You know those days where you wish you had a little personal jet pack to strap to your back to keep you going? Maybe it’s the same sort of day that you begin to reach for the 3rd or 4th cup of coffee or cave into a candy bar from the vending machine? You’re not alone – we all have those days from time to time – and here’s the good news… While coffee, sugar and other stimulants are not doing you much of a favor in the long run, there’s a superfood out there that offers a unique blend of energizing proteins and other nutrients that may help you have less of these groggy days and more super-powered “I feel great” ones. Even on our best days we can all benefit from a little nutritional energy boost – the secret is pure powdered whey concentrate.
A REAL FOOD?
Don’t be fooled by the name, organic whey protein powder concentrate is not like other whey protein isolates found in many protein powders. Organic whey protein powder is a real food, complete with all the natural immune factors and bioactive peptides, along with nutritional co-factors like vitamins, alkaline minerals and healthy non-homogenized fats.
Whey is actually a normal by-product of the cheese making process, left behind after being separated from the curds that become hard or soft cheese depending on the aging process. It naturally contains all of the soluble substances in milk that are not separated out in the curds, including amino acids, antioxidants and alkaline minerals. When first separated from the curds, whey is in liquid form. A gentle dehydration process extracts the water from the whey, leaving behind an incredibly nutrient-rich powder. Nothing but the water is extracted and no additives are used in the process of creating this pure powdered whey. Like any other whole food put in a food dehydrator, it’s natural and nutrient-rich.
However, most other whey products on the market are not in this whole food form – they are isolates rather than concentrates. This means they undergo a high-heat extraction process, an acid flush and other processes that strip the food of vital nutrients. In addition, the milk that Essential Living Foods uses to start the whey making process is of higher quality, sourced from small free-ranged pastured dairy cows in order to ensure the product contains the most amount of nutrients from start to finish.
WHEY CONCENTRATE VS. WHEY ISOLATE AT A GLANCE
Whey isolate contains only one thing: whey protein.
Whey concentrates contain the full range of nutrients found in whey: proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, growth factors (including IGF-1, TGF-1, and TGF-2) and immune factors (including immunoglobulins and lactoferrin). Pasture-raised whey is particularly rich in the cell- building phospholipid known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Protein powders sometimes get a bad rap in the health and wellness communities because of their reputation as highly processed, artificial foods. This pure whey protein is different: whole, pure and highly nourishing. In fact, we hardly ever mix it with anything more than water – its flavor is so clean and unadulterated it’s perfect for consumption just as it is!
A Balanced Blend of Essential Amino Acids
Pound-for-pound, our low-temperature-processed organic whey protein powder is more impressive than any other single protein food. Our pasture-raised organic whey protein powder provides all essential and conditionally essential amino acids, including the muscle-building glutamic acid and branched-chain amino acids like leucine and cysteine, which play key roles in energy production, immune support and muscular development. It also contains bioactive cysteine, called glutamylcysteine, which is often missing in the typical diet, but is necessary for the body to perform vital metabolic and immune functions.
Individually the amino acids have significantly important functions, but it’s their synergy that truly enables them to fuel the body. Amino acids, otherwise known as the building blocks of protein, are what the body uses to make proteins and other biomolecules in the body. These large molecules are highly essential for the body to make because they play a role in almost every biological process, enabling cellular work and the structure, function and regulation of the tissues and organs. In order for the body to use amino acids to create protein molecules, it needs a balanced input of all of the essential and conditionally essential amino acids; if one essential amino acid is not supplied through the diet, the others cannot be used. It is crucial, therefore, to ensure the body is supplied with all of the essential amino acids on a regular basis.
Feelings of fatigue, weakness and lack of focus are common symptoms of protein deficiency. Simply ensuring your body is getting adequate amounts of complete protein every day can help provide more energy, strength and focus. Animal products and only a few particular plant foods are the only true sources of complete protein available, and whey protein concentrate is an excellent choice. Not only is it easier for the body digest and use than many other animal proteins, it has additional nourishing qualities.
The Richest Source of Naturally-Occuring Immune Factors
Our organic whey protein powder has been lab-verified as containing all naturally-occurring immune factors intact, including serum albumin, immunoglobulins, alpha lactoglobulins, beta lactoglobulins, glucomacropeptides, glutamylcysteine and lactoferrin — virtually the same immune compounds that are found in human breast milk, responsible for providing the newborn with critical immune defenses against infections and disease. Additionally, our pure whey concentrate from free-range pastured cows contains two times more immunoglobulin G and three times more Lactoferrin than the average whey. The immunological properties of pasture-raised whey have been widely documented as beneficial for people of all ages, particularly people under increased metabolic stress such as athletes, people after injury, and the elderly.
Immunoglobulins, like those provided by pure pastured whey, play a distinct biological role of providing protection against pathogens. By binding to bacteria, viruses and fungi, they protect the body from pathogenic invasions that can cause illness, infection and disease. Lactoferrin, a multi-functional peptide that helps regulate the absorption and use of iron, may provide additional immune support by destroying the cell walls of bacteria, killing bacteria before it can proliferate and cause harm in the body. Lactoferrin also has active functions against some viruses and fungi and has been shown to play a role in the regulation of bone marrow.
By offering a wide variety of immune factors, pure whey concentrate plays a more comprehensive role in immune function. Since certain immunoglobulins and other immune factors are specific to individual pathogens, the variety allows whey to protect the body in a multifaceted way. Regular consumption of natural immune factors like those in whey can help prevent sickness as well as enhance immune function in situations of immune compromise.
Unique Nutrients for Muscle Function and Recovery
Pure organic whey protein powder (concentrate) is rich with amino acids, which the body uses to build and maintain tissues in the body. Due to the natural breakdown of muscle that occurs during exercise and daily activity, muscle tissues require constant repair and maintenance carried out by amino acids and the protein molecules they are used to create. Additionally, branched chain amino acids, like leucine found in whey, have the capacity to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and have been associated with the healthy development of lean muscle mass. When in adequate dietary supply, leucine may slow the breakdown of muscle tissue by stimulating the synthesis of muscle protein.
Pasture raised dairy cows for raw cheese and whole food whey protein concentrate.
Pure whey concentrate is also an excellent source of critical minerals including calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are necessary for proper muscle function. These minerals in particular play a role in maintaining the balance between muscle contraction and relaxation, enabling the muscles to contract and work effectively while also relaxing properly to prevent cramping and fatigue. Glycomacropeptide (GMP), a casein-derived whey peptide found in whey, has been found to stimulate the production of cholecystokinin, a hormone that regulates energy production and metabolism. Further research has also associated GMP with the healthy growth of intestinal bacteria, which play a range of roles in the body including immune support, energy maintenance, vitamin production, digestion and detoxification.
In general, the combination of complete protein, essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and enzymes makes whey concentrate a good source of long-lasting energy that will fuel the body throughout the day. Furthermore, since exercise induces a natural increase in oxidation reactions in the body, the antioxidant qualities of whey concentrate offer additional benefits that counteract the production of these potentially harmful free-radicals.
Antioxidant & Anti-Aging Function
Pure whey concentrate, unlike other isolates, are a potent source of dietary antioxidants that play a role in locating and deactivating harmful free radicals throughout the body. Some of whey’s primary antioxidants and their functions include:
Lacto Peroxidase: an enzyme known for its antioxidant and anti-microbial properties. Lacto peroxidase is fairly heat resistant and can survive low-heat whey processing, but is generally destroyed by ultra-pasteurization or acid-processing.
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA): an important source of glutamylcysteine – the most bioactive precursor for the body’s master antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione plays essential roles in virtually every immune-enhancing, anti-aging, and anti-cancer activity in the body.
Alpha Lactalbumin: the most abundant protein in mother’s milk, it plays a key biological role in the production of the sugar lactose, essential for growth and brain development of the newborn. Alpha lactalbumin is believed to possess antibacterial and anti-cancerous activities. A folding variant of alpha lactalbumin has shown to kill tumor and immature cells but spare mature healthy cells. Alpha lactalbumin is generally low in bovine whey products but appear in higher concentrations in goat and sheep milk products as well as in pasture fed cows’ whey.
Other Exceptional Qualities
As a whole food dietary supplement, pure whey concentrate offers a multitude of nutritional benefits. In addition to what we’ve already mentioned, whey also offers the following benefits:
- Regulation of metabolism and satiety through the stimulation of cholecystokin (CKK) and Glucagon Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1). The stimulation of CKK and GLP-1 has been linked to early satiety from meals, reduced food intake, increased insulin sensitivity, and weight loss.
- Support for the growth and function of good probiotic bacteria in the digestive system
- Natural anti-microbial qualities that help decrease the risk of microbial infection.
- Anti-inflammatory properties that support the health of muscles and other tissues.
- Potential inhibition of platelet aggregation, protective property against cardiovascular disease.
- Provides Alpha Lactalbumin, a component of mother’s milk and an anti-cancer nutrient precursor