The only type of milk that the human body naturally is able to digest, is breast milk. Would you drink a breast milk based  protein powder made in shake form? This doesn't mean the stomach won't digest Whey once you consume it, it simply means that the digestion of Whey Powder difficult is relatively for the stomach. This hasn't ever stopped people from consuming Whey however, the production and marketing of whey products can be traced back to 18th century England. Where they would break they curdled whey and turn it into butter and certain types of cheeses. Cow milk has been used in a variety of ways throughout history, and it doesn't seem weird to consume it. Interestingly humans are the only species on earth that take the milk from another animal and repurposes it for their own use. This is the basis for the modern argument against Whey based protein powder, in which some suggest to make a switch to a Vegan Certified protein powder. One that is plant based, made in a clean facility, and has high testing and ingredient regulations. The human body should be able to digest a plant based protein powder much easier making the healthiest option in today market a Vegan based Protein Powder typically derived from brown rice, pea’s, or cranberries. Arguably the best protein powders, in term of nutritional value, would have a full amino acid complex, and low sugar content.

As time progressed through the decades in the second half of the twentieth century, so too did the technology and methods involved in the process of taking cow milk and turning it into a whey based powder, various other protein based substances have been introduced and taken off the market just as quickly. Bob Hoffman, being one of the biggest pioneers in the development of protein, is credited with creating a fish based protein in the 1950's. The fish based protein powder was a huge fail, as it tasted disgusting according to reports. The only protein product that has stood the test of time the world of bodybuilders is a Whey based protein powder. In the old way of processing protein powder, it involved various heaters and ovens to in order to extract all the moisture. Then big rollers would flatten and crush the protein substance. Similar to the process used now, however the technology and monitoring systems were less advanced. The final product of protein powder produced without modern technology was coarse, bad tasting product made in a way that is not nearly as controlled as modern methods. From about 1950 until the early 2000s protein powder was a slow digesting mainly whey based product that filled the shelfs of athletes. It is in the early 2000s that we see another step in research and development of protein powder and its desired effects on the human body, mainly in the digestive system.

The digestive system is the set of organs that break down and extract nutrients from the food we put in our body. It is a long tube that starts at the mouth, travels through the stomach, the large and small intestine, and end at the anus. Humans are kind of like a sophisticated doughnut... A sophisticated doughnut that if fueled properly can be pushed physically to resemble Greek Gods and Goddesses. In the early 2000s scientist found out that Whey protein is one of two proteins found in cow's milk, the other being Casein protein. This would bring even more diversity to protein powders availability to the public market. Even in the 2000s as science gives us a better understanding of the world around us it had given us diversity the options of protein powder we drink. But why do we care about the type of protein that Bodybuilders have been ingesting? Didn't they just eat steak, chicken, and a large amount of other food? The answer to that question also emerged from the fitness industry in the form of dieting, fitness, and nutritional coaching catered to the everyday American. Because yes, most bodybuilders would eat large amounts of food for the five or six meals a day, but they would also incorporate protein shakes into their diet. solidifying protein powder as a viable meal replacement to ones The idea behind bodybuilders of America and their use of protein shakes, is no different than the weight gaining strategies of sumo wrestlers throughout China’s history. The use of protein shakes as a meal before or after a heavy workout session was the same type of strategy sumo wrestlers would use. The difference being sumo wrestlers would use large quantities of rice to gain fat and American bodybuilders are using protein shakes in order to gain muscle mass.

With current technology, the time in which protein powder is broken down in the digestive system is very rapid. Meaning that the protein powder is digested quicker than what was being produced in the 1960's, 70's, and even the 80's. Fad diets have contributed to pieces of information relating to the science of protein as a meal replacement. Fad diets have revealed to us the importance of the speed in which protein is broken down in the digestive system. Modern nutritionist might prompt athletes to drink a protein shake right after their workout in what they call a "Metabolic window" but even then there are various restrictions and guidelines that you would have to follow to order to even hit these milestones. basically, there is a 30 minute window after a workout in which your diet can help turn cells from an Anabolic state, to a Catabolic state. in a catabolic state, cell break down large molecules into small molecules. Whereas in an Anabolic state its just the opposite, in that small molecules are converted to large molecules. One Fish Two Fish, Red fish Blue Fish. This is important because after a workout you want your muscles to grow right? This process is done in the catabolic state when your cell convert nutrition into muscle building "Leggo's." So the reason that protein shakes have secured a spot of importance in the fitness world, is because of the easy access to essential vitamins and minerals necessary for recovery and growth in athletes. A protein shake has become a vital meal in many athletes diet starting in the 1960s and continuing into modern times.

The beautiful thing about the human body is that when it comes to diet and exercise, both genders of the human race are essentially identical once you remove visual, and sexual characteristics. The digestive system works in similar ways, and is simply a matter of how much, and how often you eat which allows bodybuilders to gain weight. As gender roles have been slowly broken down in America during the second half of the twentieth century, we can see females breaking gender barriers in the fitness world. These female athletes were coached and taught that it's simply a matter caloric intake, combined with the overload principle tailored to each individual person according to size, physical expenditure, and goals of the person. Female athletes were finally able to compete against one another in the Mrs. Olympia starting in 1980. This is ground breaking because a woman's presence was not uncommon at the gym since about 1960 in the 1960s. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century women were often included in the world of fitness, although male dominated and surrounded by steroid rumors, the fitness industry welcomed women wholeheartedly. although welcomed in the gym, there was an emerging stereotype about how the women on the industry were supposed to look, with women welcome in the world of fitness, as sexualization of these athletes by a male audience has created rift in the industry that we see magnified in modern times. Female athletes, and stay at home moms would regularly enjoy the benefits of protein powder and protein shakes once they hit the market in the 1950s and 60s. Through the 70s and 80s female athletes would utilize protein powder and shakes just as their male counterparts would use it. Protein powder was a nutritional tool used by these people in order to maximize their athletic performance. Widely popular in the fitness world, protein was slowly making its way in the diet of everyday americans. With various marketing campaigns being published by companies in the fitness industry, protein powder became widely utilized by the everyday American even though it faced some pushback  throughout the second half of the twentieth century.

 

The protein powder in the 1950s would have been slow digesting yet at the same time be very filling. The protein powder of the 50s was course, grainy, and did not have a very delightful taste. As technology progressed companies would be able to produce and finer, higher quality protein shake. the 1960s saw and increase in the pre-made ready to drink shakes, that were very filling, yet packed with preservatives and other fillers to act as a meal replacement. the 60's, 70's, and 80's were all constrained by the manufacturing process. The protein powder produced during this time would be nutritionally deficient compared to modern availability. Although effective as a meal replacement due to nutritional value, the protein powder was not as tasteful as consumers desired. Throughout these decades a rise in the fitness industry would mean a rise in the demand for a high quality protein shake.