Hi,

What do you think about protein powders for a person's Y2K food storage plans? I'm thinking of the kind one mixes with water and stirs -- not the kind you need a blender for. For instance, Ripped Fuel by Twinlabs doesn't need a blender. One ounce of powder mixed with a cup of water provides 20 grams of high grade protein. The only drawback I can see is price for the better quality stuff. The better grade stuff also comes fortified with vitamins. I like the way Ripped Fuel tastes (chocolate). I get it at GMC for about $1.50 per 20 grams of protien. This is high, I know. I'm thinking lots of high grade bio-available protein for the weight and bulk (compared to other choices. What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your reply.

-- Louis (stlouislouis@yahoo.com), July 28, 1999

Answers

We get soy protein powder from our local naturalfoods wholesaler through our church coop. 20 # is about $56. 16 different amino acid, no sugar.

Because we observe a church fast, we do not animal food approximately half of the days of the year, and protein powder really helps with weakness from lack of protein. I think it is one of the most important preps we have.

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), July 28, 1999.

Louis,

There are different kinds of protein powder you can get. The VItamin Shoppe (tHey have an online catalogue, too) has some protein powder under their own label that is nonsoy and nondairy--that's what I like because I'm afraid of soy and milk allergies. You can get an all soy or part soy product, however, as well as whey protein from dairy. The nonsoy, nondairy comes from pea protein, I think. Anyway, the price on that is not bad. I think I was using too much protein powder along with other protein though as my urine tested high for protein at my doctor's, so I am going to cut down. That's the long answer. The short answer is that we will have some protein powder to supplement our diets. Plus tuna and canned chicken, peanut butter, and that type of thing. Protein is important, for sure.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 28, 1999.

I also use a GNC product & it is the most effective I've tried (ten years of trying) I am one of the rare ones always trying to put on five pounds.

The only thing about the powders is that they can be stressful for your kidneys, so you need to drink alot of water whenever using them.

I'm not a doctor though...

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), July 29, 1999.

I mix 40-30-30 mix ("Balance" from GNC, etc) with dry milk powder. Two scoops 40-30-30 and one of milk, using the measure in the 40-30-30 container. I'm thinking of throwing some metamucil in there for fiber, too.

Mix it dry, then put 3 scoops in a ziplock bag. Make a "wick" by folding a piece of paper towel, so it's 2 inches long and half an inch wide. Zip closed the bag, but leave the wick in the zipper so it can't quite close. Then put multiple bags in a vacuum-seal bag and seal it. The wick lets air out of the 40-30-30 bag, but keeps the powder in. "Stagger" the zip bags and the whole thing makes a flat package.

To use, open the vacuum bag, remove all wicks, seal all zip bags. Then add water to one at a time, knead and drink out of the bag. This gives an EXTREMELY compact ration (perfect for bugout bag), with a [suspected] long shelf life. (I'm no expert, but have used some that was months old, no noticeable deterioration.)

-- bw (home@puget.sound), July 29, 1999.

Well of course they're expensive at GNC! GNC is THE most expensive place to buy anything. The Vitamin Shoppe has fairly good prices, and sometimes has very good sales. I would rather get a brand name from them than their house brand, but then I'm picky about such things. And as with most things, supplements are cheaper in bulk or by mail-order. Ordinary dry milk is the cheapest source of good protein.

Casein would be better than whey for survival food, because it is absorbed more slowly. Thats why some people favor MetRx because most of their products are a mixture of casein and whey.

Ripped Fuel the is stuff with thermogenics in it (Mahuang and Guarana which are herbal versions of caffeine and ephedrine). Get your stimulants separately from your food cause you may not always want stimulants. Its not good for you to take them constantly either, and they lose effectiveness if you do. Why try to lose fat now anyway? Nowadays I only take stimulants before I workout, and not every time. They might be handy for when you need to stand guard at night though.

Its true that you should drink more water if you eat a lot of protein, but that refers to the amounts of protein that bodybuilders and strength athletes eat. Our rule of thumb is at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight per day. I suppose that also applies if you find yourself in a situation where you eat mostly meat.

Actually most people should drink more water than they do regardless of their diet.

By the way, extra protein does you the most good if it is spread out through the day, rather than taken all at once. Its especially important to get protein first thing in the morning and before bed..

got norandrostenediol?

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 29, 1999.

One gram per pound sounds like an awful lot. I would think about half that.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 29, 1999.

The 1 gram per lb. is for people who lift weights and are seriously trying to build muscle or strength. It is not harmful unless you don't get enough water, or already have a kidney problem. The rule of thumb for that is, never let yourself get thirsty. Keep a water bottle handy at all times.

You can certainly be healthy on half a gram per lb., but if you are on a low-calorie diet, eating plenty of protein will tend to make you lose fat rather than muscle(and thus strength).

Sometimes when people starve to death, they still have a little bit of bodyfat. They die of heart failure because, in the absence of dietary protein, the body catabolizes (breaks down) its own muscles including the heart.

got milk? eggs?

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 29, 1999.

Howdy,

We are storing TVP, beans and powdered milk for our protein. Keep in mind that you can damage your body with too much protein - COMMONLY causes kidney damage because of having to excrete so much unneeded. I don't recall the exact recommendation but I seem to recall about 30 to 60 grams daily, the higher ranges if you are physically working hard or recovering from surgery (healing tissues).

My ex-hubby had mysterious blood in urine and we spent many thousands of dollars for biopsies, specialists, etc. Finally a nephrologist sent us to his wife - a nutritionist - who analyzed his diet (3 egg omelets most mornings, meat at lunch and a big steak or burger at dinner), said YIKES!, and told him to reduce to equivalent of 1-2 eggs at breakfast, 1-2 chicken thighs at lunch or dinner.... basically cutting protein back to about 1/3 of previous amount (read labels!). Bleeding stopped within 3 days and never returned.

-- Kristi (securx@succeed.net), July 31, 1999.

Try whey powder. It is the most absorbable, usable powdered protein. A great vegetarian supplement and a good back-up item in a layered approach to Y2K stockpiling, as are high-nutrition bars and other survival items that you may not plan to use on a daily basis.

When planning your food storage, think "back-up" and think "options".

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), July 31, 1999.

Sorry about your ex-hubby but he must have had some existing problem because there are many, many people , myself included, who eat hundreds of grams a day for years and have no problems. The eskimos used to eat nothing but meat.

I knew someone who had an allergic reaction to peanuts. He had to check labels on everything to make sure it didn't have peanut oil in it, or he'd get dangerously ill. That doesn't mean other people will develop problems from eating peanuts.

BTW, You should avoid the protein powders that have creatine in them if you have a limited amount of water. Creatine does make you stronger, but it works partly by making your muscles absorb more water.

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), August 01, 1999.

Uhh, I've heard that Meat has protein in it, I know it sounds gosh, but someday you might accually have to kill something and eat it.

-- CT (ct@no.yr), August 01, 1999.

Guess I'm feeling fiesty tonite but, What the hell are you going to do If Y2k goes bad? Where are you going to get your hi-tech protean substitutes for real food, and how will your body react to the change?

My Grandfather worked in the logging industry into his 60's. He ran one side of a two Man crosscut saw, and hunted for " protean " in his spare time. They had a garden at home and canned for the winter months, they had chickens and a milk cow. Died at 81 from an accident.

My Paternal Grandfather was a forest service fire fighter into his 60's and had a ranch, raised most of their own food. Manned a lookout at 8000 ft into his 70's, died of old age at 94, played tennis into his 80's.

Niether of them took vitimuns or had access to hi tech food substitutes or suppliments.

Think about that and your current lifestyles, then think about Y2k if it goes bad.

Sorry if I offended, but you guys need to get real,

-- CT (ct@no.yr), August 01, 1999.

So your're not stocking up on any food, CT? What's the difference between stocking up on rice & bean vs. stocking up on protein powder?

I'm sure you're not stocking up on anything as "high-tech" as dried milk are you? Its the same thing. Whey is just a byproduct of cheesemaking.

Certainly I have lots of canned meat, but if I have to bugout on foot, well, you can only fit so many cans in a backpack, and the cans are unnecessary weight. And I am looking forward to hunting, but I'm not experienced at it, and I may not get enough game.

Did your grandpas use bullets or arrows to hunt with? Damn newfangled substitutes for teeth and nails !

And your body doesn't react at all when you stop eating extra protein. And nobody ever said you have to use supplements to get strong.

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), August 01, 1999.