On 15th Feb 2018, Protinex- the protein expert and pioneer of hydrolyzed proteins trusted for over 60 years conducted a small event imparting knowledge about proteins and breaking myths.

What are proteins?? Proteins are large complex molecules composed of amino acids, joined with peptide bond. 20 diverse types of amino acids are required by the body. Non essential amino acids can be made by the body, while essential amino acids can’t be made, hence have to get them from our diet. The proteins that are easier to break down and easily absorbed by intestine are hydrolysis proteins. However all protein rich foods that we consume in our diet are intact proteins which are more complex to break down and not easily absorbed.

Hydrolyzed proteins are derived from intact protein source by enzymatic hydrolisis to obtain a mixture of tri, di and polypeptides ALSO known as “pre-digested” proteins for faster protein delivery.

Why Hydrolyzed Proteins??

1. More and longer lasting Amino acids.
2. Enhanced Glycogen replenishment-Replenishing glycogen with carbohydrates post-workout enhances the recovery process and prepares your body for your next workout.
3. Faster recovery post workout.
4. Improved intra workout performance.

Mumbai based Nutritionist Ruby Sound and Dr. Madhavi Marathe imparted knowledge about the right protein intake and definitely got all of us thinking as to if our daily meals were good enough.

• Did you know that our body needs up to 1 gm protein per kg of weight???
• Did you know that every person has different protein needs as per their age, weight, activities and gender?
• Were you aware that 9 out of 10 people in India have protein deficiency?
• Did you know that our Indian meals “ghar ka khaana” though hygienic and simple food, is high in carbs and does not meet our body’s protein needs at all??

I wasn’t aware of these facts either. This session was not only informative but also an eye opener. Mr Himanshu Bakshi, Director marketing, Danone India said most of the people are unaware of their ideal protein requirement AND are under the impression that they are taking the right amount of proteins in their diet by eating fish, chicken and pulses. However that is not true and in case of Indians protein supplements are needed to fulfill the deficiency. Also its all about the quantity and quality of protein intake such as hydrolyzed protein.

Protinex has products like Protinex powder with different flavors and biscuits, which are formulated with these hydrolyzed proteins for nutritional needs of the masses. They also have a special variant for diabetics which is sugar free (the others do contain sugar since sugar is required when you consume proteins after workout) and one for pregnant ladies called Mama Protinex.

To break the assumption people have about their protein sources being enough for their body; Protinex has come with a protein calculator to measure the proteins a person consumes everyday. This calculator was unveiled by the captian of Under 19 Cricket team Mr Prithvi Shaw. We were obviously interested to know the protein intake of the sports prodigy himself, so we got him to use the calculator first and boy oh boy 97 percent was the score of protein intake.

Protein calculator is a simple calculator that allows people to calculate their protein intake and take actions in case of deficit. You just have to download the app, feed your every meal of the day and it tells you your intake as well as the deficit which you can then cover through protein supplements.

Im glad I was a part of this Danone India initiative. Danone is a leading global food company which started its nutrition business in 2012 by acquiring the nutrition portfolio from Wockhardt. Danone offers a full range of nutrition products for everyone under recognized brands like Protinex and many others.

After the imparted knowledge and a fun quiz we got to network and ask more questions to the nutritionists, as we munched on some samosas and sipped tea. There was obviously lot of pic clicking that happened at the photo booth before we bid adieu. I also got my hands on 2 of their products- I tried their vanilla flavored biscuits which are quite hard compared to regular biscuits but the taste came very close to Horlicks and I loved them. Also got myself their chocolate powder for daily dose in milk.

Being a food blogger we eat out mostly, don’t think twice before munching on burgers and ordering pizzas, but after this event I have definitely started paying more attention to what I order and dunk in.