A big challenge with a lot of weight-loss diets is that you end up losing muscle mass along with the fat, so while you do lose weight you don’t really look or feel that much better. A lot of protein shakes have come along to attempt to address that.
I was asked recently to take a look at another company’s protein shake mix because it specifically contains leucine, an amino acid that helps preserve lean muscle mass. The problem is that the shake mix is made from soy protein which isn’t very high in leucine, so the leucine is a separate ingredient that is either refined out of something that contains it naturally or it is completely synthetic.
What is Leucine?
Leucine is one of the essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Our bodies manufacture proteins by taking them in through our diet, breaking them down into their component amino acids, then rebuilding them into the proteins that we need.
Soy protein does contain some leucine but whey and pea protein contain much more.
Once in the body, leucine tells the body to manufacture the proteins that build muscle mass as well as being a component of the proteins that make up muscle tissue. For people looking to lose weight, leucine also helps to prevent loss of muscle mass. Some studies have shown that increased leucine in your diet can also help you burn fat and regulate your blood sugar, both of which are big benefits when trying to lose weight.
How to lose weight without losing muscle mass? Make sure that you get all of the amino acids so that your body can continue making protein for lean muscle tissue, especially leucine to trigger the process.
Natural Is Better
Using whey or pea protein is a better choice because you can use the whole protein to get the leucine content you want, plus all of the other amino acids that come with it. After all, you need more than one type of amino acid to build a usable protein. Another reason for using whey or pea protein is that the less processing that goes into our food the better.
For many, pea protein is the better choice. Though it has slightly less leucine than whey, pea protein doesn’t have the potential allergy problems of whey and is suitable for vegans and non-vegans.
Vegetable Sources of Protein
Many people think of meat as the only source of protein and anything else must be inferior. Plants are actually an excellent source of protein that doesn’t contain all of the saturated fat and calories associated with animal protein.
Our bodies break down all of the proteins that we consume into their component amino acids then manufacture the proteins that we need, so we don’t have to consume animal proteins. Also, where do you think the animals get their proteins and amino acids from? By eating plant proteins we can skip the middle man and go straight to the source.
Kenzen Vital Balance Protein Shake Mix
Pea protein is the first ingredient in Kenzen Vital Balance protein shake mix with additional vegetable proteins added so that all of the essential amino acids are available. In addition to pea protein, it contains protein from hemp, rice and chlorella.
To make the Nikken shake mix further stand out from the crowd, it contains a variety of other ingredients that support weight-loss and other functions in the body.
- Medium-chain triglycerides from palm oil help to burn fat, boost your metabolism, help control your appetite and feed your brain.
- Open-cell chlorella and cilantro act as natural tissue cleaners to eliminate toxins like heavy metals and other compounds that we take in from our environment.
- Enzymes to help you digest and absorb nutrients
- Probiotics that support your gastrointestinal and immune systems
It is also made with real vanilla, not the fake stuff that so many other products use.
You can learn more about Nikken’s Kenzen Vital Balance protein shake mix here.
Ben
Disclaimer: Kenzen Vital Balance supports a healthy body through nutrition. It is not a medication and is not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition. I am an independent Nikken distributor. If you place an order through a link on this page then I may earn a commission. Nikken products are only available through an independent distributor.
