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Shake It Up Baby: Protein Powder in America

Sexy Arnold

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How It Works
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.

Some fad diets of today favor a process in which you push your body into a state of Ketosis. Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working. Fad diets of the 1960s include companies like Jenny Craig, Slimfast, and Metrecal all of which offered a whey protein based meal replacement. As these diet trends have fluctuated in popularity, the constant factor in a large majority of nutritional programs throughout the second half of the twentieth century incorporated protein shakes. A Protein drink, or powder has been the driving force behind various companies within the fitness industry. Even today, if you walk into a store like GNC you will find a huge selection of protein powders, and even premade protein shakes offered from various companies. Fad diets of today like the ones that push you into ketosis come from when your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates for your cells to burn as energy, instead cells burns fat. As part of this process, it makes Ketones. In diets like this, you are essentially starving yourself to see results. When real Bodybuilders and physique competitor knows it take a perfectly balanced diet over several years to see the results of a Mr. or Mrs. Olympia.

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.
History of the industry
Do you think a gladiator slave would do anything he could to gain an advantage in his next event? Roman citizens were at their fittest during times of war. Citizens between the age of 17 and 60 were eligible for the military. The Roman Empire began declining after the citizens were exposed to the lavish lifestyles and spoils of war that conquest brought. Instead of training the citizens, they were more inclined to be entertained. The Northern barbarians were more fit at this time because they were living harder lives that required physical strength. The Romans got “fat and lazy” and this lead to their decline. The fitness of your country used to define the strength of your country, while America has proven to be one of the most fit countries in the world, we are however also one of the most gluttonous.
Fitness didn't become mainstream in the USA until the 19th century, even though people like Ben Franklin were promoting the benefits of fitness 100 years earlier. Unlike Europe, America wasn't living under the constant threat of foreign invasion and didn't put an emphasis on fitness. The idea that a fit society would make for better optics globally and a foreign invader would be less prone to mess with you. Escaping the wars, immigrants from Europe brought their culture of fitness to America and gyms started to pop up around the country. Catherine Beecher was the first to implement fitness in a women's educational institution.

In 1824 Charles Beck opened the first gym in the country. Dudley Allen Sargent is the man considered to be the founder of physical education in the USA. He became the director of the gymnasium at Harvard in 1879, invented gym equipment, encouraged women to exercise and created several tests for measuring speed, strength, and endurance.
The 20th century saw a new rise in the popularity of competitive sports in the fitness industry in America. Fitness clubs started popping up and became popular among the people. These fitness clubs were expensive and didn't become more accessible for the average American until later on. In the USA, Bernarr McFadden established himself as the face of American physical fitness culture. He founded the first muscle magazine in 1899 called Physical Culture. He also pioneered the concept of physique competitions. Seeing a niche, he opened up seemingly the first Gym in America.
During the second half of the 20th century, fitness made its way to pop culture with the likes of Jack Lalanne, Jane Fonda, and Richard Simmons. fitness was finally making way into popular culture. Over the past 60 years the fitness industry has grown tremendously from it's slow and small beginnings to a multi-billion dollar industry today. People started to look for the fastest, easiest way to get in better shape, and people utilized exercise, protein shakes and protein powder was riding the coattails of the fitness industry. Countless numbers of workout methods, products, pills, supplements, fad diets, and steroids all promising the same thing have come and gone in the fitness industry. Several companies have traditions that date back over 40 years and have survived the rapidly changing and growing fitness industry. Companies like GNC, Slim Fast, and Arbonne, are all companies founded in the 1970s and ’80s who have survived a competitive fitness market and thrive today.
The 20th century saw the birth of protein shakes as we know them today. In the 1950s, just before the boom of modern bodybuilding, protein shakes emerged as an easy way of gaining muscle mass. Among the first powder mixtures available was Bob Hoffman’s "Hi-Proteen." It mainly contained soy flour and a lot of sweeteners, and along with other similar products, protein shakes came to be a relatively cheap mass builder. Protein once introduced in shake form for the masses started to gain popularity with bodybuilders and strongmen alike. By June 1952 in an issue of Strength & Health, he was able to feature Hi-Proteen ads with pictures of John Grimek, Steve Stanko, Jules Bacon, and himself on the boxes.

Although Hoffman might not have been the first one to create a protein shake, he should be credited with popularizing it. His ability to reach a vast number of people and his marketing of the product started ca chain reaction that would grow and flourish in the following decades. as popularity in Hoffman's drinks grew over time, so to did interest in the fitness industry. people were starting to see that you didn't have to be a muscle-headed freak to drink these because there's another group of people that need to put on as much weight as they can, babies.
By the early 1960s, several liquid diet meal replacements appeared to help sip your way to slenderness. But the biggest of them all at the time was Metrecal, a product of pharmaceutical company Mead Johnson & Co. Metrecal launched their product in September 1959 with the help of Mead Johnson, who had for a long time been developing a baby formula. In typical protein shake form their powder was supposed to be shaken with water, leaving room for the consumer to decide how much to use and how to taste. Metrecal started a trend in the fitness industry, and that trend was weight loss. Marketed towards women, some people say that women drank chalk in order to be the size of supermodels. catering to the popular culture of the time, Metrecal succeeds in marketing a weight loss shake that captivated the minds of some Americans who drank these shakes on a daily basis.
Typically throughout the history of protein powder in America, it has been marketed to either the professional athlete or the stay at home mom worried about gaining weight. this can be seen when we examine the rise of Gyms in the 1970s with an epicenter at Venice Beach in California. This spot not only gave the fitness industry notoriety, but it also sexualized the culture of America and further enhanced the stereotype of the ideal physical figure, a figure that was blasted all throughout fitness in the 70s 80s and 90s. because as the fitness industry learned very early on, sex sells and being able to encompass that and market it made for a boom in the market.

This sexualization and changing ideas for how the male and female body should look have changed the way the protein powder is marketed. Marketing for protein was originally showing moms at home feeding a little baby, worried about gaining weight slowly transformed over the years to incorporate that protein can be for everyone. The ads for protein now show men and women with very little body fat, probably just got done with a workout, and are sweating a little bit. The idea being that protein powder is supposed to be for everyone, but not once will a baby be shown. The idea of giving a baby a protein shake in order to plump it up a little bit in today's culture almost seems a little taboo. However, I give my five-year-old son Vegan protein and along with a healthy nutritious diet, he's the biggest kid in his class. Meaning, how we fuel our bodies even from a young age makes a difference in our lives. You can't go wrong by incorporating a protein supplement into your life