My last post on dairy caused quite a kerfuffle.

(Well, not really.  I just like that word… “kerfuffle”.  Heh.)

Building on the theme, I shall now turn my deadly gaze to a darling of the health world:

Whey protein.

It’s been a staple of my diet for the last two decades.   Tons of reliable research shows it’s the best protein for losing weight and building muscle.  But that’s not why I’ve turned my back on my former sidekick.

No my friend.

It’s something far more sinister.

See, whey’s derived from dairy [hissssssss].

As per my earlier comments, dairy products are among the most reactive foods.  And even though I don’t experience any immediate symptoms when ingesting whey, a light bulb went on recently that prodded the gerbil in my head to run a bit faster than usual on his little gerbil wheel.

(Translation: it made me think.)

Result?

I decided to perform a whey-ectomy on my eating habits.

And I gotta tell ya, it’s been a revelation.

Not only do I feel clearer, but I digest better…and I may even be a tad leaner without meaning to be.

What am I saying?

If you have any type of sensitivity to dairy whatsoever, I suggest you forego whey for a while (2-3 weeks), to see how it doth feel.   Even if you don’t, try it for “sheets and geegles”, as my Israeli friend likes to say.  The difference might surprise you.

The challenge then becomes what to put in its place.

Soy’s a definite no-no.   Rice, pea, and hemp, while decent, tend to be granular and not tasty.

I’ve long since given up worrying about it.

I was mostly using whey for snacks, and have replaced it with snacktacular trail mixes of nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes.  These don’t tip the 20 grams or so that a bar or shake would, but unless I miss my guess, the improved digestion from eliminating the whey translates to better absorption of proteins in general, so my net intake is higher.

Make sense?

Such is the “411” for today.

For more insights, call (416) 826-4844 to request your personal training consultation.

I’ll see if I can put my little gerbil to work for you.

Happy Whey-Replacing,

Conor Kelly
conorkelly.com