by far my favourite, for one reason only. This is my chance to crush “bro science” with actual science and nutritional facts. Being a competitor with the IFBB and a personal trainer, this question is unavoidable and my approach to it is education.

My transition from vegetarian to vegan was not an easy one, predominately due to living in a town where boerewors and biltong is a staple diet. After months of research and living off beans and rice, I finally decided to treat by body differently to that of your average bikini competitor. Yes, I wanted the muscle but I was not going to flood my body with supplements.

I instead use plant-based, whole foods (apart from my consumption of pea protein) to meet my macro intake and the added benefit of being a vegan is that my vitamin and mineral intake is also being met due to the variety of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds, grain and legumes that I consume on a daily basis. I take a B12 supplement and make sure to get my blood tested twice a year, just so that I am aware of any nutrient deficiencies – which there have been none of for the past two years.

Over the past six years (period that I have not eaten meat), one thing is for sure, veganism has surely grown, people have converted for health reasons (trust me there are too many to ignore), for the animals and for the environment. Science is proving that eating a plant-based diet promotes not only longevity but also and most importantly vitality.

The bottom line is this, any diet whether plant-based or not will have deficiencies if it isn’t researched and well-planned , the question you have to ask yourself is “what is going to help you thrive, perform better and keep you alive longer.”

With veganism going mainstream, there are still skeptics, mostly among males. Its somehow been fortified in the male psyche that not eating meat, makes them less masculine.

Let me introduce you to the men who have re-defined masculinity…DRUM ROLL PLEASE AND ITS OKAY TO SALIVATE

Dominick Thompson 

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Them: So, was Superman really vegan? Me: He’s an alien. He gets his energy from the sun and he loves all beings. So do I. #ClarkKentWasVegan #UpUpAndAway . . : @johnnywbillups

A post shared by DOMINICK THOMPSON (@domzthompson) on Feb 4, 2019 at 9:27am PST

Not only has this man crushed the very ideals of what masculinity is, he is also a formidable animal activist and athlete. 

Nimai Delgado

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Them: what do you even eat as a vegan? Me: sushi, tacos, sandwiches, kebabs, stir fry, burritos….sometimes all at the same time. – Who’s with me? . . #veganfitness #vegan #veganfood #vegano #veganfoodshare

A post shared by Vegan IFBB Pro Nimai Delgado (@nimai_delgado) on Feb 5, 2019 at 10:14am PST

The IFBB Pro who responsible for the podcast Generation V and get this… has never eaten meat! Please can someone ask, “where do you get your protein from?” (I hope you can feel my eye roll).

Torre Washington

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PHYSIQUE update, steady is the course to your best yet. Making them work HARD for my . ** ** 1st show of the year on the horizon #prodebut let’s see what we can do ** ** If you don’t value YOUR own time, how can anyone else. A little reaffirmation I received today #gratefulheart

A post shared by Torre Washington IFBB Pro (@torre.washington) on Jan 29, 2019 at 8:03pm PST

IFBB Pro, who recently landed a contributing roll in Chris Hemsworth’s (yes, Thor) CentrFit Team.

Simon Hill

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Happy weekend friends! Thought I’d share a few of my healthy eating tips for anyone new to the Plant Proof community ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1- Don’t stress about labels. As a society we like to place people in boxes & this can place pressure on ourselves. If you don’t like labels then don’t use them Some people may choose to use a label for how they eat & that’s totally fine too, each to their own! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2- Eat more fibre. Most western populations are fibre deficient. Only 4% of Aussies reach the recommendations for daily fibre intake. Fibre is incredibly healthful & only found in plants ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3- Don’t be scared of carbohydrates, just choose the right ones. Refined carbs like added sugars in processed foods should be minimised for optimal health however unrefined carbohydrate sources like oats, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato etc should be part of a healthy balanced diet. The longest living populations eat plenty of unrefined carbohydrates ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 4- Any diet can be unhealthy if you over consume calories and store too much fat. Obesity and being over weight in general is a risk factor for most diseases and metabolic disorders so maintaining a health weight is very important. Naturally by eating more whole foods filled with fibre you will consume less calories than a very animal & processed food focussed diet. Dietary fibre will help you feel satiated during & between meals. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 5- Reduce your animal protein consumption and get friendly with plant protein sources like legumes, nuts & seeds. Processed plant based foods are ok for transitioning but where possible stick to as many unprocessed sources of plant protein as you can. This is in line with Canada Healths new eating recommendations which encourage a shift from animal based protein to plant to improve health & wellbeing. The average sedentary man needs 0.84g of protein per Kg per day whereas the active man needs 1.2-1.7g/Kg per day. If you are in a calorie deficit there is some science suggesting 1.7-2.2g/kg per day to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. Female protein requirement is slightly less than this. You can easily achieve this with plant proteins. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Simon

A post shared by Simon Hill (@plant_proof) on Feb 8, 2019 at 4:10pm PST

Nutritional bad-ass who founded the Plant Proof podcast and who is also a part of the formidable CentrFit team.

These are just a few of the men that have proven that you do not have to kill to have a killer body and do they look like they have a protein deficiency?

Here are a few good reasons why you should be giving a plant-based diet a try:

1. Plant-based foods are widely available, you will not be missing out on the good stuff. More and more vegan eateries are popping up, catering for every craving.
2. Being vegan does not have to be expensive. Lentils and beans rank as one of the cheapest foods you can buy. Also take a peak at plantbasedonabudget.
3. More and more doctors and other health professionals are recommending a diet centered around plants, check out veg_md.
4. Resources to assist you are widely available, and their purpose is to help you make the transition to a plant-based lifestyle.
5. We cannot ignore the science surrounding a plant-based lifestyle and how it reduces the risk of illness and promotes health.
6. Aside from all the marvelous, and literally life changing benefits that a plant-based lifestyle has for your health, body, animals and the environment, just remember – VEGANS do everything better!

Written by Melissa Kannigan. Find her on her instagram, and her vegan blog.  

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My plant-based bum is always on display because I quite enjoy making my neighbours uncomfortable Happy Hump Day Lovers!

A post shared by Melissa Kannigan 🅥 (@beyond_the_bikini) on Jan 29, 2019 at 10:23pm PST

Photo by:

• Robert Bye on Unsplash

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In todays media driven world, there are so many different products and millions of adverts and marketing campaigns at play in front of us. With all this information it’s hard to cipher through all the nonsense and find out the truth or the right products and information. Thus, it is so important to do your own research and find our for yourself without believing everything you watch or read. Even more so when it comes to nutritional products, as food items are crucial to our proper and optimal functioning.

“*ProNutro contains 100% balanced protein. The protein in ProNutro is specially formulated with a combination of amino acids which have been perfectly balanced. What’s more, our special cooking process improves the digestibility of the protein so that your body can get the full nutritional benefit from it. ”

Pronutro have had many adverts stating that the breakfast cereal contains “100% balanced protein for a balanced lifestyle.” But what exactly does that mean? What is 100% balanced protein? While the cereal contains a number of vitamins and minerals (most have been added) and is relatively high in protein in comparison to other cereals, it would be interesting to understand this concept of the balanced protein. The cereal consists of soya and maize amongst other ingredients, with soya being the predominant ingredient when it comes to protein. It may have other types of protein, but at what ratios and which types exactly? The Pronutro website does not give much information either, only stating the above paragraph* about the protein content.

This is just to give you some sort of perspective of these types of adverts where there is no real explanation given behind the selling point of the advert. To give you the opportunity to think deeper than what you are being told and to question it, after all you are buying the product and consuming it!

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In this day and age, everyone is looking for a quick and convenient way to do things. Unfortunately there is no secret weapon you can pull out to become super muscly and lean, if there was, i’m pretty sure everyone would be using it to look good. So with that being said, here are a few pointers to get you started to building some good quality muscle and achieving that ideal physique which you want.

Remember there are no short cuts, no magic pills, no wonder supplements!

1. Start weight training to build and maintain muscle.

If you don’t use your muscles you’ll lose them. It’s that simple.

The body is an amazing thing, and it has an incredible ‘survival mode’ in which it will eventually shed what it doesn’t need, to survive. So in order to build muscles you need to continuously train them and challenge them, and go beyond what you’ve done before. You can do this by ensuring each time you train you are progressing by becoming stronger each time; therefore, ensure you are constantly increasing the weights you use.

2. Eat more protein.

Simply put, protein builds muscle. Be sure to have some protein in each of your meals. This will also ensure that you feel fuller for longer and will play a role in keeping your energy levels (more) constant. Your body does not store protein to use at a later stage like it does with carbohydrates for energy, so you need to make sure you constantly ingest some protein at each meal throughout the day in order to constantly supply your body with the amino acids it needs to repair and build your muscles.

3. Eat more calories.

Many times people start out in the gym and train and train AND train! But then they complain that they are training so hard but are not gaining anything. My first response is EAT! You have to eat a lot of the right foods in order to pick up good quality muscle size. I mean that muscle has to be built out of something right?

Now don’t go overboard and eat anything and everything in sight. You need to start somewhere and then build it up slowly over a time period, increasing your calories, for example each week, or as you progress in size.

Remember the bigger you become (or better yet, the more muscle you gain), the more food you will need to maintain that muscle and even more so to support new muscle growth.

So you need to really focus on your diet, and be sure to reassess it on a regular basis.

4. Be Sure to rest enough.

When you weight train, you are basically tearing down your muscles, in order for your body to rebuild them (and rebuild them a tiny bit bigger each time). So you do need to rest enough to allow proper recuperation and recovery of all your muscles. Make sure to at least take one day off from the gym in a week to aid in recovery, and try to do your best to get a good nights sleep each night. I’m not going to state that you need exactly 8 hours of sleep every night, since I’ve seen many people do it on less. Just see what works for you, but don’t skimp on sleep if you can!

5. Be Consistent

When it comes to building a lean and mean physique you have to be consistent with your training, eating, and resting. Now I don’t mean consistency in the sense that you have to do the same thing over and over, not quite. You should be consistent with all three aspects, but always continue to analyze them and keep them changing and progressing as you adapt. What I mean is, you need to take it all seriously and get it done, day in and day out. Not every second day or every second week, or once or twice a month, EVERY DAY! It’s the only way you will see results, as long as you stick with it.

“Rome was not built in a day, but it wasn’t built by sitting on your ass either.”

6. Drink more water.

Drinking water throughout the day has so many benefits for the human body; it should be a staple in your diet and in your lifestyle. It keeps you hydrated, it assists with muscle recovery and nutrient transportation, it keeps your skin hydrated, and the list could go on and on, so drink up!

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Many people have a relatively good idea of which foods are healthy and which are not, or at least what foods are healthier than others.  But what most people are not aware of is the particulars of timing what you eat.  What I am talking about is, eating certain things at certain times.

By manipulating exactly WHAT you eat at certain times, you are able to an extent, enhance certain processes, such as muscle building, or blunt other processes like fat storage.

Now there are many opinions on the actual effectiveness of ‘meal timing,’ but I really believe that it can make a significant difference.  But, the other very important factor that you HAVE to control when wanting to lose or gain weight is the total number of calories that you take in.

Now first and foremost, you need to try and consume some protein at each meal.  By combining protein with other foods, you slow down the digestion of the meal, thus ensuring your blood sugar levels remain more or less constant, and do not jump too high and then crash.  You can also achieve this by adding foods high in fiber to your meals, such as vegetable like broccoli, green beans, spinach etc.

One of the most important points to remember is to not consume carbohydrates alone and after not eating for a long period of time, especially the fast acting carbohydrates which have little nutrients and fiber, such as sugar, sweets, fruit juices, soft drinks etc.  When you do consume these types of carbohydrates your blood sugar levels rise quite rapidly and then can come crashing down leaving you tired and lethargic.  Another effect which can take place when eating these foods alone is fat storage.  If the body’s carbohydrate stores are full it can end up storing those calories as fat, especially since these sugary foods cause the body to digest them very quickly forcing the body to actually do something with the calories quite rapidly.

This will still depend on a few other factors like your metabolism and how much carbohydrates you have had within the past few days.

For example, if we take a bodybuilder who has been restricting his carbohydrate intake for the past few days, he could be quite depleted, so when he starts to increase his carbohydrate intake, and only eat carbs, instead of gaining fat his muscles will actually use those carbohydrates to fill up, since your body stores carbohydrates within your muscles as muscle glycogen.  That’s why so many bodybuilders a few days before a show restrict their carbohydrate intake and then start to eat A LOT of carbohydrates on the day before or on the day of the show.  This really helps to give their muscles a full rounded and pumped look.  So we can see here that by manipulating what you eat really can make a difference.

Now the three times of the day when you really want to maximize the effects of the food which you eat are:

• Breakfast.
• Before your weight workout.
• After your weight workout.

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and far too many people eat the wrong things here or just skip it altogether.  By eating a good balanced breakfast you provide your body with the nutrients it needs, to provide you with energy for the rest of the day and since you have not eaten anything in eight or so hours by eating breakfast you can put your body into an anabolic state and get the muscle repair process started.

Anabolic state: A state of muscle building.
Catabolic state: A state of muscle breakdown.

An ideal breakfast would consist of a small piece of fruit, a large glass of chilled water, a few eggs and some form of carbohydrates, e.g. oats.  What I have just suggested contains all the different macronutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrates.  Now the portion sizes will depend on each person and on how active each of us is, but be sure to include a bit of everything.  Personally I have found that when I remove the carbohydrates (oats) from my breakfast (particularly when restricting my calories to lose fat) I have very little energy throughout the day and I feel very flat and lethargic.

But again it must work for you.

Nutrition before your workout can be manipulated in many ways.  Its probably not as important as breakfast and your post workout meal, but it can definitely help.  For instance if you workout long and hard you will need some carbohydrates to fuel your training, and as always you will need some protein to go with it.  But there are many people who just cannot eat a meal and then go train due to tension in their stomach even after two hours after eating.  So be sure to have a small meal at least one and a half to two hours before you train consisting of protein and carbohydrates. Some chicken and rice could do just fine.

.

If you have read many fitness magazines out there I’m sure you will have read that after training you need simple carbohydrates like sugar or glucose to spike your insulin in order to refill your muscles and get as much nutrients in them as possible in that 30 minute ‘magic’ window after you train.  Now I do not dispute these claims, but you really don’t need to worry too much about the exact type of carbohydrates to use.

These days there are certain supplements out there which are made specifically to use straight after gym for these exact reasons, but one look at the ingredients and you will find you are just paying for sugar in fancy packaging.

So, yes, your muscles will be fatigued and naturally will need some nutrients to repair them.  The sooner you can get to them the better.  What to eat?  What I would suggest is initially a protein shake with some milk and a banana followed by a whole meal after about an hour or two consisting of vegetables, protein and carbohydrates, such as sweet potato, green beans and chicken.  The reason for all of this is that the protein shake in liquid form digests much quicker than actual food so it can get to work immediately to repair your muscles.  Then once the process is started and you have something in your system you can move onto a decent meal.  You could always just skip the shake and consume the meal straight away as well.

Lastly eating at night, or before bed.  There are a lot of different opinions on eating at night and just before your sleep saying it will cause excessive weight gain since you are not doing anything physical so therefore you will end up storing what you eat as body fat, especially if you eat carbohydrates at night.  I do disagree with most of this.  If you are working out almost every day relatively intensely, you are going to be hungry at night.  So then what do you do?  What do you eat?  Well, go for a high protein snack.

It would be a wise idea to stay away from carbohydrates before bed since when you sleep you naturally release growth hormone, which helps repair your muscles and various tissues within your body as well as help you recover from your day to day activities.  Now when you eat carbohydrates (especially simple carbohydrates like sugar, and sweets) your body releases insulin which to an extent blunts the release of growth hormone.

This is a process which you really do not want to intentionally stop as you should try to maximize it while you can since as you age you naturally produce less and less growth hormone.  So at night try to stick to meals containing protein and maybe some good fats.  The good fats can be found in nuts, olives, avocados etc.

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Today I will be focusing on and reviewing the brand Biogen, ISO whey protein.  You can check out more of their supplement range here, www.biogen.co.za

Let’s just have a look at exactly what we want a whey protein shake for and when should we be using it?  A whey protein shake, primarily, is there for our convenience.

It is a high protein, low carb and fat meal, which we do not have to cook or prepare, we just mix with water or milk and chug it down.  Since whey protein digests quite quickly, the optimum time to take it would be right after a workout or first thing in the morning so that you can supply your muscles with some fast acting protein to start stimulating their recovery.  Also food in liquid form should digest quicker since it is already pretty much broken down into a very fine form.

Now let’s not limit ourselves to only being allowed to take it at those two times.  I believe you can have a whey protein shake at anytime of the day when you need a high protein snack.  So if you find yourself without any decent food grab a shake, at least you can still get your protein in.  You can even mix the whey powder with other types of protein such as yoghurt, cottage cheese and milk, which will also help keep you fuller for a bit longer.

Just a note, remember that you should always try to utilize whole foods as much as possible, so do not just keep replacing shakes for a lot of your meals.

The supplements are there to just fill in when you cannot manage a meal.

Flavors and Sizes

It comes in a variety of flavors, these being:

• Chocolate
• Strawberry
• Vanilla

It comes in two sizes, 908g (2.0lbs) and 3Kg (6.6lbs)

Taste

I will be judging this on the vanilla and strawberry flavored powders.  Both flavors tasted good, leaving only a slight aftertaste, more pronounced in the strawberry flavor.  The only problem I had was that both flavors had too much of an artificial taste to them.

Mixes

This protein powder mixes well, but is not as fine as the evox whey, so it did take a bit more effort to mix.

Protein content

Now this is really what we want to know, which powder offers the most protein (in grams).

We see that per 100 grams of the protein powder there is 67.1 grams of protein, which is relatively low.

It carries 26.2 grams protein per 1 rounded scoop (weighing 39 grams) of the powder.
If you want some sort of comparison, 100 grams of chicken breast has about +- 25 grams of protein.

Extra Nutritional values

Now let’s look at the rest of the contents in this whey protein.
There are 155 calories per serving of 1 rounded scoop.  The carbohydrate and fat content is quite low per serving, but higher than many other brands.

Per 1 rounded scoop (39 grams) there is 8.3 grams of carbohydrates and just 2 grams of fat.

Per 100 grams of the powder there is 21.2 grams of carbohydrates and 5.1 grams of fat.

The amino acid profile of it is decent, containing all essential and branch chain amino acids in good amounts.  It contains just under 12grams of Glutamine per 100grams which is still good but there are others with much more.

Affordability

The 908g tub sells for about R260 and the 3kg tub sells for +-R480.  So we can see it’s always cheaper to buy the bigger tub.  The price is quite competitive with the other brands, since it’s more or less the same price as some of the others, but it offers an additional 1kg since it comes in a 3kg tub.  Most other brands use 2kg tubs.  So if you are on a tight budget, then I would say go for this specific whey protein.

Conclusion

I was really not convinced with this whey protein.  Nothing stood out for me on it, and on paper it ranks quite low compared to the other brands.  The two main points which put me off it were the protein and carbohydrate contents.  The protein content is much lower per 100grams than other brands that I have seen, and the carbohydrate content is too high for a protein shake. If you are dieting strictly for a competition, this shake would not be ideal because the higher carbohydrate content could interfere with your diet.

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The word calorie is so widely used in today’s media, especially when it comes to losing weight and cutting down on food.  “You should eat low calorie foods,” “Reduce your calories,”  “I burnt X amount of calories just riding the bike.”  These are some of the statements you can hear all over the place, from commercials to everyday people.  Now I am not criticizing any of these claims, on the contrary, the point I want to make is that many people do not actually know what a calorie is.  Or what makes up a calorie.

Here we will breakdown what exactly a calorie is, what makes up a calorie in terms of protein, fat and carbohydrates and how you can use it in your diet.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is basically a unit of energy or more specifically food energy.   All foods contain calories, that’s what gives them substance to fill us up.

Our bodies need a certain amount of calories to provide us with energy and maintain our everyday duties and weight.  Whatever we do uses a certain amount of calories, even a restful thing like sleeping.

Each person would have a different baseline of calories to maintain their weight.  This baseline depends on many aspects, such as the person’s weight, body fat (and muscle mass), the person’s daily activity levels etc.  One of the best ways to find out YOUR baseline is to maintain a constant intake of calories daily and monitor your body and weight.  If you are gradually gaining weight weekly, then you are eating more than your baseline and vice versa.

So simplistically, if we want to gain weight we would need to eat a bit more calories than this baseline and if we want to lose weight, we would need to eat slightly less calories than this baseline.  This is a bit oversimplified but does portray the point here.

What makes up a calorie?

Since all foods are essentially calories, there must be something inside the foods that make up these calories right?  Right.  Protein, carbohydrates and fat make up calories.  But how much?  Here is a breakdown of how many calories are in 1 gram of each component.

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Now we can see that fats are quite calorie dense, containing 5 calories more than both protein and carbs.  This is why a lot of people say; to lose weight you should cut out a lot of your fat intake as this drops calories significantly, but we want balance in our diets, so yes cut down SLIGHTLY on it but do not just eliminate it completely. The body needs each types of food, so avoid eliminating a whole food group.  This is also why different foods can contain the same amount of calories as each other even though nutritionally (in terms of protein, fat and carbohydrates) they are completely different as we can see in the following picture.

A suggestion would be to not worry too much with the numbers and calculations of calories in your diet as it can complicate things quite a bit.  Rather focus on portion sizes at each of your meals, and reducing or increasing the portion sizes depending on what you plan to achieve.

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Today I will be focusing on and reviewing the brand Evox, 100% Whey protein.

Here’s a bit of general information on whey protein.  Whey protein is extracted from milk.  Milk is made up of whey protein and casein protein and generally whey protein digests much quicker than casein.  So to recap from my first post, for a whey protein shake, we want it to, be high in whey protein, low in carbs and fat, taste great and mix well.   The Evox brand is quite a reputable brand and has been around for many years.  You can have a look at their full range of supplements at www.evox.co.za.  This whey is made up of primarily whey concentrate and so is digested quite rapidly.

Flavors and Sizes

It comes in a variety of flavors, these being:

• Cookies and Cream
• Chocolate
• Strawberry
• Vanilla

It comes in two sizes, 1Kg (2.2lbs) and 2Kg (4.4lbs).

Taste

I will be judging this on the vanilla, cookies and cream, and chocolate flavored powders.  All three tasted very good with hardly any after taste.  I would say this is one of the best tasting protein powders out there.  I would recommend the chocolate and the cookies and cream flavor above the rest.  You can always add some cocoa to give it a bit more flavor, but the chocolate taste is quite good itself.

Mixes

It mixes perfectly as the powder is very fine and there are no lumps when you mix with water or milk.  I managed to mix it quite well into a ‘Dessert.’

Protein content

Now this is really what we want to know, which powder offers the most protein (in grams).

We see that per 100 grams of the protein powder there is 72 grams of protein, which is relatively high.

It carries 26 grams of protein per 2 scoops (weighing 36 grams) of the powder.
If you want some sort of comparison, 100 grams of chicken breast has about +- 25 grams of protein.

Extra Nutritional values

Now let’s look at the rest of the contents in this whey protein.
There are just 125 calories per serving of 2 scoops.  The carbohydrate and fat content is quite low per serving.

Per 2 scoops (36 grams) there is 2.7 grams of carbohydrates and just 1.2 grams of fat.

Per 100 grams of the powder there is 7.5 grams of carbohydrates and 3.3 grams of fat.

The amino acid profile of it does look quite good containing all essential and branch chain amino acids in good amounts.It contains just under 16grams of Glutamine per 100grams which is rather high.

Affordability

The 2kg tub sells for about R460 at the time of writing, but usually you can find in most pharmacies like dischem, a banded special where you will get an additional 500 grams free.  This is the average price you can expect to pay for a decent whey protein powder.

Conclusion

I would say this whey protein is one of the best, all rounded protein powders out there.  It’s relatively high in protein, tastes great, mixes well, and is relatively affordable. Its protein count may be slightly less than some of the other brands, but it makes up for this in every other aspect.

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In part one of this we looked at weight training, and why it’s so beneficial for women to do it, so if you missed it, check out  Women and Weight Training-  Part 1 for some great information and tips.

Yes weight training can do so much for you in such a positive light, but without the proper nutrition and eating habits you may never progress and see that big difference that you have been longing to see. Here we deal with a few simple nutrition strategies to help get you started, and guide you in achieving your goal of losing fat and building and toning your muscles.  Remember, to change and improve your body you must be consistent with your exercising and your eating.  You must make sure to do some sort of exercise and be active.

Aspects such as, how many meals to eat, what exactly to eat, how many calories to eat and the reasons behind it all, will be dealt with.  You should try to keep things as simple as possible, especially with regards to nutrition, as if it’s too complicated it can really put you off.

“Fact: Nutrition is always the limiting factor in body transformation. If a client doesn’t change their nutrition, all the effort in the gym is largely wasted.” ~ Dr. John Berardi

So where to start?

Firstly you need to have the right mind set and attitude.  You need to decide what it is you want to achieve and visualise your goal, and your ideal body and stick with it.  You need to realise that you’re going to need to be disciplined and prepared, and at times it will require sacrifices.

How many meals should you be eating?

The general ideal way to lose fat, or gain muscle is to eat small but frequent meals. This is not the only way though.  So anywhere between four and six meals/snacks a day.  A meal every three to four hours.  This has been covered in a previous article,  Healthy eating – How many meals a day?

What should you be eating?

The thought of having to eat four or more meals a day can be quite daunting and can lead to the question, ‘what on earth do I eat for every one of those meals?’  Well the good news is that there are quite a lot of different foods you can choose from and another plus is, with regular exercise your appetite should increase.

Variety is key so that you don’t get bored and end up eating the same thing every day.  Although, some people find it easier and simpler to stick to the same foods day in and day out.  Whatever works for YOU.

The different macro nutrients and foods that will make up your diet:

• Always think PROTEIN.  This should be your main focus, and each of your meals must contain some form of protein.  The reason for this is so that you can constantly supply your body with amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth, as well as many other bodily functions ( such as hair growth, skin rejuvenation etc).  Some protein food sources include: Chicken, eggs, red meat, fish, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, milk, lentils, quinoa, tofu, nuts.

Your protein content should stay relatively consistent, where as your carbohydrates and fat can be manipulated more, depending on if you’re trying  losing fat or to gain weight.

• Next up, vegetables.  Try to include a bowl of vegetables with at least three of your meals in a day.  Some good vegetables can include: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, peas, onions etc.  Vegetables are packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals, all essential for our well being.  Fiber is so good for helping our digestive system, cleaning inside our stomach, and aiding in making us feel full.
• Fruit.  If you read a few magazine articles here and there you can find many people saying you should rather avoid fruit or minimize it as most fruits contain a lot of sugar and fructose.  It’s a good idea to include some fruit in your diet, especially with your breakfast or make sure to eat a piece of fruit just before one of your meals, as they offer many vitamins and minerals naturally.  For instance for your second meal of the day you can have an apple/pear/orange/grapefruit first then continue to have a chicken salad for example.  Fruit also contains fiber which will help keep us full.
• Carbohydrates.  With exercise and especially weigh training, you may find yourself needing a lot of energy.  Good carbohydrates can provide you with the fuel you will need to get through your daily training.  Try to include some carbohydrates at breakfast and before and after you train to provide you with enough energy and recovery.  Some good carbohydrate sources include:  Oats, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes, quinoa, lentils, cous cous etc. Include a portion of carbohydrates with two or three of the meals, but again, personal preference can come into play here. There are a lot of people who don’t eat much before they train as they feel too full and it causes them to feel like throwing up.  So if you are one of those people, by all means manipulate it to suit your needs.
• Fats.  It’s a long time myth that eating fats cause you to get fat.  This is really not the case.  Fats play an important role within our bodies, regulating our hormones and inducing the production of some hormones.  So to completely eliminate them from your diet would not be a wise decision.  Some good fats include: olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, avocados etc.  It would be a good idea to include some of these fats at breakfast and in your last meals of the day when carbohydrates are low.

So far we have established that you will:

• Be eating four to six meals in a day,
• With each meal containing some form of protein,
• With a portion of vegetables included in at least three of the meals.
• Eat a portion of fruit at breakfast and/or before one other meal.
• Include a portion of carbohydrates in your two meals before and after training and at breakfast.
• Include some good fats with your last two meals of the day.

How many calories and grams should you eat?

In the spirit of keeping things simple we will keep away from saying you should be eating x amount of grams of this food and that food.  There are some articles which state, to calculate how many calories you should be eating, multiply your bodyweight by 14 or 15.  This method is slightly vague and we should rather go according to portions as that former way can get quite complicated, especially for someone who doesn’t know much about calories.

One very important note which you need to be aware of, is that different people have different needs.  Basically the amount of calories and nutrients YOUR body may need to lose fat could be totally different to someone else.

The exact amounts of calories required by you depend on many things, such as your weight, your body fat, the amount of activity you do in a day, the amount of rest you get and need etc. So while each of us needs to find out how much is sufficient for us, there are still basic principles which can be used to get started.

For vegetables you don’t have to worry too much as more is better than less in this case.  So for these you can just chop some vegetables up into a medium sized bowl for each meal.  For your protein, use your fist as a comparison.  So for foods like chicken and fish and mince, one portion should be just bigger than your fist.  For carbohydrates you can use ¾ of a cup to 1 cup as a one portion.  Lastly for fats it’s a bit different.  Use one teaspoon as one portion.  For instance a teaspoon of olive oil, peanut butter or avocado.

So once you put all these portions together with each of your meals, you will start to see how your body responds and from there you can manipulate and change it as you need, decreasing or increasing what you need.

These portion sizes are relatively small, but should be adequate for the average woman.  Depending on your weight and body fat you can adjust them to suit your needs.  This is all just a guideline to help you get started and to see how you need to eat to maximise your results, be fit and healthy and achieve a great body

Here is another great article about the benefits of weight training for women and why females should want to gain muscle.  If you are still not convinced check these reasons out! 10 reasons why females should be obsessed with gaining muscle

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