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Cycling Protein Powders Charles Poliquin Q. Should protein powder shakes be cycled? I have been taking a well-known protein powder for approx. 1 year. I have been following the directions ( 1 scoop, 8 oz water, 3 times/day) as well as regular 3 meals. It appears that I have developed some kind of "allergy" or "lactose intolerance". In addition to the occasional gastric upset, I have "foul breath" and "very offensive body odor - upon sweating" (No one wants to "spot" me in the gym)..... After stopping the protein shakes for 3 days the symptoms have virtually disappeared, and are completely gone after about 2 weeks. What alternatives are there for protein powder drinks - other than soy products. What's your opinion of amino acid tablets? What about people who are allergic to soy, wheat, and lactose/dairy??? A reply would be greatly appreciated??? A. Most bodybuilders know only 4 solid protein sources: beef, eggs, chicken and tuna. The problem with that is if you consume the same protein foods over and over you become allergic to them. All athletes who train under my guidance at the Poliquin Performance Center are tested for food allergies. Turns out that most of them are allergic to beef, eggs, chicken, and milk proteins. Therefore they are instructed to go off those allergens for 6 weeks and substitute other protein foods such as shrimp, scallops, turkey etc...and are given a specific supplement program to rebuild the integrity of the digestive track. They cannot eat the same protein source 2 days in a row. Usually within 2 to 6 weeks, the allergy to a given protein is gone and the protein can be reintroduced. In my own case, I got rid of my beef and salmon allergy in two weeks but took another 4 weeks to get rid of my egg protein sensitivities. I always test positive for soy protein, even though I never eat it, which is a sign to stay away from it. For muscle building and optimizing recovery purposes, I suggest you rotate your supplemental proteins over 6 days. So for example: Day Day Day Day Day Day

1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:

liver protein Whey and casein proteins Egg protein Chickpea protein Rice protein Goat protein

Athletes who vary their protein intake more often than the norm report increased energy levels and lessened requirements for sleep. I vary the whey and casein proteins companies I use often. There are many good ones out there like Champion Nutrition, MRM, Beverly International, San Nutrition. For the chick pea, I use the Douglas labs one, and the goat protein I use is from Garden of Life under the brand name Goatein. The liver protein I recommend is the Beverley International. For rice protein, I use the Metagenics and Thorne brands.