The working Indian woman has double the responsibilities of office and home. According to a 2018 survey, women spend an extra one and a half hours at work than men. The survey included both paid and unpaid work that women undertake every day. So the working Indian woman is no less than a superheroine. She needs double the energy to fulfil her dual roles of a working woman and a homemaker with zeal and perfection. Enter women’s protein powders and supplements. External nutritional supplements like protein powders can offer working women the additional nourishment and energy that they need and help boost overall health.
Before we dive into how protein powders can play an important role in maintaining the health of women, it’s important to understand, what is a protein powder in the first place?
What Are Protein Powders?
Protein powders are protein extracts derived from various substances i.e plant or otherwise. Some popular protein powder sources are whey extracts, casein extracts, pea protein, mung bean, etc. Protein powders help in completing the body’s requirement of protein and other nutrients. Everything in our body contains protein whether it’s muscles, skin, hair, blood vessels, etc. Thus it’s important for us to complete our daily intake. Protein requirements further increase when you’re leading an active lifestyle. Hence, it’s all the more important for working women who have to do a lot of physical work at home and outside. Now that you know that protein is essential and protein powders help, the next question that arises is— are all protein powders good for women? Which one should I choose?
What Should Your Protein Powder Contain?
Is just the label ‘protein powder’ enough or are there other things that you should search for? Here are a few pointers you should keep in mind:
Must contain BCAAs
BCAAs stand for branch-chained amino acids. It’s important for your protein powder to have BCAAs. As per WebMD, the three essential BCAAs are leucine, valine and isoleucine. These contain 9 essential amino acids that the body cannot make but needs to have via diet. They help in muscle building as well as in muscle recovery. Since plant-based proteins are incomplete in isolation, plant-based protein powders should contain a combination of at least 3 plant-based protein sources to ensure you get all the required amino acids.
Clean Protein Blend
Whether you opt for plant-based protein powders or whey protein powders, you must ensure that the protein supplement is clean i.e safe from harmful toxins, chemicals, trace metals, etc. and hence safe for long-term consumption. OZiva’s protein supplements are certified 100% clean by the US-based Clean Label Project (CLP).
Free from sugar/artificial sweeteners
Protein powders that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners or artificial flavouring agents may seem more tempting but their consumption, in the long run, can be harmful. Sugar provides empty calories, meanwhile, artificial sweeteners can tend to mess up the body’s satiety signals. They also can harm the internal lining of the digestive system.
Additional benefits
This is not a must-have for a protein but more along the lines of: why shouldn’t it have? So while there is nothing wrong with having a protein powder that contains clean protein, why not instead opt for one that is further fortified with superfoods, ayurvedic herbs or even vitamins and minerals. For example, OZiva Protein & Herbs, Women contains a Metabolism Blend (green tea, cinnamon, flax seeds), Hormonal Balance Blend (shatavari, tulsi, curcumin) and additional vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, D. C, B-complex, Iron, Zinc, etc. that boost hair and skin health as well.
Now that we know which protein powder to opt for, let’s discuss its consumption.
How to Consume Protein Powder?
Protein powders work as a meal replacement. You can get all the nourishment from a protein powder like when you consume a wholesome meal. That is also the reason why protein powder is the best option for busy working women. There are a variety of ways to consume protein powder.
- You can have it with water or milk.
- You can also have it as a smoothie by blending it with vegan milk and fruits.
- You can add one scoop to 2 bowls of chapati dough when making Rotis.
- You can top your salads and soups with ½ scoop of protein powder.
The required amount of protein powder that your body requires daily is around 0.8 to 1g per kilogram of your body weight.
There is no specific time to consume protein powders. You can have them when you feel those hunger pangs or lowered energy levels.
Takeaway
Protein powders are highly essential for today’s working Indian woman. Women’s protein powders like OZiva Protein & Herbs have the ability to fulfil your daily requirement of protein and nutrients. So if someone you know is a working woman, then share this article with her and maybe even gift her a box! (Hint: Our chocolate flavour is the yummiest!)
Last modified: May 3, 2020
