Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 31 | Page 20

The Source of Your Protein
Powder Matters
It’s More Than Just a Macronutrient
By David Perlmutter, M.D.
If you’re adding protein powder to your diet, it’s safe to assume
you care about your health. I’d like to take that hunch one step
further and infer that you care about your health enough to
carefully weigh your options when choosing the protein powder
best for you.
With the variety of protein powders available today, it can seem
like a chore to pick the right one. There’s whey, soy, hemp, rice,
pea, and on and on…
While there’s loads of information you can find online about the
various protein powder options, today I’m going to talk about
whey protein.
High in amino acids and easily digested, whey protein has been
shown to build and maintain muscle mass, reduce inflammation,
decrease appetite and aid in weight loss. Importantly, because
whey protein is produced from milk, the source emerges as a
an important consideration.
THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC, GRASS-FED
WHEY PROTEIN
There are a lot of articles floating around the internet claiming
that somehow the processing of milk to obtain whey protein
eliminates most of the concerning elements of conventional dairy
such as antibiotics, growth hormones or grain feed by-products.
18 Extraordinary Health ™ • Vol 31
But what these arguments fail to consider is that organic, grass-fed
whey is derived through an ultrafiltration process that preserves
the integrity of the milk, unlike conventional whey which can be
derived through the chemical process of ion exchange. Therefore,
with organic, grass-fed whey protein, you’re getting a wholesome,
undamaged product with benefits including:
Higher levels of beneficial properties including
immunoglobulins, CLAs, lactoferrin, and cysteine
Cold-processed and un-denatured proteins—maintaining
the integrity of the amino acids
Higher micronutrient activity—including antioxidants
No antibiotics, hormones or pesticides—not even trace
amounts
No artificial sweeteners or flavors
Sourced from farms that have much smaller carbon
footprints than conventional farms
Collected from cows that are living and eating as
nature intended