July - National Whey Protein Month?

Considering the many health benefits of whey protein, do you ever wonder why there’s not a national observance highlighting this valuable functional food? With few national health observances, July is an ideal month to do so. July does tout a number of food holidays, like National Ice Cream Month and National Hot Dog Month, National Sugar Cookie Day–July 9, even National Junk Food Day–July 21.

If we’re so preoccupied with celebrating foods that undermine our health, does it make sense that we should also pay tribute to what is arguably one of the healthiest foods available to us? Here are a few important reasons why a national observance for this amazing power food is whey overdue:

The Perfect Meal Replacement
You should never consider replacing a meal unless you give yourself something even better. However, a whey protein shake with added green nutrients and essential fats far surpasses the average American meal in terms of overall nutrients and clean, low–fat, low–carb protein. Given their convenience, whey protein shakes and bars help prevent the metabolism-damaging practice of skipping meals.

Blood Sugar Anchor
While whey protein in the form of bars and shakes may taste delicious, it’s also highly nourishing without the blood sugar rush/crash you get from other "treats" that can wreak havoc on your waistline. It’s important to break that vicious, fattening cycle. Low calorie whey protein satisfies sweet cravings and discourages overeating while safely anchoring blood sugar levels, promoting lasting energy and a healthy metabolism.

Nourishing, Complete Protein
Your body needs protein on a daily basis to build/repair tissues, bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood, among other tasks. Optimizing your daily intake is essential, since your body can’t store this vital macronutrient. You require around .8 to 1.5 protein grams per pound of body weight each day–or more if you’re highly active. A scoop of high-quality whey protein powder offers about 20 grams of well absorbed, complete protein that includes rich levels of all 8 essential amino acids.

Hunger Tamer
Whey protein helps to curb hunger by ensuring that you feel comfortably full for hours. Studies comparing whey and casein proteins on appetite and satiety–related hormones found that whey protein powder was the most effective in promoting satisfaction and a lasting feeling of fullness. The result? Reduced appetite and decreased food intake.1, 2

Immune Booster
Can whey protein boost immune health too? As it turns out, whey protein demonstrates a wide range of immune–enhancing properties, and may even minimize your cancer tumor risk since whey converts the amino acid cysteine to glutathione–a powerful antioxidant. In fact, many studies indicate that whey protein has a track record of success in treating cancer, HIV, hepatitis B, heart disease, and osteoporosis.3

In light of all this, would you not agree that a National Whey Protein Month observance is clearly overdue?

References
1 Br J Nutr. 2003 Feb;89(2):239-48
2 Br J Nutr. 2010 Oct;104(8):1241-8. Epub 2010 May 11
3 Altern Med Rev. 2004 Jun;9(2):136-56