JamesG wrote:
> I was just doing a play on words by saying "empty protein", like how
> people say you are getting empty calories from a soft drink. The
> protein itself is good assuming that you are using a complete protein
> (I would figure that any protein powder supplement probably is). I
> just meant empty of other vitamins.
Ain't no "empty protein" any more than there are "empty calories."
Those are pop nutrition words that are intended to create psychological
responses in people who never bother to actually learn anything about
nutrition. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- most people need to
be told in very simple terms what they should eat and what they should
not eat -- but those terms are very simplistic and largely inaccurate.
As to "complete proteins," meaning dietary protein sources which
contain adequate quantities of the essential amino acids, those protein
bars you eat are probably the worst source; they are notorious for
containing a lot of collagen proteins that lack decent quantities of
one or more essential amino acids.
As to protein powder and water, there's nothing wrong with that if you
are on a low-carbohydrate regimen, but when consuming protein powder
(particularly whey) at times surrounding resistance training, it is
important to have a good source of carbohydrates with simple sugars to
provide the insulin response needed for optimal muscle protein
accretion (increased muscle protein synthesis, decreased muscle protein
breakdown).
As to vitamins, a good quality multi-vitamin will take care of that;
vitamins are not really a significant consideration in protein shakes.
The addition of fresh fruit to create "smoothies" is a pop, neo-hippy
convention that may taste pretty good and may provide beneficial
nutritients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, carbohydrates), but it is far
from being necessary, and there may well be better options. I find
"smoothies" a little too trendy and twink-like for my tastes, plus I'm
not a big fresh fruit aficionado, but that's a just matter of personal
taste, and generally, there's nothing inherently wrong with them.
Just thought I'd share that with you.