Does anybody know if you can cook protein powders in the microwave with stuff like oatmeal and water or does it denature the proteins in some way that makes them less useful ?
Also, anybody have any cool recipes for low carb or low fat meals while doing massive eating.
thanx
I always make sure to add the powder after heating the oatmeal. Otherwise, it tastes very chalky.
I cook my protein powder on many occasions with oatmeal and/or eggs like a pancake. It turns out great and tastes pretty damn good too. I don’t think it will effect the powder negatively. Try this…2-3 scoops vanilla protein, 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, and 1/4-1/2 cup of water. Cook like pancakes.
I believe that it actually does denature the protein and makes it mostly unusable by the body. Try to add it after cooking, or simply drink it separately. I usually drink it separately and add cinnamon and Splenda to my oatmeal.
cgeytraveler
How about some definitive proof one way or the other? Anyone? So does cooking high protein FOOD render it useless? Highly dubious. In fact, I read an article somewhere, (here maybe?)that said the protein in a cooked egg is more usable than in a raw one. Are the protein molecules in a steak or egg that much different than those in a powder?
It was Berardi who actually said that a cooked egg yeilded 80% of the protein usable, while a raw one left only 50% of the protein usable, something like that. If my memory serves me correctly, denaturing a protein means destroying the tertiary and quaternary(sp?) structures of it, that is, breaking it down to amino acids. This is what leads me to believe that cooking a protein powder wouldn’t hurt it. I’m no expert though. Maybe someone can chime in with an abstract, I’ve seen this one asked before, but can’t remember an answer besides JMB’s egg comparison.
From what I’ve read, heat will definately denature whey or casein based protein products. This is why all the high quality and most expensive powders on the market are “cold” processed and specifically state they are processed without heat as some of the cheaper products are processed with an inferior high heat process. The high heat not only denatures the protein but adversely effects (destroys) the various bovine growth factors in the protein. Denatured protein means all the natural peptides have been broken down and the body absorbs and uses the natural peptides more efficently than the broken down amino acids in denatured. I always add the protein powder after cooking. If you want to “cook” your protein powder, you may as well be sure to use the very cheapest powder you can buy because the heat of cooking negates the cold processing of the expensive better quality products. Eggs are a different story because eggs contain an enzyme that inhibits digestion and heat destroys this “bad” enzyme. Meat is also denatured by heat (the more done - the more denatured) but cooking meat is a necessary evil unless you want to get sick (say e-coli).
I heat the oatmeal,then add protein in.DO IT!