Protein headache? I’ve got you.
In a world awash with fitness trends and dietary supplements, one question echoes louder than others – “which protein powder is best?”
Whether you’re striving for bulging biceps or simply aiming to hit your daily protein goals, the vast array of protein powders on the market can leave you feeling perplexed.
Let’s unravel this mystery together, to discover what best suits YOUR needs.
To start, I’m always going to put real food, such as lean meat, Tempe and tofu, beans, nuts, and legumes on the stage. For some reason, we keep turning off real food’s mic, but if you can, getting your daily protein in through food, and not supplements, is always best!
But that’s not what we are here to talk about, so I’ll get to the point. Protein supplements sure do have their place. So, let’s break them down.
WPI (whey protein isolate).
The most common form of protein powder WPI, or whey protein isolate, is isolated whey protein. Whey is one of the two types of protein found in milk. By passing milk through various filtration processes, almost all the additional carbohydrates (such as lactose), fats and casein proteins are removed, leaving pretty much nothing but whey protein.
It’s great, if you can tolerate it or choose to drink it. Why? Because it has the highest biological value of all proteins. What? Essentially, this just is the scientific way of saying that our bodies digest and utilise the protein well. WPI also has a good chunk of leucine in it, which is the linchpin that drives the muscle building processes. Although it’s just one of the many amino acids essential for overall health, it’s specific role in muscle growth and repair has earnt it a well-deserved spot in the ‘good for you’ category.
Oh, and the lactose in WPI is filtered out quite heavily, so if you find you can’t overdo it on this front, you may find you can tolerate WPI powders quite well.
WPC (Why protein concentrate)
Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is a form of whey protein that undergoes minimal processing. It contains a balanced mix of protein, fats, and carbohydrates, making it a less refined but nutritionally rich option compared to whey protein isolate (WPI).
It’s also a lot cheaper, which gets the big tick of approval from me – unless you don’t tolerate dairy, then avoid!
Casein
Casein is a high-quality protein found in milk, accounting for about 80% of the total protein content. It’s known for its slow-digesting properties, making it a “time-released” protein. This means it takes longer for the body to break down and absorb compared to other proteins like whey.
When ingested, casein forms a gel-like substance in the stomach, which slows down its absorption. This slow-release characteristic provides a steady supply of amino acids to the body over an extended period of time, making it an excellent choice before long periods of fasting, such as before sleep.
Again, no good if you’re a non-lactose type of human.
Plant-based proteins.
Simply, all protein powders not derived from milk. Rice and pea are the most common, there are a lot of them!! So, I’ll keep it simple.
Vegan protein powders tend to be blends of ingredients because plant sources of protein tend to contain an incomplete spectrum of amino acids. This makes them less effective at supporting muscle growth and recovery when compared to something like whey, which contains the full spectrum of amino acids. To counteract this, plant sources of protein that are low in one or more amino acids are paired with other plant sources of protein that are high in those amino acids.
Therefore, it’s best to choose one that has a blend of a few sources, which thankfully most brands are now marketing. The best way to check this is to glance at the ingredient list.
Pea protein.
Pea gets more than a Pass here. Pea protein is high in protein, and it’s one of the few vegan proteins that is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
Although not technically a protein supplement, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a group of essential amino acids that have a unique molecular structure. They are called “branched-chain” because their chemical structure includes a branched side chain. The three BCAAs are Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine and although they’re essential, they do everything your protein powder will do.
A bonus if they’re already part of your recovery electrolyte drink, but not including them in your diet won’t affect your progress or health, so no need to worry.
In summary?
Your protein supplement choice can depend on taste and tolerance, because if you don’t like it, you probably won’t consume it, which is about the same as not buying it in the first place.
If you can’t drink dairy, nutritional science has come a long way in creating whole plant-based proteins, and I personally love them. So, we can finally put the skinny-weak vegetarian jokes to bed (thankfully!).
When it comes to labels, here are my top tips:
- Aim for at least 20g of protein per 30g serve.
- Ignore claims such as ‘lean’ or ‘thermogenic’ or ‘gender specific.’ All protein is lean, gender neutral and thermogenic usually just means they’ve added caffeine.
- Keep the ingredient list short. If it has a hundred and one ingredients, it’s probably got a hundred things you don’t want or need in it.
- Aim for a vegan protein with a few sources of protein, to tick all your amino acid boxes.
- If you’re unsure of taste or consistency, go small first.
Remember, we are all different and we all have different protein requirements. If you want to talk through what will be best for you and your goals, it’s as simple as pressing the ‘make a booking’ link, and we can get you on the right path!
Happy training x
