Whey protein is a body building supplement powder used by many pro body builders and athletes around the world. Even if you aren't competing and just doing weight training as a hobby, you can still use it to supplement your body for your body building workouts.

Whey protein comes from milk. During the conversion process from milk to cheese, whey is separated. Whey protein can be used as a replacement meal or with a meal. The value of the protein in whey is of high quality and has a high biological value(BV). The term biological value is often used when doing protein ratings. The higher the BV, the better your body will be able to absorb and make use of the protein hence resulting in better protein synthesis. Among the different types of whey protein, you have whey concentrate and whey isolate. Whey concentrate has a biological value of 104 and whey isolate has the highest BV of all proteins at 159. Eggs have long time had the highest BV at 100 until these high quality protein powders came in the market. Some other differences between whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate are:

Whey Protein Concentrate	Whey Protein Isolate
Contains more fat	Contains less fat or none
Contains lactose	Does not contain lactose or very little
Cheaper	More expensive
70-85% protein	90-94% protein
More cholesterol	Less cholesterol or none

Basically, whey protein concentrate is good enough although regular whey protein isolate intake could mean greater muscle growth as it does an even better job than whey concentrate post workout due to the lower fat content which results in faster protein absorbtion. Also, more effective muscle development as it contains higher amounts of protein. Whey protein isolate can also be better for people who are lactose intolerant and have problems with gas and bloating. But if you don't have this problem, whey protein concentrate is still of great quality and value for money because whey protein isolate can cost twice as much.

Due to its high biological value, one whey protein shake with 2 scoops of powder can easily contain a whopping 40 grams of protein. The advantage of using whey supplement is the ease of use. It's very convenient to get a meal without having to spend much time preparing food.

But whey protein should only be used as a plus and should not be used as a primary food for most of your meals. Still, natural food like skinless chicken breast, skinless turkey breast, lean red meat, lean pork cuts, fish, egg whites, cottage cheese or low fat cheese should be the core building block of your body building diet.

The consumption of a whey protein shake usually is best after a body building workout whereby your muscles are depleted and whey supplement will assist in recharging them. You can also have whey during your breakfast or used as a before bedtime meal. Some people prefer to mix whey with milk while others use it with water. You can also add it in your cereal like oatmeal for instance. Whey comes in different flavors and among the most popular ones, you have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Whey supplement assists in muscle building and gives your muscles vital nutrients for development and optimum growth and contains essential amino acids for your health and your body's proper functioning. Protein sources that contain all the essential amino acids are complete protein and whey protein is one of them.

Whey protein supplement powder should not be consumed excessively per day as this will overload your liver and can cause serious damages. Everything in moderation is best even when eating natural foods. Excess is not recommended for anything in life.

Whey comes from food actually like stated earlier, so it's safe to consume it in moderate quantity. 2-3 whey protein shakes per day is fine.

About the author

Jean Lam is the webmaster of Body Building Resource which provides articles on weight training, nutrition and fitness, body building book and DVDs.

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