What about lecithin, dextrose, and maltodextrin?
After the announcement yesterday about the new tasty protein/fiber drink mix, Prograde Fusion, I had some friends ask me why I would personally drink something that has dextrose, maltodextrin, and lecithin in it when I'm so strict about sugars and soy products.
Good question, and a fairly easy answer too...
First of all, let's talk about the dextrose. Yes, this is basically just sugar, and most of the time, I try to avoid refined sugar. However, the amount of sugar in this new Prograde Fusion drink mix is only 2 grams per serving, which is pretty miniscule. Remember that you could easily down about 30-40 grams of sugar in some of the popular "sports drinks", so 2 grams is basically negligible.
Plus, when you combine only 2 grams of sugar with 24 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, it makes that 2 grams of sugar completely a non-issue, and will have almost ZERO effect on blood sugar.
Also, although I may be extremely strict about avoiding some things such as artificial trans fats, I don't believe in being super-militant about a couple grams of sugar or tiny amounts of things I might normally avoid. Sure, something that contains 40 grams of sugar I might save for a cheat day, but tiny amounts like 2 grams is nothing to worry about.
Same thing goes for the maltodextrin... yes, it's a processed carbohydrate and will effect blood sugar and insulin response, but not 1 gram! In fact, some post-workout shakes can have 50 grams or more of maltodextrin or similar fast acting carbs, which after a workout, has benefits and helps to speed nutrients into the muscle cells for recovery.
So while I might sometimes choose post workout drinks that contain high amounts of maltodextrin, the purpose of the Prograde Fusion drink mix is NOT for post workout, but rather for appetite control and amino acid balance between meals or any time that you need to control cravings, and 1 gram of maltodextrin is nothing to worry about.
As for lecithin... yes, it's derived from soy, and as you know, I'm fairly anti-soy in most cases. But that's mostly referring to heavily refined soybean oils or highly processed soy proteins (and other soy junk foods like soy milk), both of which I recommend staying away from as the article above explains.
But when it comes to tiny amounts of lecithin, it's not something I'm concerned about, and may even have benefits. This article here shows why added lecithin is nothing to worry about, unless you're strongly allergic to all soy derivatives.
Again, with all 3 of these ingredients (lecithin, dextrose, maltodextrin), if the amounts are miniscule, such as in Prograde Fusion protein/fiber drink mix, this is nothing I would worry about.
Remember that this week is your chance to try out the tasty new PG Fusion as they have a 10% off sale on the whole store to celebrate the release of this new product.
Enjoy!
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Good question, and a fairly easy answer too...
First of all, let's talk about the dextrose. Yes, this is basically just sugar, and most of the time, I try to avoid refined sugar. However, the amount of sugar in this new Prograde Fusion drink mix is only 2 grams per serving, which is pretty miniscule. Remember that you could easily down about 30-40 grams of sugar in some of the popular "sports drinks", so 2 grams is basically negligible.
Plus, when you combine only 2 grams of sugar with 24 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, it makes that 2 grams of sugar completely a non-issue, and will have almost ZERO effect on blood sugar.
Also, although I may be extremely strict about avoiding some things such as artificial trans fats, I don't believe in being super-militant about a couple grams of sugar or tiny amounts of things I might normally avoid. Sure, something that contains 40 grams of sugar I might save for a cheat day, but tiny amounts like 2 grams is nothing to worry about.
Same thing goes for the maltodextrin... yes, it's a processed carbohydrate and will effect blood sugar and insulin response, but not 1 gram! In fact, some post-workout shakes can have 50 grams or more of maltodextrin or similar fast acting carbs, which after a workout, has benefits and helps to speed nutrients into the muscle cells for recovery.
So while I might sometimes choose post workout drinks that contain high amounts of maltodextrin, the purpose of the Prograde Fusion drink mix is NOT for post workout, but rather for appetite control and amino acid balance between meals or any time that you need to control cravings, and 1 gram of maltodextrin is nothing to worry about.
As for lecithin... yes, it's derived from soy, and as you know, I'm fairly anti-soy in most cases. But that's mostly referring to heavily refined soybean oils or highly processed soy proteins (and other soy junk foods like soy milk), both of which I recommend staying away from as the article above explains.
But when it comes to tiny amounts of lecithin, it's not something I'm concerned about, and may even have benefits. This article here shows why added lecithin is nothing to worry about, unless you're strongly allergic to all soy derivatives.
Again, with all 3 of these ingredients (lecithin, dextrose, maltodextrin), if the amounts are miniscule, such as in Prograde Fusion protein/fiber drink mix, this is nothing I would worry about.
Remember that this week is your chance to try out the tasty new PG Fusion as they have a 10% off sale on the whole store to celebrate the release of this new product.
Enjoy!
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
posted by Mike Geary at
12:03 AM
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