Beef Protein Powder: An Alternative to Whey

Written By: Arnold Hawyard

Published on: March 30, 2023

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This Guide Teaches You:

• What beef protein powder is and how it is made.
• The benefits and nutritional value of beef protein powder
• How to take beef protein powder and when to take it.
• How does beef protein powder compare to whey protein and plant-based protein?

This guide provides a keen insight into the fundamentals of beef protein powder, how it compares with other protein sources, the impact on athletic performance, body composition, post-workout recovery, and many more.

Overview: Making Beef Protein Powder

Understanding how beef protein powder is made is an important step that will probably help you to make informed decisions when choosing a protein powder supplement. Beef protein powder is created from hydrolyzed gelatin and beef protein isolate, which ideally does not differ from collagen. One thing that makes beef protein powder more interesting is its fewer carbs and fat. You’ll be guaranteed approximately 99% protein intake when you take beef protein powder. These impressive features have, in turn, resulted in beef protein powder supplements gaining massive popularity. 

Ripped.com offers some of the highest quality beef protein products in the market. The online shop also has a comprehensive refund and exchange policy to help you get rid of a product if your needs are not met.

Here is a list of the best beef protein powder supplements:

• Musclemeds: Carnivor Chocolate Peanut Butter 56 Servings 
• Musclemeds: Carnivor Vanilla Caramel 28 Servings
• Musclemeds: Carnivor Strawberry 56 Servings
• MuscleMeds - Carnivor Original Fruity Cereal 56 Servings

Why are these the best products?

• 99% beef protein isolate
• No cholesterol
• No fat
• Are fast-digesting
• Hypoallergenic (no gluten, lactose, dairy, or sugar)
• Have a delicious taste

How to Choose Beef Protein Powder

Before purchasing beef protein powder, there are some considerations you need to evaluate:

• Protein Quality - This is often the highest priority for most people. Does the product contain all the nine EAAs (essential amino acids)? You should look at the protein source of the supplement to evaluate its effectiveness and quality.
• Processing Method - The processing method determines the protein content you ingest from the product. For instance, concentrates have 70-80% protein, isolates have 90% or more, and hydrolysates have up to 90% protein content.
• Ingredients - You have to check if the product contains any common food allergens or generally any ingredient you may be sensitive to.
• Artificial Flavors or Sweeteners - Generally, artificial flavors and sweeteners are considered to be safe, But if you are looking for a natural beef protein you may want to avoid products with artificial additives.

Nutritional Information on Beef Protein Powder

Beef protein powder is outstandingly rich in amino acids, including, but not limited to, alanine, arginine, glycine, glutamic acid, and proline. The nutrients, as mentioned earlier, are believed to possess far more significant nutritional benefits than you can imagine.

For instance, scientific research and studies validate the anti ageing effect of an l-arginine   when compared to other pharmaceutical agents. This is because L-arginine plays a crucial role in producing several structural proteins, hormones, and enzymes. 

Additionally, a scientific study reveals that alanine, an amino acid found in beef protein powder, may influence people’s exercise performance. The notion behind this study is that alanine boosts the calcium sensitivity in contractile fibers, thus increasing exercise performance. The study involved clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the participants. You can see what beef protein powder can offer to your body. You wouldn’t want to miss out on a crucial opportunity to improve your exercise performance, especially if you are an athlete.

The beauty of beef protein powder is that there is barely an end to how you can benefit from its consumption. Glutamic acid, another amino acid building block, is a fundamental nutrient that boosts metabolism and supports the immune system. Your body requires sufficient nutrients to fuel the immune system cells. This fuel can be obtained using glutamic acid found in beef protein powder. From a health perspective, amino acids are a crucial dietary component. 

Interestingly, beef protein powder’s amino acid profile is tremendous. You need to consume the right amount of beef protein powder to benefit from the amino acid nutrients. One serving of beef protein powder contains approximately 20 to 28 g of protein. Your daily consumption thus depends on your nutritional needs.

Benefits of Beef Protein Powder

If beef protein powder’s nutritional profile is not attractive enough, then the possible results of using beef protein powders might convince you. But then the dietary data and benefits of beef protein powder are almost akin. So, how do you benefit from beef protein powder usage? 

Beef Protein Powder is Hypoallergenic

You don’t have to worry about food allergies such as dairy, gluten, soy, or grain when you consume beef protein powders. Grass-fed beef protein is the main ingredient for this supplement. So, even lactose-intolerant individuals don’t have to worry about milk allergens. Furthermore, it is difficult to find people who are allergic to beef since it is not a typical food allergen.

Digestibility

Digestibility refers to the body's absorption rate of beef protein powder. The question here is, can beef protein powders be easily digested? Beef protein is highly digestible, with a digestibility rate of 94%. 

Complete Protein Source

Why do you think people take beef? The whole point is to increase their protein intake. However, the disadvantage is that meat is not free from fat and cholesterol. Regardless, beef still offers all the essential amino acid nutrients your body requires without the fat and cholesterol. You will also get all the vital amino acid nutrients.

Improving Lean Muscle Mass

Epidemiological studies show that taking beef protein powder after intense resistance training could increase lean muscle mass. So, what does this imply? Your muscle strength will likely increase when you adopt beef protein powder in your regular diet.

Easily Blends When Paired With Other Ingredients

The savory and salty taste and texture of beef protein powders make it easy to blend with other ingredients. You don’t have to worry about extra flavors since they will be as good as undetectable.

How to Properly Mix And Consume Beef Protein Powder

The thing about supplements is that you need to know their dosage and proper mixture before purchasing and consuming them. Even if you get the right beef protein powder supplement that suits your needs, you still need to find a proper way of incorporating it into your daily diet. 

Beef protein powder is crucial for repairing and rebuilding muscles, especially after resistance training workouts. But it is imperative for you to know how to mix beef protein powder. So, what is the best way to incorporate beef protein powders into your diet?

• Add a scoop or multiple scoops (depending on your nutritional needs) of beef protein powder to a shaker bottle. Pour milk, water, or any liquid you prefer into the bottle and shake vigorously. This allows you to create a beef protein pre-workout supplement or a post-workout beef protein shake that will boost your training performance.
• Since beef protein powder blends well with other ingredients, you can use it in various ways. You can combine a smoothie with beef protein powder to create a protein smoothie. 
• If you take both oatmeal and beef protein powder supplements, have you had a taste of the two mixed? Well, the mixture can provide more protein, flavor, and richness.

The recommended Dosage of Beef Protein Powder

If you intend to maintain a healthy diet, beef protein powder should be included. However, the requirements for beef protein powder consumption vary from person to person. Some of the factors that can influence your protein intake include activity levels, age, body weight, gender, and any other that might be mentioned by a medical professional. Averagely, the daily beef protein powder intake should be, at most, 2 grams per 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of body weight. You risk developing complications if you exceed your recommended dietary allowance for beef protein powder.

How Does Beef Protein Powder Compare to Whey Protein?

For starters, you need to know the basics of whey protein. What are the contents of whey protein? Once you are well informed, you will understand why beef protein powder is in a class of its own. Whey protein might be losing ground to beef protein for several reasons, but whey protein has its benefits.

An Overview of Whey Protein

Like beef protein powder, whey protein is a complete protein source. However, whey protein is obtained from milk, which also contains casein protein. The casein is filtered out during processing to create whey protein. Whey protein is rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are vital for lean muscle mass rebuilding. According to a scientific study, leucine (a component of BCAAs) stimulates muscle protein synthesis. 

Additionally, whey protein is as popular as beef protein powder because of its richness in amino acids and the high absorption rate. Bodybuilders and fitness buffs tend to choose whey protein because of the large number of amino acids it provides after workouts, thus facilitating the process of muscle building.

The Benefits of Beef Protein Powder Over Whey Protein

• Athletes on a paleo diet or lactose-intolerant individuals are typically more comfortable with beef protein power since whey protein contains allergens.
• Beef protein powder comprises unique amino acids such as alanine, arginine, glycine, glutamic acid, and proline. These amino acids are lacking in modern diets.
• Unlike whey protein, beef protein does not contain fat and cholesterol. It is mainly made up of beef protein which is vital in building muscle mass and strength.

The Drawbacks of Beef Protein Powder Compared to Whey Protein

There are two notable drawbacks of beef protein powder in comparison to whey protein:

• Numerous epidemiologic studies suggest that whey protein can build muscle strength and muscle mass compared to the limited research studies on beef protein powder's role in supporting muscle mass and strength.
• Whey protein is arguably the most digestible protein powder; its absorption and digestibility rate is believed to be significantly higher than beef protein powder. 

How Does Beef Protein Powder Compare to Plant-based Protein?

Beef protein powder is an animal-based protein that is a complete protein source unlike plant-based proteins. When you consume beef protein powder, you ingest all the vital amino acid nutrients.

However, this does not necessarily denote that all plant-based proteins are incomplete. Of course, both beef protein powder and plant-based protein have their pros and cons. But which protein powder is predominant compared to the other? 

The Benefits of Beef Protein Powder Over Plant-based Protein

• The human body requires certain amino acids that contain nutrients necessary for the body. However, the body cannot produce these crucial amino acids, which thus forces you to obtain them from food sources or supplements. Beef protein powder comprises essential amino acids since it is generally a complete protein source. Most plant-based proteins lack the essential amino acids, thus making them inferior compared to beef protein powder.
• If you want to trigger weight loss using high protein intake, beef protein powder should be your first choice. This means that you can control your weight better with beef protein powder than with plant-based protein.

The Drawbacks of Beef Protein Powder Compared to Plant-based Protein

• The typical argument for plant-based protein powder is that it is a natural source of protein with no additives. Additionally, studies suggest that plant-based proteins are less likely to result in health complications such as cancer and heart diseases. 
• However, the argument can also be countered with the fact that there are natural beef protein powder supplements. On top of that, fat and cholesterol are the known factors that can cause heart complications; beef protein powder is cholesterol and fat-free. It is also sugar-free unless you purchase a flavored beef protein powder supplement.

Other Animal-Based Proteins

If dairy products don’t cut it for you, there are many other options you can pursue:

• Bone Broth - Cooking bones, ligaments, and tendons under high pressure results in a broth, which is then converted into powder form.
• Collagen - Collagen is obtained from fish or bovine hide and is popular as a none, joint, gut, and skin supplement.
• Egg White Protein - Egg protein is a great option if you prefer a dairy-free and complete protein source.

How Beef Protein Powder Helps Trigger Muscle Protein Synthesis

If you are a gym enthusiast, you know how crucial proteins are for building muscle mass and strength. It is nearly impossible to bulk up no matter how intense or frequent your workouts are if your protein intake is insufficient. You may try out several exercises or increase your gym time while wondering why you are not adding noticeable size. But the actual setback isn’t what you do in the gym; protein deficiency is the stumbling block to muscle mass building and recovery.

Athletes and gym buffs understand that they have higher dietary protein needs than inactive people. When people exercise, some micro-traumas are induced in the muscle fibers. Your body constantly supplies amino acids that support muscle recovery from the micro-traumas. When these amino acids are produced, they trigger protein synthesis, thus facilitating muscle fiber repair and rebuilding. 

However, your body consequently requires a regular supply of high-quality proteins. So, you need to consume quality and adequate dietary protein sources, and one protein source that you probably have in mind already is beef protein powder. 

According to a scientific study, beef protein powder has a biological value of approximately 80%. Biological value is the measurement of the protein percentage the body utilizes. In a nutshell, it is the amount of protein your body can absorb from a dietary protein source. Furthermore, the higher the biological value of the protein source, the more effective it is in muscle growth.

So, now that you already know the biological value of beef protein powder, it is evident that it is very effective in supporting muscle growth. As mentioned earlier in this article, beef protein powder contains all the essential amino acids which support muscle mass and strength rebuild. 

Additionally, beef protein powders are produced to rule out the shortcoming of saturated fat and cholesterol you would have had to consume when you eat red meat (beef protein powder is fat and cholesterol-free). This means that your muscles fully utilize high-quality proteins from beef protein powder.

How Beef Protein Powder Can Improve Athletic Performance

Your body needs to adapt to physical activities to achieve optimal body functioning. The ultimate objective is to ensure that your athletic performance improves. But how can you achieve this specific adaptation to optimize body functions? There are essential factors that need to be considered, including age, genetics, and level of training. On top of that, nutrition is also a key factor required to achieve optimal athletic performance. 

When it comes to improving athletic performance, good nutrition is vital, including crucial nutrients like amino acids, which you can obtain from beef protein powder. The latter provides all the essential calories and nutrients your body requires to fulfill your nutritional needs. The nutrients fuel your body by providing the necessary energy to meet athletic performance demands.

When you talk about proper nutrition required to build muscle mass and strength, protein has to be at the top of the list. According to a scientific study, athletes who exercise without sufficient energy supplements face a decrease in endurance and strength performance and, consequently, a high risk of muscle damage. 

Why is Beef Protein Powder Superior For Post-Workout Recovery?

What goes through your mind when you start planning a workout? Do you think about pre-workout supplements only or go beyond and purchase post-workout supplements? Well, beef protein powder works both ways, regardless of whichever supplement you plan for. You can consume beef protein powder before workouts, after workouts, or both. 

Many fitness enthusiasts plan their pre-workout meals extensively and, unfortunately, give little attention to post-workout diets. It is imperative that you balance your pre-workout and post-workout diets, especially if you are using beef protein powder.

How to Use Beef Protein Powder For Optimal Recovery After Intense Workouts

Each workout you do triggers muscle protein breakdown. What does this mean? It means that you need to constantly maintain a certain level of protein intake to avoid deficiency. The breakdown of muscle protein results in the release of amino acids that facilitate muscle repair and rebuilding. Studies recommend a protein intake of an average of 20 to 40 grams after every 3-4 hours, depending on your body weight. 

Additionally, scientific studies suggest that exercise improves your body's ability to rebuild protein. Thus, the post-workout period is a very crucial part of timing nutrients. In simpler terms, when you consume beef protein powder after working out, it not only enhances your muscle recovery and repair, but the rate at which it does so is super impressive. This super-compensated post-workout period is referred to as an anabolic window of opportunity whereby the amassment of muscle proteins is optimized for a limited time. So, if this concept is anything to go by, you need to time your beef protein powder intake after workouts to fully enhance athletic performance and muscular adaptations.

The Effects of Beef Protein Powder on Muscle Mass and Body Composition

Did you know that protein can alter the weight-regulating hormones in your body? Studies suggest that the hypothalamus, a part of the brain, actively regulates your body weight. The study further reveals that the brain has to process several varied pieces of information to determine the timing and quantity of meals. And part of the information sent to the brain includes hormones responsive to feeding. Beef protein powder boosts your protein intake, thus increasing appetite-reducing hormones such as cholecystokinin, GLP-1, and peptide YY while reducing ghrelin, a hunger hormone. When you consume beef protein powder, you increase satiety hormones while reducing hunger hormones. This means that your hunger levels will decrease, thus helping you to lose weight. 

Additionally, the thermic effect of food (TEF) triggers the utilization of calories in food digestion and metabolism after you eat. According to scientific studies, the TEF of protein is much higher at 20-30% compared to other nutrients, with fat having a TEF of 5 to 10% and carbs with 0 to 3%. The implication is that when your body digests and metabolizes protein from beef protein powder, 20 to 30% of calories from the protein are burned. By triggering the burning of protein calories, beef protein powder helps you lose and control your weight.

How Beef Protein Can Aid in High-Intensity Workouts

High-intensity workouts are a kind of exercise that could potentially result in muscle traumas or muscle injuries. This happens when the muscle fibers are strained while muscle protein is broken down. You can adopt high-quality beef protein powder to support your body as it breaks down muscle protein during high-intensity training. Moreover, beef protein powder offers convenience since you quickly blend it with a liquid of your choice in a shaker bottle and rush to the gym. Generally, you need to refuel your body. Beef protein powder helps with protein synthesis,  post-workout muscle recovery, and ultimately accomplishing your workout objectives.

How Beef Protein Powder Can be Used Based on Meal Timing

One thing you probably need to be aware of is that protein nutrient is highly versatile. This means that when taken in the right quantities, it supports muscle rebuilding, facilitates fat loss, promotes muscle recovery, and improves exercise performance. However, one crucial factor contributing to positive workout results is your protein intake timing. For instance, consuming beef protein powder between meals could help alleviate your hunger, thus reducing your calorie intake.

What Are The Potential Side Effects of Consuming Beef Protein Powder?

Too much of anything is dangerous; beef protein powder is not any different. You may experience certain digestive issues such as bloating, cramping, and gas.  It’s important to follow the instructions and take beef protein as recommended. Ensure that you watch out for any allergens or ingredients that you might be sensitive to by reading the product label.  If you have any medical condition, consult your doctor before consuming beef protein powder.

Conclusion

Beef protein powder is a great way of supplying enough proteins to your body. Beef protein powder might be just what your body is missing in its quest to build muscle strength, maintain muscle mass, and facilitate weight loss. Additionally, beef protein powder may enhance your immunity and skeletal health. But just because beef protein powder is healthy does not mean that it is free from shortcomings. If your body is not compatible with a particular beef protein product supplement, discontinue usage. You must also find the right beef protein powder for your workout needs and use it as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine.