Often athletes are interested in the importance of milk powder in bodybuilding. Find out how best to use it and how is milk powder different from protein? Most often, more experienced athletes are interested in the use of milk powder in bodybuilding, who at least in general terms are aware of the use of sports nutrition in general and protein supplements in particular. When studying this issue on various specialized web resources, this product is very often mentioned. Today the article will be devoted to this problem.
Types of milk powder
In order to better understand almost any issue, you should study the theory. In most cases, it is not worth going into all the details, which we will now do.
Milk powder is a powder made from whole milk and dehydrated. For this, all the liquid is evaporated from the milk. As a result, almost all nutrients are retained in milk powder, and often this product replaces natural milk. Powdered milk contains 80% casein protein and 20% whey protein compounds.
You should also know that lactose is also present in the powder, which can cause gastrointestinal upset in people whose bodies do not accept this substance.
Powdered milk is produced in three types:
- Whole - the composition contains a lot of unsaturated fats;
- Low fat - most of the unhealthy fats have been removed from the product;
- Instant - obtained by mixing whole and fat-free types of product.
Milk powder properties
To understand the value of milk powder in bodybuilding, you need to know the properties of the product.
High-calorie and fatty
Subject to all technologies, milk powder should have approximately the same calorie content as natural. However, a lot here also depends on the manufacturer. The average calorie content of 100 milliliters (one cup) of non-fat milk powder is between 250 and 350 kcal, while a natural product has this figure at 450 kcal. The same can be said about fat content.
Low cholesterol content
In skim milk powder, there is really a small amount of cholesterol. For this reason, the product can be recommended for people with blood pressure and heart problems.
Calcium source
It's hard to argue with that. Milk contains the highest amount of this mineral compared to other foods.
A source of protein compounds
Powdered milk contains a sufficient amount of protein compounds. On average, one cup of food contains 20-30 grams of protein. Those amino acid compounds that are not produced by the body are almost completely present in the powder.
High nutrient content
Calcium and proteins are only a small part of the substances necessary for the body that are found in milk. This product provides most of the daily value for vitamin D, phosphorus, riboflavin, and other nutrients.
At the same time, not many athletes know that when water evaporates, cholesterol is oxidized and this form poses the greatest danger to the body. Oxidized cholesterol promotes vasoconstriction, the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and reduces the lumen of blood vessels. This, of course, cannot but affect the work of the heart. If you consume milk powder in large quantities, it will negatively affect the entire cardiovascular system, and the training will be much more difficult.
It should also be remembered that skimmed milk powder initially does not contain cholesterol and this means that this product is not the main source of this substance. Egg powder contains much more oxidized cholesterol and it is better not to use this product in your diet.
Differences between milk powder and protein
Milk powder and protein powders are very similar in appearance. But at the same time, these are two completely different products in terms of composition, as well as cost. Whey protein is made from milk, but it is 100% whey protein. Nowadays, sports nutrition manufacturers use various technologies for its production. Protein contains virtually no lactose.
Whey protein isolate contains 90% protein compounds, while concentrate contains 29–89%. In terms of cost, milk powder is significantly inferior to protein. This product does not contain any other additives or impurities, while the protein powder is enriched with amino acid compounds, carbohydrates and other substances. Everything is aimed at stimulating the growth of muscle mass.
How and when to take milk powder?
At a time when the sports nutrition industry was not yet so strongly developed, athletes used egg and milk powders as a source of protein compounds. When using milk powder in bodybuilding for weight gain, you must adhere to the following dosages:
- Men - from 200 to 250 grams throughout the day;
- Women - 100 to 150 grams during the day.
It should be remembered that the above figures apply only to a fat-free product. When consuming whole milk, the dosage should be halved. It is very important to pay attention to the type of milk blemish when using it. Otherwise, instead of gaining much muscle mass, you will gain excess body weight. If you consume 100 grams of whole milk powder, your body will receive 6 to 8 tablespoons of sugar.
Milk powder should be consumed when gaining muscle mass, when the athlete's diet should be high in calories. The most favorable time for taking milk powder in bodybuilding is the first half of the day and a couple of hours before going to bed. Taking the product in the morning or immediately after completing a training session will not give a big effect.
For the benefits and dangers of milk powder, see this video:
