Since becoming die hard about paleo and clean eating, I've often wondered what to recover with after a rigorous workout. Really, for me, it depends on the type of workout I do. If it's a run or a largely cardio workout (such as a Jillian Michaels yoga video), I'll have a piece of fruit and a big bottle of water. If it's another yoga workout, I don't see much need for recovery other than water.
But, when you lift weights, you're causing little micro tears in your muscles. The muscles need protein to recover post-workout. A liquid is the best way to send that protein straight to your muscles to aid in recovery. Here's why: You have about a 30 minute window after you stop your workout when muscles are most receptive to the protein. If you eat protein, such as eggs or lean chicken, it's going to take at least that long to digest it, and that doesn't account for any prep time before you start eating! A liquid protein is going to significantly cut down on digestion time, allowing your body to take full advantage of the recovery.
Here's the problem, though. Most protein powder supplements contain loads of chemicals, and often have lots of sweetener - usually artificial. I used to buy whatever was cheap. Then I was introduced to Syntha-6, which was higher quality that what I had used in the past and tasted, OMG, incredible. It was 200 calories per scoop, and most of that was from filler ingredients. After a while I came across Iso-100. That was my go-to protein of choice for a long time. It was 100 calories per scoop and because it was an isolated protein it didn't have a ton of fillers.
But it still had fillers. Chemicals. Artificial sweeteners. As I transitioned more and more into paleo, I noticed it started upsetting my stomach. At first, I just accepted it, thinking the benefits of the post-workout recovery outweighed the stomach upset. I knew, though, there had to be a better quality protein out there. I hadn't looked too hard because I still had half a jar of my Iso, but it was on my radar.
Then, lo and behold, I was at Whole Paycheck and a petite little thing was doing a demonstration - with samples - of the Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Protein Powder. She was making smoothies out of fruit, ice, almond milk and the protein powder. It was delicious! I checked the label and there was nothing offensive. Just natural ingredients. My big question was, how does it mix with just water? She admitted she'd never tried it, but said it blended up just fine in her Blender Bottle with almond milk, so she suspected it would do fine in water.
Given her suggestion, I decided to try it in coconut milk. I filled up my little Blender Bottle halfway with coconut milk, added the powder, shook it up and took a big gulp.
I almost vomited.
This was, hands down, at the top of my list of Most Disgusting Things I've Ever Put In My Mouth. I took a deep breath and tried again, making efforts not to breathe and just get it down. No dice, I almost vomited again. It was really thick, so I tried adding some water, and at that point was at least able to get it down the ol' pipe.
Obviously there's a dilemma here. On one hand, you've got chemically enhanced protein that tastes really yummy, and on the other hand you've got a natural, quality protein that is completely unpalatable. You're just going to have to decide which is more important. I didn't feel lousy after I drank it (and got the taste out of my mouth) so that was a huge plus. And, it fits better with my feelings about food and nutrition. So, for my money, the Warrior Blend is going to be my protein of choice.
The way I see it, I have two options. One, I can mix it with water and just buck up and drink it. Or two, I can mix it with fruit like the cute little blonde did at Whole Paycheck. I think it's going to depend largely on how much time I have, because that little treat she made was pretty darn tasty.
Overall this product is a win. Sunwarrior, feel free to send me my endorsement check now. I'm waiting. Still waiting. No check? Okay, fine. This one's a freebie.
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