Are protein powder/supplements suitable for 16y/o?

[davidche]

Hello, i've read many articles that says we do not need protein powder or shakes to aid the development of muscles. This is because, according to what they say, simply consuming more protein based food is enough for the growth of muscles.



I quote: The safe and adequate amount of protein recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association and the Dieticians of Canada is 0.5 to 0.6 gm of protein per pound for endurance athletes and 0.7 to 0.8 gm of protein per pound for strength athletes. Hence, a 200-pound body builder who needs 140 to 160 grams of protein per day can easily acquire that amount by consuming a quart of milk (40 gm protein), a 6-oz. can of tuna (40 gm protein) and an 8-oz. chicken breast (65 gm protein). Consuming additional protein from supplements is unnecessary, costly and displaces the carbs needed to provide fuel for strenuous workouts.

This makes me wonder if i should take protein shakes. I am currently 15y/o.

 

[Nicolasd]

There is nothing unsafe in protein powders for you.

You can easily get enough protein with regular foods, and should try to.

But sometimes protein powder and other supplements are just more practical. I can't take 3 lunch breaks at work, so I have to do some replacement meals. And for postworkout, a protein powder shake and dextrose is just a lot easier.

I also don't really like to eat as much as I have to when bulking, my natural appetite makes me skinny. A few replacement meals really makes my bulking diet a lot easier to get through.

Also sometimes other people cook your food, it may not have enough protein so supplying with powder is great.

When cutting, I do find it hard to get enough protein without using powders too.

I think those values are a bit low. Maybe it's just because issues of protein completeness and times of ingestion mean that if you eat ideally over the day, you only need .8g/lb, but on a non-perfect diet you need to compensate by getting more, or perhaps those strength athletes are just maintaining current muscle mass, but anyway I'd rather err on the side of caution. And honestly I don't have the personal experience to back it up, but most suggest higher values. There's no need to overdo it by eating 2g/lb though, your muscles can only grow so fast anyway, they won't grow faster just because you get excess proteins.