Zero Carb SRO Protein from VPX. Types of proteins without taste

MRM is an American brand that produces dietary supplements and sports nutrition, including protein shakes. Declared natural composition products.

We bought protein for two - my young man drinks it, because he swings slowly, and I - to adjust my diet, it sometimes "sags" in terms of the amount of protein consumed. However, I also play sports.

For those who want to know more about what protein cocktail and with what / why / when they drink it, I advise you to read the sports-"Kachkov's" resources, for example, the well-known Sport Wiki. I will not touch this topic here and will get right to the point)

Here we ordered such a huge jar, here 2270 g, the taste of "Dutch Chocolate". In such a jar there are 75-76 servings of a cocktail.

Represents whey protein concentrate(+ less isolate).

Product information:

One serving contains 22 g of protein. More than 30 g of protein at a time is not recommended for mere mortals - they will not be absorbed. (As for those who are seriously pumping and those who have heavy physical activity - I read that they have an increased need for protein and the dose may be increased, but I do not presume to say.) Of course, there are mixtures with a higher protein content per portion, but personally I am satisfied with this one.

A measuring spoon is included in the jar:

Compound :

Nat-Pro Optimizer, cocoa, natural chocolate flavor, TreLEAFia (trehalose, stevia leaf extract and monk fruit extract), carrageenan and salt.
Nat-Pro Optimizer [concentrate] whey protein, whey protein isolate, L-glutamine (it is an amino acid), soy lecithin, enzymes of plant origin], cocoa, natural chocolate flavor, TreLEAFia (trehalose (naturally occurring saccharide), stevia leaf extract, arhut fruit extract), carrageenan, salt.

A few words about carrageenan (by the way, it is also of natural origin - from algae or moss). Many people think that carrageenan is evil, a carcinogen and all that. Almost all articles about the harm of carrageenan refer to the NCI (American National Cancer Institute) study. But on the NCI website you can find, for example, the following information:

Carrageenans of low molecular weight are known to induce inflammation and have been shown to induce gastrointestinal cancer in animal models when administered orally, but commercial use is limited to highweight carrageenans.
Low molecular weight carrageenans are known to cause inflammation and have been shown to cause duodenal cancer when administered orally in animal studies, but only high molecular weight carrageenans are used commercially.

In short, the carrageenan found in foods is completely harmless. And according to research results as well.

In general, the composition is really natural, good, white and fluffy.

What are its advantages:

It dissolves well in both water and milk. Many proteins are bred with lumps, no matter how much you shake them in a shaker, but here - not a single lump. For the same reason, after it the shaker is easily washed.
It has a pleasant taste and texture. Most of all it reminds melted chocolate ice cream. It foams a little when shaken, I mix one scoop with 200 ml of milk and get a full cup of the cocktail. The taste is soft and natural, sweet but not cloying. Tasty with water too.
The naturalness of the composition and the absence of harmful components that are often found in such products. For example, aspartame. And no harsh flavors.
This cocktail does not cause indigestion and other unpleasant side effects from the gastrointestinal tract, as is sometimes the case with proteins.

About the price. Where is the best place to buy protein?

In Russian online stores, such a can of protein costs 5200-5300 r. For a quality protein, this is normal, but still quite expensive. But on IHerb, this jar at a discount costs $58.48, which is about 3000 r. I don't know if this is a permanent or temporary discount, but keep in mind - this is great opportunity to save We, for example, did just that. In addition, you definitely won’t buy a fake on Herb (MRM is not a super-popular brand here, and yet anything can happen).

There are other flavors besides chocolate, from the standard vanilla and strawberry to chocolate malt, for example. There are vegan proteins. There are also different sizes.

(And if this is your first order on IHerb, you can get an additional $10 off. Ask for a referral code.)

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Seven ingredients that should not be in a quality protein mix. Examples with explanations why such a composition can be dangerous.

1: Energy

Scitec Nutrition 100% Whey Protein. Ingredients: Ultrafiltered Whey Protein Concentrate, Citric Acid, Dextrose, L-Glutamine, Taurine, Xanthan Gum, Aspartame (sweetener), Sucralose (sweetener), Natural Flavors, Dyes, Chocolate Flavor.

Taurine is a key ingredient in RedBull - including it in the composition can only be explained by the fact that the manufacturer wants you to feel a surge of energy from the product. However, it is important to be aware of the dangers of constantly feeding on stimulants and possible sleep problems.

2: Hydrolyzed protein

Dymatize Nutrition ISO-100 Hydrolyzed, 100% Whey Protein Isolate. Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolates, Natural and / or Artificial Flavors, Salt, Sweeteners: Sucralose, Stevia Leaf Extract. Contains Milk and Soy (Lecithin).

In the process of hydrolysis, the protein is broken down into amino acids as a result of temperature, mechanical and chemical treatments. The downside is that some of the newly formed amino acids can be converted into glutamate, which damages brain neurons.

3: Sweeteners

Multipower Professional 100% Whey Protein. Ingredients: Whey Protein Concentrate, Flavoring, Thickener: Guar Gum; Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin Salt, Sweeteners: Sodium Cyclamate, Acesulfame-K and Sodium Saccharin; Vegetable Oil, Dyes, Riboflavin, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin B6.

The more various sweeteners in the protein composition and the higher they are on the list, the more noticeable is the manufacturer's attempt to mask the taste of the product with sweeteners. At the same time, aspartame is the worst choice of sweetener (see the composition of Scitec Nutrition from paragraph 1).

4: Precursors of excitoxins

Scitec Nutrition 100% Whey Protein. Typical amino acid profile per serving: […] L-Methionine: 482 mg, L-Arginine: 535 mg, L-Phenylalanine: 670 mg, L-Aspartic Acid: 2290 mg, L-Proline: 1270 mg, L-Cysteine: 620 mg, L-Serine: 1120 mg, L-Glutamine: 4410 mg, Taurine: 255 mg […]

One dose of this product contains an insane amount of excitoxins - over 2g of aspartame and nearly 1g of cysteine (taurine). It is important to be aware of the many health and performance risks of these ingredients. nervous system. Especially in such quantities.

5: Soybean and corn elements

EAS Myoplex Original. Ingreditens: Whey Protein Concentrate (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Lecithin), Corn Maltodextrin, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Salt, Whey Protein Isolate, Carageenan, Xanthan Gum, Acesulfame Potassium, and Sucralose.

In this product, as in the product from item 2, soy lecithin is used as an adhesive. However, this indicates a low quality protein, and genetically modified soy (90% of soy produced in the US is GMO) can lower hormone levels.

6: Thickeners

Elite 100% Whey Protein. Ingredients: Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Peptides, Polydextrose, Flavors, Cocoa, Gum Blend (Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan), Salt, Protease, Lactase, Lipase, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Stevia Leaf Extract.

It is thickeners like carrageenan and xanthan gum that give structure to McDonald's milkshakes. Their presence in the composition indicates a desire to make the protein thicker - however, they fill the stomach and can impair protein absorption.

7: Synthetic sugar

Weider Super Mega Mass 2000. Ingredients: Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Magnesium Carbonate, Calcium caseinate, Natural and/or Artificial Aroma, Acesulfame-K (sweetener), Anticaking, Citric Acid,

The fact that two synthetic sugar analogues (dextrose and maltodextrin) are at the top of the list at once shows that they are key ingredients. Despite the fact that after strength training fast carbohydrates are needed, in such a product you simply overpay for sugar.

The most dangerous ingredients in protein isolates are taurine and aspartame. The content of taurine in one scoop of products from Scitec Nutrition is equivalent to 2-3 cans of RedBull - which contradicts healthy lifestyle life and leads to the death of neurons.

Greetings to all! I continue the theme of the variety of surrogates for refined sugar. It's time for aspartame (e951): what harm does the sweetener cause, what products contain it and what methods to determine whether it is possible for a pregnant body and children.
Today, the chemical industry offers us many opportunities to avoid sugar while indulging in our favorite sweets. One of the most popular sweeteners among manufacturers is aspartame, used both on its own and in combination with other components. Since its synthesis, this sweetener has been subjected to frequent attacks - let's try to figure out how harmful it is and how it affects the body.

Aspartame: instructions for use

The sweetener aspartame is a synthetic sugar substitute that is 150 to 200 times sweeter. It is a white powder, odorless and readily soluble in water. Marked on product labels E 951.
After entering the body, it is very quickly absorbed, metabolized in the liver, being included in the transamination reactions, and then excreted by the kidneys.

calories

The calorie content of aspartame is quite high - as much as 400 kcal per 100g, however, to give the sweet taste of this sweetener, such a small amount is required that these figures are not taken into account as significant when calculating the energy value.

The indisputable advantage of aspartame is its rich sweet taste, devoid of impurities and additional shades, which allows it to be used on its own, unlike other artificial sweeteners.
However, it is thermally unstable and breaks down when heated. It is pointless to use it for baking and other desserts - they will lose their sweetness.
To date, aspartame is allowed in the United States, a number of European countries, and Russia. Maximum daily dose 40 mg/kg per day

History of the sweetener aspartame

The sweetener was discovered by accident, in 1965, while working on a pharmacological drug designed to fight stomach ulcers - chemist James Schlatter simply licked his finger.
The intermediately synthesized aspartame was a methyl ester of a dipeptide of two amino acids: aspartic and phenylalanine. Below you see a photo of the formula.

Thus began the promotion of a new sweetener to the market, the value of which in 20 years amounted to more than 1 billion dollars a year. Since 1981, aspartame has been legal in the UK and the US.
At the same time, a series of trials and additional studies on the safety of this sweetener begin. We will also figure out how and how harmful aspartame really is.

If you know enough about aspartame, then I recommend that you familiarize yourself with other similar artificial sweeteners:

Why is aspartame harmful?

Regarding the harmlessness of aspartame in the scientific world, there have always been discussions that do not stop to this day. All official sources unanimously declare that it is non-toxic, but independent studies say the opposite, citing many references to scientific work various institutions in the world.

To be fair to say, consumers are also not thrilled with the quality and effect of this sweetener. In the US alone, aspartame has received hundreds of thousands of complaints from the FDA. And this is almost 80% of all consumer complaints about food additives.
What exactly raises so many questions?

Contraindications

The only officially recognized contraindication to use is the disease phenylketonuria - for people suffering from it, aspartame is prohibited. It is really dangerous for them, up to a lethal outcome.

Side effects

Meanwhile, many independent studies have confirmed that long-term use of tablets of this sweetener causes headache, visual impairment, tinnitus, insomnia and allergies.

In animals on which the sweetener was tested, cases of brain cancer were observed. Thus, you see that aspartame does more harm than good, as is the case with saccharin and cyclamate.

Sweetener E 951 and weight loss

Like other artificial sweeteners, aspartame does not cause a feeling of satiety, that is, products containing it provoke a person to absorb more and more portions.

Sweet drinks do not quench thirst, but, on the contrary, spur it on, as a thick sugary taste remains in the mouth.
Yoghurts with aspartame or diet sweets also do not contribute to weight loss, because serotonin, which is responsible for the feeling of satiety and pleasure from eating sweet foods, does not appear.

Thus, the appetite is only spurred on, and the amount of food, therefore, increases. What leads to overeating and not throwing off extra pounds as intended, but to weight gain.

Methanol is the result of the breakdown of aspartame

But this is not the worst thing when using aspartame. The fact is that in our body the sweetener breaks down into amino acids (aspartic and phenylalanine) and methanol.

And if the existence of the first two components is somehow justified, especially since they can also be found in fruits and juices, then the presence of methanol causes heated discussions to this day. This monohydric alcohol is considered a poison, and there is no way to justify its existence in food products.
The decomposition reaction of aspartame into harmful substances occurs even with slight heating. So it is enough for the thermometer to rise to 30 ° C for the sweetener to turn into formaldehyde, methanol and phenylalanine. All of these are toxic substances that are extremely dangerous to human health.

Can Aspartame be Pregnant and Lactating?

Despite the hard facts described above, today aspartame is allowed for use in more than 100 countries of the world for children, pregnant women and lactating women.
Official sources claim that it is the most studied and safest synthetic sweetener used by man. However, I would not recommend the use of any expectant mothers, or nursing women, or children.

It is believed that the main benefit of aspartame is that people suffering from diabetes without fear for their lives due to a sharp increase in insulin can afford dessert or a sweet drink, because the GI (glycemic index) of this sweetener is zero.

Where is the sweetener aspartame found?

In what foods is this sugar substitute found? Today in the distribution network you can find more than 6,000 items of products that contain aspartame in their composition.

Here is a list of these products with the maximum content:

sweet soda (including coca cola light and zero),
fruit yogurt,
chewing gum,
sweets for diabetics
sports nutrition,
a number of medicines
vitamins for children and adults.

And also in such sugar substitutes as: and.
Maximum allowable level aspartame E 951, approved by the FDA (American Food and Drug Administration) consumed per day is 50 mg / kg of weight.
Products, including directly household sweeteners, contain several times less of it. Accordingly, the allowable daily intake of aspartame can be calculated based on maximum value, defined by the FDA and WHO 50 mg / kg of body weight or 40 mg / kg.

Methods for the determination of aspartame in food products

In industry, there are a number of arbitration methods of analysis to determine the concentration of a substance in a product, (for control in case of disagreement), and on the basis of this, issuance of a certificate of conformity to it.

Spectrophotometric method

In this way, the presence of aspartame in carbonated soft drinks is determined after their manufacture.
The analysis uses a spectrophotometer, a colorimeter and a balance.

Chromatographic method

Needed to clarify the value of the concentration of the sweetener.
A liquid chromatograph is used as the main analysis equipment.

What else you need to know about aspartame

Sweetener combinations

This sugar substitute can be used in combination with others, for example, the combination of aspartame acesulfame potassium (salt) is often found.

Manufacturers often put them together, since the "duet" has a large sweetness coefficient of 300 units, while separately for both substances it does not exceed 200.

Release form

Sweetener on aspartame can be:

in the form of tablets, for example, milford (300 tabs),
in liquid - Milford Suss, as it is highly soluble.

Aspartame in sports nutrition (protein)

If you still have doubts about this sweetener, you can purchase products that do not contain it.
Chewing gum without aspartame or protein for athletes is on sale not only on the Internet on specialized sites, but also in supermarkets. Aspartame in sports nutrition does not affect muscle growth, as it is not absorbed by the body and is added solely to improve the palatability of the tasteless protein.
Whether or not to use aspartame as a sweetener is up to you. In any case, it is worth reading scientific articles on this topic for a more complete picture and consulting with a qualified nutritionist.

With warmth and care, endocrinologist Dilyara Lebedeva

With warmth and care, endocrinologist Lebedeva Dilyara Ilgizovna

Aspartame is the healthiest and most commonly used sweetener. Montignac himself recommends using it to people who are overweight or obese.
Popular opinion about useful properties aspartame is not true, and Montignac can also be wrong. In fact, aspartame is very harmful. Yes, it has a low calorie content and good digestibility, but it tastes almost 200 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame was first produced by the US company G.D. Searle in the second half of the 1960s. XX century. However, the company's loss was $28 million due to numerous lawsuits from people who, after using aspartame, instead of losing weight, suddenly gained weight, and about 800 women developed amniotic inflammation during pregnancy. The company had to reimburse the victims for the costs of treatment and compensate for moral damages.
Despite this, aspartame is very popular in the United States and in many other countries. In Russia, it is sold under the brands nutrisweet, aspamix, Miwon (from South Korea), Enzimologa (from Mexico), Ajinomoto (from Japan) and others. Unfortunately, it is used in the production of approximately 5-6 thousand types of drinks, food products, children's vitamins and medicines. Restaurants use aspartame in cooking diet meals. Used in the production of low-calorie drinks "light" and chewing gums. Aspartame has been widely used by manufacturers due to its low cost compared to granulated sugar. There is evidence from independent studies showing that long-term use of aspartame in food can cause tinnitus, insomnia, depression, allergies, headaches, and brain cancer. People who frequently drink aspartame-containing beverages are at a higher risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus or multiple sclerosis. Included in it phenylalanine and aspartic acid with a lack of other amino acids that are converted into protein, passing into the brain, cause damage to the nerve cells of the brain, up to memory loss. For pregnant women, the use of aspartame is highly undesirable, even in small quantities, as this can lead to birth defects in the children's brain.
One of the components of aspartame, phenylalanine, accumulates in the brain, leading to mental retardation, depression, unmotivated bursts of aggression, hormonal disorders, deterioration of mood and well-being of a person. Aspartame consumption can also lead to allergic reactions. In some people, it increases appetite. In addition, aspartame contains methanol, which causes visual impairment in those who drink cheap low-quality drinks. Once in the body, methanol is converted into the carcinogen diketopiperazine, formaldehyde and their toxic compounds. Formaldehyde is a toxic substance, comparable in terms of danger to arsenic and hydrocyanic acid.
Approximately 90 percent of the sugary drinks on the market contain aspartame. Kvass containing this sweetener cannot be considered kvass. Such a drink leaves a sugary aftertaste in the mouth, and real sourdough kvass should leave a feeling of freshness.
Drinks containing aspartame should not be heated or left in the hot sun, as the heated drink converts aspartame into poisonous methanol. That is why they say on the bottles "Drink chilled!". Sometimes it is still acceptable to drink a small bottle of a drink containing aspartame, but if you drink such drinks in large quantities every day, it will cause tremendous harm to health.
On food labels, aspartame is hidden under the code E951.
In the manufacture of foods and sugary drinks, it is sometimes mixed with another sweetener, acesulfame-K. It provides an instant sweet taste, while aspartame provides a long aftertaste. This mixing does not make the sweetener less harmful.

On the one hand, FitSeven has already written in detail that most of the statements about the dangers of sports protein for the health of an athlete are just myths - scientific studies confirm the safety and harmlessness of whey protein. However, this applies only to "pure" protein, and not mixtures sold in stores.

Unfortunately, a key problem with sports protein is that manufacturers almost always add numerous secondary ingredients to their formula - not so much to reduce the cost of the product, but to create a more "pleasant" taste and color, as well as provide a thick texture and easy mixing. with water. Not to mention the content.

How much protein is in sports protein?

The first thing to start with when choosing a sports protein is to study the direct protein content in 100 g of the product. Very often, manufacturers deliberately mislead the buyer by indicating the numbers “30 g of protein per serving” on the packaging, meaning by serving not the standard 30 grams, but 40 or even 50 grams.

Remember that a good protein should contain approximately 22-25 grams of protein per 30-gram serving - or 73-83 grams of protein per 100 grams of product. The amount of carbohydrates and fats in this case should not exceed 1-5 g per serving (or 4-15 g per 100 g). If there is less protein in the product, and more carbohydrates and fats, then you should not buy it.

Learning to read the composition of the protein

The second step in choosing a quality protein is to carefully study its composition, which is always present on the package. Recall that all ingredients must be listed in descending order, from the most to the least. If there is no composition of the product on the packaging at all, this definitely does not mean anything good.

The main rule should be that the more ingredients in the composition of the protein, the worse its quality. This condition is especially pronounced in the example made from soybeans or peas - similar technology requires complex processes and the use of a variety of flavor and texture additives.

Protein Composition: Typical Ingredients

The key ingredient in whey protein is always either Whey Protein Concentrate or Whey Protein Isolate. However, it is of fundamental importance how the feedstock was cleaned of fat and impurities - by mechanical filtration or chemical reactions.

Expensive brands of sports protein usually clearly indicate that the isolate was purified mechanically, without the use of hydrolysis or other chemical processes. In simple terms, it's like olive oil - the characteristics and taste of cold-pressed oil are fundamentally different from deeply refined ones.

Hydrolyzed protein

From a theoretical point of view, in the process of protein hydrolysis (i.e. thermal, mechanical and chemical treatments), the complex milk protein is broken down into individual amino acids, which should provide better raw material purity and more high level assimilation of its composition. Such a protein is referred to as Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate.

However, from a practical point of view, this production process is the most complex technological chain that fundamentally changes the composition of milk protein. In fact, there are no long-term scientific research, showing the harmlessness and safety for health of regular intake of such a protein.

Dangerous ingredients in protein

Unfortunately, pure whey itself has a specific unpleasant taste and does not mix well with water - to eliminate this “defect”, manufacturers have to add both sweeteners and sweeteners, flavors and all kinds of thickeners to the composition of sports protein.

It should be noted that some scientists firmly believe that the use of a sweetener at low blood glucose levels (that is, after physical training) damages the brain and can lead to the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. That is why try to buy protein without aspartame.

Thickeners and leavening agents

The fundamental difference between low-quality protein and premium brands is the use of cheap thickeners and leavening agents, which make it possible to thicken the texture of the final product. The problem lies in the fact that such thickeners literally fill the stomach and significantly impair protein absorption.

Conditionally safe thickeners can be considered carrageenan (carrageenan) and xanthan gum (xanthan gum), widely used in the food industry both for and for creating a thick structure of milkshakes from McDonald's. But, again, this raises the question of how "useful" is the composition of such a product.

***

It must be clearly understood that sports protein is a rather complex product in terms of manufacturing, and not just a concentrate of powdered milk. To reduce the cost, manufacturers can use extremely strange ingredients - and no one can forbid them, since there are no regulations for such products.