My Protein Powder Is Making Me Bloat: Why? And How Can I Avoid It?
by Ellie Mitchelle
Protein powder is a great way to get the energy you need to build huge muscles. However, you're finding that your daily protein drink is causing you to bloat up to uncomfortable levels. Why is this happening? And what can you do to avoid it?
Lactose Intolerance May Be To Blame
If you regularly bloat when drinking your protein powder, there's a good chance you might have some form of lactose intolerance. This is especially true if you feel bloated, flatulent, or suffer from excessive mucus after drinking your powder. If you are lactose intolerant, and your protein powder contains whey or other milk products, your body will react negatively to it.
Thankfully, it's relatively easy to test lactose intolerance at a doctor's office. Generally, they utilize two different tests. First, they'll ask you to drink something with lactose and blow into a machine to test your hydrogen level. High levels of hydrogen may indicate intolerance. Another test requires testing your blood sugar after you drink lactose: if your blood sugar remains low, you are likely intolerant.
Choosing A Lactose-Free Powder
You may think that being lactose intolerant means you can't enjoy whey powders, as whey comes from milk. This isn't necessarily true: dietitians suggest that whey isolate powders are very close to lactose-free, meaning they have less than 0.1 grams of lactose per 20 grams of protein powder.
However, you could also get protein shakes that include rice, peas, soy, or even cranberries, instead of whey. These replacements are absolutely lactose-free, which helps eliminate the lactose-bloat you may be experiencing.
Other Ways To Avoid Bloat
What if you continue to bloat after choosing lactose-free protein drinks or if you aren't lactose intolerant? Then there's a good chance something else in the protein powder is making you bloat. For example, some people bloat when ingesting "sugar alcohols," such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Other people simply jump in too soon and start drinking fiber shakes at high levels. You need to slowly increase your fiber intake over a week period to avoid bloating. Other bloat-cutting measures include eliminating drink froth and drinking slowly over a 10-minute period.
Following these simple tips should help you avoid the depressing post-protein-shake bloat. However, if you're still bloating, it might be worth taking a visit to the doctor. Other problems, including an intolerance to protein or fiber, could be affecting you.
To find the right type of protein powder for you, check out companies like Do Vitamins.
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About Me
I have always struggled with allergies, and it has been a huge challenge in my life. When I was a baby, I was allergic to milk and grains, which made it hard for my parents to give me the nutrition that I needed. As an adult, I have also been diagnosed with allergies to several medications, which has made it hard to get medical care. Fortunately, a few years ago I found an alternative solution to my woes. My friend recommended a natural health care clinic, and I was able to use it to avoid common medications that I was allergic to. This blog is all about the benefits of skipping the chemicals and using natural health care remedies.