PROTEIN TRENDS IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Consumers are hungry for protein, depending on it to provide essential building blocks for health and wellbeing. But there is far more to today’s demand for protein; consumers consider it to have a long list of top-of-mind benefits, especially surrounding weight management. Today’s health-, wellness-, and weight-conscious consumers credit protein with:
• promoting muscle repair and growth
• satisfying their hunger & assisting them with calorie reduction
• helping to curb carb highs & lows
• assisting in calorie burning, due to protein’s thermic effect of food (TEF)
• preserving lean muscle while promoting fat burning

Put it all together, and consumers appear to be fully invested in protein as a tool in weight management. According to board certified clinical nutritionist Byron J. Richards, “The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, favorably influencing weight loss. Quality protein also helps you sustain muscle during weight loss, improve muscle fitness, immunity, and antioxidant function, build HDL cholesterol, and enhance insulin and leptin function – all of which contribute toward optimal weight management efforts over time.”*

Consumers may crave protein for all its perceived benefits, including contributions to their weight management efforts, but manufacturers can find that putting protein to work can present some challenges. Proteins can make things a little bitter in terms of flavor—and ingredient cost, with a sharp flavor profile typically requiring blending with other flavor ingredients. As a result, protein can often be the most expensive component of a product, presenting a challenge in terms of cost. At Nellson, we understand all of protein’s advantages and disadvantages—and we know how to capitalize on its strengths, while we meet its challenges.

The best proteins for weight management applications
Dairy and soy are both excellent proteins for weight management; they are available in large supply, taste great, and are commonly understood by consumers who are looking to supplement their weight management efforts. Pea protein is also very popular and highly effective. As trends dictate the use of alternative proteins, it is necessary for them to be balanced and measured, to ensure the consumer is getting a high quality protein that contains all the needed amino acids.

In nutritional bars for weight management, high protein can literally take up space, making for a larger bar. A combination of ingredients is needed to form a nutritional bar, and protein can only make up a portion of its overall composition. Nellson understands all of the ingredients and needed attributes in a bar. Our formulation expertise and experience working with new innovative ingredients enable us to develop cutting-edge technologies to improve bar formulations. As a result, we are able to create a product unlike anything else in market.

In nutritional powders used for weight management, protein can be a cost consideration; typically, a majority of the cost is made up by the protein component. Nellson has the economies of scale and supplier relationships to purchase proteins more economically and help our customers manage their protein costs more effectively.

Ready to take advantage of the latest protein trends for weight management? Let’s get started, together!

*http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/how_protein_helps_weight_loss/