Ori Hofmekler On Whey Protein
Whey protein has been shown to provide us with many health benefits such as:
- Supporting healthy insulin secretion. This is vital for our health as if we eat too many foods made with grains and sugar there is a heightened possiblility that we may develop type 2 diabetes. Whey protein can help the insulin work in a more effective way by helping to maintain a normal blood sugar level.
- Whey protein is labelled as a helpful vehicle to transport many nutrients into your system and can help with the intake of vitamins and mineral, fats and carbohydrates in addition to its proteins.
- It can assist in keeping a level blood pressure if it is already normal
- Whey protein can deliver bioavailable amino acids and cysteine to help you to preserve lean body tissue – especially during exercise
- Your immune system can benefit too as it contains immunoglobulins
On Whey Protein Isolate…
“I’m totally against whey isolate,” Ori says. “I think it’s just the wrong whey.”
There are a number of whey products on the market, but unfortunately many of them will not give you the health benefits associated with high-quality whey.
Dr Mercola agrees with Ori in that Whey Protein Isolate is something that none of us should be consuming. In addition to the points that Dr Mercola makes on Whey Protein Isolate, there are other reasons why we should buy Whey Protein Concentrate:
Pasturised dairy products are heat and acid treated. Many whey products on the market may have the flashy packaging, branding and alluring flavours, but they are in Ori’s opinion completely useless on a health perspective and not least because they mostly contain artificial sweeteners and colourings.
Whey Isolate by its nature has its fat removed. However, many important elements beneficial to health are removed with the fat. Components such as phospholipids, phosphatidylserine and cortisol which are important for their immunological properties.
The fat globule binds to itself all of the IgG immunoglobulins: a fantastic source of glutamine and cysteine.
There is a preconception that fat just provides us with calories, but there are many food sources viewed as being fatty (foods such as nuts and seeds, avocados and olives) that provide us with antioxidants like vitamin E and phytosterols.
Lipoic acid is contained in dairy products and is a carrier of enzymes and immunoglobulin.
Ori and Dr Mercola’s view on Whey Protein Isolate is that if you take out the fat, you are left with an inferior product.
The advice here is to seek a Whey Protein Concentrate that is made from raw, grass fed cow’s milk, so you can reap many of the immune system boosting qualities.
“When you look at this whey,” Ori says, “you can immediately tell the difference in the smell, the taste. It tastes creamy and good by itself. It’s water soluble. It gives you only the mineral component.”
The US allows manufacturers to process Whey Protein Concentrate from raw milk, however in countries such as New Zealand they are not – the milk must be pasturised, so even when you consider that much of the milk does come from grass fed cows, many of the health benefits are negated by the processing.
On buying a High Quality Whey Protein, Ori recemmends:
- Minimally processed
- Unpasturised raw milk – heat destroys the fragile structure on a molecular level so choose raw milk products
- Rich creamy taste, easy to dissolve (water soluble)
- Organic (no hormones)
- Grass-fed
- No artificial sweeteners, look for Stevia for example
- Look for medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) they are more digestible than long chain fatty acids
Optimal nutrition can be found from whey products made raw milk cheese manufacturing. Only whey produced from raw milk will provide you with glycomacropeptides (GMP). These are essential for your gut flora.
As for sources for high quality whey concentrate, you might like to try Dr Mercola’s Whey Protein as it is produced with the same principles described in the interview. If you listen to it you will find a wealth of information on whey protein, or you can read the transcript here: Ori Hofmekler on Whey Protein
