{"id":51184,"date":"2016-07-29T07:15:37","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T11:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=51184"},"modified":"2021-08-26T14:13:15","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:13:15","slug":"protein-beer-health-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/protein-beer-health-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Protein Beer: Is It Really Good for Your Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Protein
Pond5<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whether you\u2019re into stouts, IPAs or sours, the concept of downing beer after your workout<\/a> isn\u2019t new. Social sports leagues have been doing it for years \u2014\u00a0just for the pure enjoyment of it. Plus, a 2013 study from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism<\/a><\/em> showed that a low-alcohol beer could actually be more beneficial than downing a sports drink (albeit with a bit of sodium added to it).<\/p>\n

So it was only a matter of time until brewing companies tapped into the trend. The hook: protein. After all, doesn\u2019t a mango-flavored, protein-fortified IPA sound way better than a clumpy protein shake? With up to 21 grams of protein per bottle, these brews claim to be just what you need to help your muscles recover after a grueling workout.<\/p>\n

But does it really <\/em>do your body good? We turned to Molly Kimball<\/a>, RD, sports dietitian with Ochsner Fitness Center<\/a> in New Orleans and Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, founder of betterthandieting.com<\/a> and author of Read It Before You Eat It<\/a>, <\/em>to investigate. Here are six cold hard facts\u00a0out about protein beer.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Beer Before Liquor and Other Booze Myths, Busted\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Truths About Your Post-Workout Protein Beer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. It really does have more protein than a regular beer.
\n<\/strong>When you\u2019re simply comparing beer to beer<\/a>, yes, the protein brews actually have more of the muscle recovery stuff than your average craft beer. Mighty Squirrel<\/a>, for example, has four grams, Lean Machine<\/a> has seven grams, and Barbell Brew<\/a> contains a whopping 21 grams of muscle-building protein. While your average craft beer does contain protein that\u2019s left behind from the barley used in the brewing process, you definitely won\u2019t find a substantial amount (about two grams or less).<\/p>\n

\u00a02.\u00a0<\/strong>But it shouldn’t<\/strong>\u00a0be your main source of protein.
\n<\/strong>In fact, it\u2019s quite the opposite. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for protein to build your six-pack, don\u2019t grab a six-pack,\u201d says Taub-Dix. \u201cYou should be getting that from whole, nutritious foods like Greek yogurt, chicken or fish and eggs.\u201d And if you\u2019re eating all of those foods anyway, you don\u2019t really need<\/em> the additional protein<\/a> in your beer. \u201cMost people don\u2019t realize how much they\u2019re getting and how much they really need,\u201d adds Taub-Dix. Of course, the amount of protein you need depends on how long and intense your workout was. But Kimball generally suggests people get between 10 to 35 grams within 30 minutes of finishing your session. The best lean protein sources for building muscles<\/a> are dairy, eggs, meat, seafood, nuts, seeds and legumes.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>What 25 Grams of Protein Looks Like<\/a><\/p>\n

3. It<\/strong>\u2019s calorie-dense.
\n<\/strong>\u201cAlcohol calories are not free calories,\u201d says Kimball. \u201cEven though they\u2019re low-carb, alcohol calories pack in more calories per gram. So, for example, there are four calories in a gram of carbs, whereas there are seven calories in a gram of alcohol. Unit to unit, that makes alcohol calories nearly twice as dense: You\u2019re getting twice as many calories for the same amount.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downing booze also lowers your inhibitions, which can lower your resolve to stay away from not-so-healthy food options typically found in bars. \u201cYou may walk in saying you\u2019re not going to have those fries, but after having a few beers you may want them and cave,\u201d says Taub-Dix.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Got Milk? The 9 Best Protein Sources to Build Muscle<\/a><\/p>\n

4. At the end of the day, you<\/strong>\u2019re still drinking alcohol.
\n<\/strong>\u201cThe reality is that alcohol<\/a> actually hinders post-workout recovery, so a lot of the protein is negated by the alcohol you\u2019re drinking,\u201d says Kimball. Enjoying a protein beer isn\u2019t really the same as drinking a protein shake after you\u2019ve wrapped your routine.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0<\/strong>Carbs and sugar content matter, too.
\n<\/strong>Carbs help our bodies absorb protein more efficiently. And regardless of whether it\u2019s coming from booze<\/a> or food, the recommended ratio of carbs to protein is 3:1 or 4:1 for promoting muscle recovery, Kimball says. But how are you supposed to know how many carbs are in your beer? Enter nutrition labels, which some major brewing companies will start producing by 2020, according to The Beer Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These new labels will include carb<\/a>, sugar<\/a> and protein content, which Kimball says are all important in helping you make any nutrition decision. So having the label on beer is smart. No, it probably won\u2019t stop you from drinking one of your favorite brews, but when you\u2019re trying to choose between two options, it\u2019s helpful to know what you\u2019re getting into.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to watch your sugar intake and one beer is lighter and the other is an apricot wheat beer, then you may not choose the apricot wheat if there\u2019s more sugar in it,\u201d says Taub-Dix. \u201cOn the other hand, an apricot wheat beer could have so much flavor that you may only want one beer instead of two. And that can save you in the long run on your calorie and carbohydrate intake.\u201d It all depends on your goals, Taub-Dix says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How Bad Is Booze, Really? 6 Crazy Facts About Alcohol<\/a><\/p>\n

6. It’s OK for\u00a0happy hour, just\u00a0not for post-workout recovery.
\n<\/strong>\u201cAs long as we\u2019re not positioning it to be a resource for us to be healthier or to enhance our recovery after a workout \u2014 and not using it as an excuse to have more than we normally would \u2014 then protein beer is totally fine to drink,\u201d says Kimball. \u201cIt\u2019s a beer first, with the added benefit of a little extra protein.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, if you really don\u2019t care about protein in your beer, that\u2019s cool, too. To make a healthier beer selection more generally, simply evaluate your goals. If you\u2019re focused on keeping things low-cal, a light beer is the way to go, says Taub-Dix. If you\u2019re not, consider a darker brew. \u201cThey have more antioxidants and they\u2019re heavier, so they slow down how much you\u2019re drinking overall,\u201d says Kimball. Regardless, enjoy the fact that all <\/em>beers have flavonoids<\/a>, which help collect the cell-damaging free radicals that are created while exercising.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Protein beer is taking over the craft beer world, touting its muscle recovery benefits. But is it all it\u2019s tapped out to be? Here\u2019s what you need to know about this post-workout drink.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[28,31,44,71,135,80,341,344],"class_list":["post-51184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-beverages","tag-drinks","tag-nutrition","tag-post-workout","tag-protein","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2sports-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}