In an attempt to age gracefully like Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford, recently, I decided that it is time to devote more attention to my looks and diet. But after only two weeks of more rigorous dieting and exercising (and Tupperware containers full of brown rice, chicken, and broccoli), I started to feel an uncontrollable urge to quit my carefully planned meals and exercise plan and go back to my delights – ice cream and pasta.

Thank God for my frequent mood swings – in a moment of positivity and will to succeed in my goal – I decided that my desire to have the body I’ve been craving for my whole life was far greater than the junk food I’ve been craving for a couple of days. So I decided that if I wanted to continue to stick to this food regimen, I had to seek the help of a professional who’d help me stay on track. The man who a dear friend of mine suggested I should see, was a personal trainer with years of experience.

After explaining my situation to him, he told me that it has been scientifically proven that women tend to crave more sugary snacks, like ice cream, chocolate, and donuts, while men prefer more savory dishes. He added that this sugar craving if often a result of the lack of protein in the body and recommended that I should start taking women’s whey protein powder.

My personal trainer explained to me that for a person like I – always strapped for time, eating on the go while also trying to sustain from consuming meat, adding women’s whey protein powder to my smoothies or shakes is a great way to meet the recommended protein intake. Plus, I can sprinkle some of it in my pancake batter or put some on top of my oatmeal to help make it a high-protein one. But these are just the start – what follows are some of the other reasons that my professional trainer used to convince me why I should start taking women’s whey protein powder.

Stabilizes appetite and boosts the immune system

A low protein intake can make you feel as if you’re always hungry. Protein takes longer than carbohydrates to digest and this slow digestion makes you feel fuller longer, keeping hunger at bay. Also, whey protein contains glutathione – a tripeptide that helps strengthen the immune function. So, when you add whey protein powder to your diet, you feed yourself towards better health as well.

Helps burn calories more effectively

The body takes around 20-35% of the energy from the protein consumed to digest and absorb it. This means that out of the 100 calories you get from protein, 20-35 are burned in the digestion process. Considering the fact that your body uses more energy to digest proteins that it does to process fats and carbohydrates, means that consuming more protein might lead to faster fat-loss results.

Truth be told, many women avoid consuming protein powder because of the common misconception that they will grow manly muscles and will become bulky. Oh, the confusion! The female body contains just a fraction of the testosterone levels of men, which are necessary to build big muscles. So ladies, remember – consuming whey protein and regularly exercising won’t make you look big – eating junk food and cupcakes will.