You’re Doing Protein Wrong: 3 Critical Mistakes Sabotaging Your Progress

Most protein powders are trash. Some are irritating your gut. Others are loaded with junk that’s actually slowing down your results.

In this no-fluff episode, Concierge Health Coach Aaron Shaw breaks down 3 must-know rules for choosing the right protein supplement—without getting lost in the hype.

Whether you’re over 40 and trying to build muscle, lose fat, or just extend your healthspan, this 10-minute masterclass gives you the filter you didn’t know you needed.

What you’ll learn:

1. Why third-party tested or trash is the new rule
2. How to match your protein to your actual goal
3. How to spot powders wrecking your gut (and what to swap instead)

Hard Truth:

If you wouldn’t drink white powder from a Ziploc bag, why are you trusting that “clean” vanilla whey from a big-box shelf?

Aaron Shaw is a 30-year rehab + performance expert helping high-achievers crush the second half of life with strength, science, and strategy.

👋 Questions? Ready to upgrade your healthspan?

→ Reach out at https://www.healthspanpillars.com/contact for more.

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Transcript

you are doing protein wrong, specifically protein powder, supplementing with protein. Most protein powders out on the market are absolute garbage and some might actually be causing your gut to be more irritated, might be slowing down your progress, it might just be the wrong ones for you to be taking. Today I'm gonna break down three main points to help you reassess if the protein supplement that you're taking is the right one. My name's Aaron Shaw and I'm a Concierge Health Coach, Performance Coach,

specializing in middle-aged people who want to really crush the second half of their life, like myself. I've been in the rehab therapy and performance space for almost 30 years. It'll be 30 years next year. And I love breaking down the science into realistic, evidence-based tips that you can actually start using today. So let's hit idea number one. Number one, your protein powder.

has to be third party tested or else it is not safe enough. Supplements are not FDA regulated and that means that whatever that clean vanilla way that you bought might actually contain heavy metals and fillers and even banned substances because there is no FDA regulations with it. So this is what you need to look for. Look for NSF certified for sport. This should be written on the bag or bucket, whatever you have. It could also say informed sport.

or informed choice. And once in a while you'll actually see one that is USP verified, which isn't quite as common in proteins, but it's still worth looking for. So you have to have some sort of third party testing or else throw it in the trash. If it doesn't carry one of those, it's not worth the risk, especially if you're really serious about your body. I mean, you are actually consuming this. You're putting this stuff into your body. So you want to make sure that it's legit. Second point.

If you wouldn't drink a random powder, if you wouldn't drink a random white powder out of a Ziploc bag, why would you do the same thing with protein supplement? So we have to stop buying whatever the best seller is, whatever happens to be at the end cap of your local store and start buying for your goal. So many people, so many people that I talked to, even some of my people that I first started coaching are quick to grab whatever is either the most popular or the cheapest. It's the wrong move.

Are you muscle building? Then you really want to look at a protein isolate or a high leucine blend. Are you vegan or dairy sensitive? Then think about getting a plant blend, not just straight up pea protein, but a blend. Cause you're going to want to make sure you have the full amino acid profile. If you are supplementing with protein for a meal replacement, you definitely want to find one that has added fats, fibers or greens or something, not just straight up protein.

So not all protein powders are the same, not all supplements are the same. And so this whole idea of a one size fits all protein that does everything for you is an absolute myth. You have to start with the end goal in mind and reverse engineer it to make sure that you're actually consuming exactly what you need for your specific goals. So this is about being thoughtful and very intentional with what you're putting in your body. Third and last point, if you want real gains, we have to choose smarter, not

louder, if you will. The best protein supplement isn't necessarily trending. It is tested. It is tailored. It is tolerable, but it may not be flashy. So if you have gut issues, for example, it is not unusual for that to be because of your protein supplementing. So if you're bloated or gassy, or if you're running to the restroom half an hour a day, it could be your protein powder that's actually the problem. So ditch the whey concentrate.

and try way isolate, for example. This would be one little pivot that you can do because there's a little bit less lactose in it. Definitely avoid artificial sweeteners and gums. Again, pick up your protein powder, flip it over to the back, get yourself acquainted with what's on there. If you see any sort of artificial sweeteners and gums, goes in the trash can. Try an enzyme fortified blend or plant-based options if you're sensitive to that. But do not normalize feeling like trash or feeling your gut get a little rumbly after you

consume this just to try to hit your macros. It should not be that way. That should not be the way this works. So the one thing you can do today to help really extend your health span and certainly improve your potential for performance is to go into your pantry or go to your countertop, wherever you keep your bucket of protein powder or bag of protein powder, flip over to the back and read the label. Get acquainted with what's on that label because you may find that

your despite your best intentions, your protein powder could be either not serving you well or even worse. It can actually make you feel worse. Not meeting your goals. It is not worth it. So from the top, absolutely make sure there's third party tested. Really, to me, the gold standard is NFS, excuse me, and SF certified for sport. That's really like my gold standard that I look to. Second thing, make sure that you are not just automatically buying the bestseller or definitely do not buy.

whatever is the cheapest. is no, if you're, if you were supplementing, is because you want something extra. You're doing something extra special for your body, extra special for your performance, your lean muscle mass. Don't take that extra concept that you have in your mind. And then at the same time, go for the cheapest thing in the world, just cause it's on sale. Not the way to go. The third point again, is make sure that you are choosing.

And the third point is to make sure that when you were choosing something, be careful about how it affects your gut. Because if you are having gut issues, which a lot of people that I talk to talks about having talk about having gut issues related to their protein intake, it may be your protein supplement. So shoot for, we isolate definitely no artificial flavors and or excuse me, artificial sweeteners and gums and stuff like that. Really do a deep dive, educate yourself a little bit about the details that are on.

these bags and buckets of protein and make sure that you're doing yourself a service and not a disservice. If you have specific questions about supplementing, hit me up. I work with supplements with my, all my coaching clients and I love kind of breaking down some of the science. This is a very short top of the line main point episode here. Not going into the deep, deep details because I think that sometimes that's just a little bit too much for people. If you hit the top two, three, four main points about being mindful,

what you're putting in your body, you're 95 % of the way there. So be smart, make sure there's a purpose for your supplementing. Make sure you have to be supplementing on top of a well-balanced diet or else again, you're missing the whole point. If your diet is garbage and you think that having a protein shake is going to magically balance all that out, you are sorely mistaken. Make sure your diet is clean or work on cleaning it up and then certainly add some protein.

powder as you need to on top of that. And it can serve you well. can really extend your life when used well. Certainly if you have to be doing strength training on top of that, which is a whole other topic, but for now, those are the top three things. If you have more questions about exercise, nutrition, sleep, emotional wellbeing, living a long, healthy, vibrant life well into your forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond. That is what I do full time. I love talking to people about that and hit me up. you have hit me up, if you have questions.

and hit me up if you have questions. All right, peace.