5 Things We Learned About The Future of Protein At Be:Fit London
Be:Fit London is the Uk’s biggest health and fitness festival for women.
Held at the vast Islington Business Design Centre over the May bank holiday weekend, the event featured a stellar line up of the biggest names in health and fitness from Joe “Midget Trees” Wicks to Alice “Clean Eating” Liveing and “Lean With” Lilly Sabri giving inspirational talks, live cooking demonstrations, workout classes and high fives galore.
We’d like to give a huge thank you to everyone who visited us at our tropical beach-themed stand in honour of our newest flavour, pineapple and coconut.
Thank you to everyone who visited us. We loved hearing about your enthusiasm for living your life active.
We loved hearing your feedback on the drink, answering your questions on its health benefits and generally experiencing your infectious enthusiasm for living your life active — something we’re equally passionate about.
We also learned a great deal about our audience, the current state of fitness in the UK and the trends that will be shaping it in the months to come. Here’s our main takeaways from what was a fantastic fitness-fuelled weekend.
Further reading: Marathon Runner Amy Hughes: Why I Love/Hate Running
1 The appetite for protein is as healthy as ever
Sometime around the mid-80s, possibly around the time Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Herculean torso was muscling into mainstream consciousness, the concept of protein got hijacked. It was no longer simply one of our essential macronutrients (along with carbohydrate and fat) for life. It was suddenly fuel to get big — Arnie BIG.
With protein powders, bars, balls and ice cream everywhere you looked at Be:Fit it’s clear the appetite for it is as insatiable as ever. In fact, according to market analyst Euromonitor, the sports nutrition market has grown by 160% since 2011, while Mintel figures published last year identified 40% more launches of high-protein products in 2016 compared with 2015.
But, as we heard from visitors to the Upbeat stand, the modern day appetite for protein is coming from a desire to be fit and strong on the inside as much as out; to provide every cell in your body with the materials to repair, rebuild and function for whatever the day can throw at you. Now that is something we fully stand behind.
2 Our Coconut & Pineapple flavour is winning the taste race
Perhaps it’s because summer’s in the air. Perhaps it’s because traditional protein drink flavours of chocolate and vanilla are — well — vanilla. Or perhaps it’s because it simply tastes so darn delicious. Either way, our Coconut & Pineapple flavour, containing 20g of quality protein and 21% of your daily recommended bone bolstering calcium, was flying off the shelves.
3 People are wary of dairy — but they needn’t be
Does Upbeat contain dairy? This is the question we were asked the most at Be:Fit — besides if they could take a pic against our tropical beach backdrop. It’s great that people are asking questions about what’s in our drink and we encourage you to always be inquisitive about what you put in your body.
The answer to the dairy question is of course yes. Our nutrient-dense drinks contain whole food ingredients fresh from the farm. “Whey protein, our main ingredient, is a natural liquid by-product that comes from milk during the cheese making process,” explains nutritionist Sophie Enever.
We use this fresh liquid whey, never reconstituted from powder, because it has a great balance of nutrients. “It’s a high-quality complete protein, meaning it contains all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for our dietary needs, it provides a small amount of dairy fats and naturally occurring sugars for energy.”
And, as mentioned, it contains the vital bone strengthening mineral calcium that more than 20% of young people are starting to miss out on due to confusion around the trend of “clean eating” steering them away from dairy products.
In the video below Sophie decodes the myth that dairy is bad for you.
Further reading: How To Diffuse The “Clean Eating” Ticking Timebomb In Your Diet
4 Protein is only one third of the nutrition puzzle
Protein is fantastic. But without fats and carbs there’s no way the team could have lasted the long Be:Fit weekend. “It’s important to have a balance of all three macronutrients,” says nutritionist Sophie Enever, who ensured the Upbeat team was well fed, watered and full of energy to man the stand.
“Protein, fats and carbs all play vital roles but you need to keep your intake balanced. Too much in the form of carbs can cause a sugar spike followed by a sharp energy decline. But consuming quality protein and fat along with carbs help slow the release of food into the bloodstream, keeping your energy levels on an even keel.”
When on your feet all day, snacks of bananas, mixed nuts and even the odd square of dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa) are great sources of healthy fats and carbs.
5 Trampoline fitness is serious business
And seriously good for you. A 2016 study by the American Council on Exercise found bouncing on a mini trampoline for 19 minutes is as beneficial for you as running six miles per hour, cycling, or playing vigorous sports like football or basketball for the same amount of time. Yet, according to the study’s subjects, it feels far less strenuous. We didn’t need a second invitation. Phew!
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