Protein - whey vs meat

[Scabtree]

Still confused about protein. The majority of bodybuilders would suggest consuming lots of lean meats such as fish, chicken, lean beef etc to increase or maintain muscle mass...

My question is if the bioavailability of whey protein is greater than meat, would it be more beneficial to consume more supplemental protein such as whey powder, and decrease the amount of meat that we eat? Does a higher bioavailability mean better quality protein?

[Times Roman]

It would be best, imho, to eat three or four full meals a day and then supplement inbetween meals with whey protein plus maybe some rolled oats thrown in the shaker. i think the utilization of both is ideal, since each has certain postive attributes that the other doesn't possess. Remember, whey protein IS a food!

[Times Roman]

btw.. on a gram per gram basis for protein, whey protein is a helluva lot cheaper than any meat you will find out there, so a very economical way to get the protein you need!!!

[Scabtree]

Thanks Roman; I'm eating very little meat now (my wife has decided she would like to be a vegan). So I'm eating quite a bit of whey powder and a crazy amount of fat free plain yogurt which adds up to about 250g per day. I just hope I'm not missing something critical that meat offers.

[Dr Pepper]

Il have a stab at it and say that you may not get all the nutrients you need from just having whey protein

[Back In Black]

Different amino profiles/amounts, different balances of vitamins, minerals and phyto nutrients.

Watch all that sugar in that yoghurt. There are plenty of protein alternatives to meat for a veggie bodybuilder!

[joshh]

You'd be lacking things like iron red meat had to offer, plus all the artificial sweeteners in whey wouldn't be the best for you

[joshh]

And as stem was saying, there are other protein alternatives such as beans and nuts

[joshh]

And believe it or not you can actually buy meat-free mince which is made from mycoprotein and very high in protein and cholesterol free http://www.quorn.com.au/Products/Quorn_Mince_300g.aspx

[gbrice75]

Still confused about protein. The majority of bodybuilders would suggest consuming lots of lean meats such as fish, chicken, lean beef etc to increase or maintain muscle mass...

My question is if the bioavailability of whey protein is greater than meat, would it be more beneficial to consume more supplemental protein such as whey powder, and decrease the amount of meat that we eat? Does a higher bioavailability mean better quality protein?

Higher bioavailability means just that - more protein is utilized gram per gram. It doesn't necessarily mean the quality is any better or worse.

I like using a wide variety of protein sources for the varying amino profiles, absorption rates, and different nutrients. Other than that, I don't feel there's much of a difference. I have gone more than a week while getting ALL of my protein needs from shakes, and saw no noticeable difference in anything. There is another argument about the role of digestion in the body, etc. but I don't think that's too relevant to your question.

Thanks Roman; I'm eating very little meat now (my wife has decided she would like to be a vegan). So I'm eating quite a bit of whey powder and a crazy amount of fat free plain yogurt which adds up to about 250g per day. I just hope I'm not missing something critical that meat offers.

I suggest a protein blend instead of whey. Remember what I said above about absorption rates? Well, whey is one of the fastest, about 30 mins. It won't do much for you in terms of satiation, nor for a lasting supply of amino's in the bloodstream. I use a triple combo of ON Casein, ON Pro Complex, and Myofusion.

Il have a stab at it and say that you may not get all the nutrients you need from just having whey protein

Nutrients as in vitamins and minerals, creatine, etc?

Different amino profiles/amounts, different balances of vitamins, minerals and phyto nutrients.

Watch all that sugar in that yoghurt. There are plenty of protein alternatives to meat for a veggie bodybuilder!

^^^ this

You'd be lacking things like iron red meat had to offer, plus all the artificial sweeteners in whey wouldn't be the best for you

Good point, although i'm guilty of relying on sucralose quite a bit!