Authored and contributed by R.C., an Only Protein customer from Roanake, Texas

Read the ingredients label on most protein powder bottles and you’re likely to see a long list of words you’ve never heard of or can even pronounce. It’s hard to find simple, pure protein powder without a lot of useless and even harmful artificial ingredients, but luckily there are a few good choices out there.

So, what’s the issue with artificial ingredients, you ask? To go into detail would require publishing a novel, but what it boils down to is that our bodies are not designed to consume artificial or synthetic ingredients. It should come as no surprise that ingredients created in a lab will put unnecessary stress on the body trying to absorb and use these chemicals however possible. What the body is unable to use may become stored within our cells and tissues which can cause serious problems as the stores increase over repeated consumption.

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Only Protein’s products are truly high-performance fuel for your body!

All natural ingredients, on the other hand, allow our bodies to use what is needed and safely eliminate the excess. Sure, that chocolate-banana-peanut-butter-flavored protein powder might taste great, but how many lab-made chemicals had to be added to obtain that flavor? Too many unpronounceable and unnatural chemicals is the answer. A better bet is to use a naturally flavored protein powder like Only Protein’s vanilla or chocolate protein powder and blend with real banana and peanut butter! Besides avoiding any chemical aftertaste, you’re getting all of the beneficial nutrients by using real food for extra flavor. It’s a win-win!

Protein powder is not the only supplement where you’ll find artificial ingredients lurking-they are found in the majority of packaged products on the shelf today. Make sure to scrutinize the label on supplements before taking them so you know you are only putting quality ingredients in your body. High-quality performance requires high-quality fuel; that’s why you’ll never see dragsters filling up with 87 octane gas. If you apply the same standards for yourself, you are sure to reap the rewards of better reaching your fitness goals.

Here’s a quick checklist of ingredients I avoid when selecting a supplement:

- Artificial Flavors

- Acesulfame Potassium (a.k.a. Acesulfame K): artificial sweetener; found in most diet drinks

- Aspartame: artificial sweetener; found in most diet drinks and “low-carb” foods

- Sucralose: another artificial sweetener found in most diet drinks and “low-carb” foods; a.k.a Splenda

- Any added colors; i.e. FD&C Yellow #5

- Hydrogenated Oils: there should be no oil added to a protein powder, but “hydrogenated” is a word that makes me automatically put a product back

- Carrageenan gum: thickener; other gums like guar and xanthan do not give me problems, but carrageenan always upsets my insides

- Sugar in the form of cane juice, fructose, or any other names used for sugar

I use protein powder on a daily basis, and am very thankful that Only Protein’s protein powders are all-natural and free of the garbage I strive so hard to avoid.

In sum, artificial ingredients in supplements contain chemical compounds that were not meant for human consumption and do not occur in nature. As humans, our bodies have developed to consume the food available to us from nature, not the food produced in a lab.