• Nutrition.What is so much nutritional supplement for?

Smoothies, yogurts, custards ... Proteins have become the magic 'ingredient' of many lifelong food products that now stand out in their composition as the main claim to attract, especially, the most athletic customers.

The promise is very seductive: to nourish our muscles , especially after sports, so that they shine in all their splendor and aid weight loss .

However, it is not gold everything that shines. As the Organization of Consumers and Users warned a few days ago, these types of products are not only " notably more expensive " but also, " it is not proven that their consumption represents a real benefit for health ."

The enriched products that use these claims, pointed out the OCU, usually have "a high cost compared to conventional ones with similar characteristics." These are "commercial allegations, which without being false, try to justify their need".

For example, conventional milk (naturally protein food) enriched within the same white label has prices as disparate as 0.57 / liter and 1.25 / liter, respectively.

The same occurs with the flans of another white brand: the conventional product has a price of 2.58 / kg and, in its enriched version (which they have been devoid of egg yolk), 4.25 / kg.

From the OCU remember that " a conventional balanced diet must contain the necessary proteins , even for people who regularly practice sports."

On the contrary, if a consumer only ingests proteins through specific products, he may be "limiting the consumption of certain amino acids".

NEEDS AND SUPPLEMENTATION

Why this obsession with proteins? "It is one of the most important macronutrients since it is involved in enzymatic, structural, hormonal, defense and movement functions ... that is, they are essential for life", explains Andrea Ferrandis, expert in sports nutrition and co-founder of Sanus Vitae.

ANDREA FERRANDIS / SANUS VITAE

There has always been a lot of controversy about the recommended daily dose but, according to Ferrandis, "in nutrition we have come a long way and we know that the daily consumption of protein has to be observed individually, it will depend on the weight, sport and objective that you have ."

Do we need to supplement with protein? "It depends. Intake is always better from natural sources (real food) such as meat, fish, eggs, legumes, dairy, etc. However, there are contexts in which we cannot reach the minimum required and we need to use supplements . This is usually the case of athletes who have a very high needs because of the tremendous demand for their workouts. However, we always recommend that consumption of supplements is supervised by professionals (dietitians, nutritionists) ".

The problem with protein supplements is that "they are marketed with the aim of achieving weight loss for people who do not practice sports and as a meal replacement." In this scenario, "natural food should always be prioritized and the supplement would be used as a plus in specific situations".

This expert concludes remembering that "we must always seek a nutritional education based on real foods , not on restrictive diets with substitute supplements with which we will never achieve a good relationship with food or a nutritional improvement."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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