Introduction
If you are new to fitness you might be looking for some guidance for what protein powder will work for you. Or maybe you are looking to switch onto a new option to better fit your goals. Either way, this article will help navigate you into the right direction!
Starting off, Let's go over animal based protein.
Protein powder comes in 3 main forms. casein, soy, and the most notorious, whey. Depending on what your trying to achieve or looking for might depend on what you might choose. Today I will be showing you the best products from each category and which one you should choose.
Whey protein helps your muscles recover after a workout. It may also help you gain weight in surplus amounts for people that are struggling. Whey protein is also a great way to get in protein without consuming to many calories, if you are trying to lose weight. It is a high quality protein that is deprived from cow’s milk that contains lactose. It contains all of the essential amino acids.
Casein protein is a more slow digesting protein. Just like whey protein, it is considered a “complete” protein because it contains all the essential amino acids and is easily digested. The difference between these two powerhouses though is that casein takes longer to break down in your body (8 hours) than whey does (3 hours). In summary casein is slightly better for long term muscle gain while whey is better for long term.
You can find out more about the difference between these in this video. A good suggestion I would recommend is actually mixing these proteins together in a shake. Research proves that protien blends work better in terms of fat loss and muscle gain because they achieve protein synthesis. Mixing these two together will significantly improve muscle growth.
Now that we have covered animal based protein, we can go over plant based protein.
Now we can go over Plant Based Protein
Plant based protein is a great option for vegans, someone trying to avoid dairy products, or maybe just trying to start a plant-based diet. Plant. There is multiple plant based proteins such as soy, rice, or pea but for this example I’m going to focus on Soy protein powder.
Depending on the brand, the powder can only be made of some of these ingredients above, or a combination of these plants. Soy is the most common ingredient in most vegan protein powders because it’s cheap to make and the most effective plant based protein.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Naturally high in fiber
- Great to use if you have a dairy allergy or intolerance. Even if your not allergic, plant protein digests easier than the dairy products if you have trouble when using those.
- If your vegan, this protein powder is a great option if you are lacking protein in your diet.
- A lot of plant-based protein powders contain antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Cons
- Plant based protein is an incomplete protein. This means it lacks essential amino acids.
- If you’re trying to lose weight, they are usually pretty high in carbs. So most likely not ideal.
- The price tag compared to dairy proteins tend to be fairly more expensive.
- Hard to mix as it usually has a griddy texture.
Taste Difference In Between These Two?
From personal experience, I like the animal protein taste better and haven’t really tried to many vegan protein powder. There will always be people from both sides saying they prefer one over the other. In my opinion, if you are looking for a better tasting option, you should most likely go with whey. Also there is hundreds of more flavors to choose from when picking whey.
So What Is The Best Protein Powder For you?
The type of protein that you are looking for depends on your presences and your goals for fitness. Below I have the best suggestions based on whether you prioritize quality, natural products, price, or taste.
If you are looking for protein specific to weight loss, then you are good with almost any protein powder. It’s less about the product and more of how much you are taking per serving. Regardless, protein powder is a great way to reach your protein goal in a semi-low calorie fashion. All of the whey products I show below such as optimum nutrition, ghost, and iso 100 are all great options for cutting weight while gaining muscle.
If you are trying to gain weight and a lot of it, I recommend mass gainer protein powder, which I also go over below.
Best Whey Products
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein
Best Known for: Best Overall
Description: This product is one of the best overwell products you can find. If you are looking for a trustworthy, quality protein. The prices are good and their flavors are endless, ranging from almost anything you can imagine from a powder. There’s really no way to go wrong with this.
Macros Per Scoop (Vanilla Ice Cream): 120 cal, 24g protein, 1g sugar, 130mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: French Vanilla, Banana Cream, chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Malt, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry, Double Rich Chocolate, Mocha Cappuccino, Rocky Road, Strawberry Banana, and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Transparent Labs Mass Gainer
Best known for: Putting on weight
Description: If you are looking for a bulking protein, this is the one for you. With great flavor, no artificial flavors or sweeteners, and grass fed whey, it’s a bullet proof gainer. Only downside is if you are on a budget, you might want to look towards a different option. But if not this is one of the best options on the market.
Macros Per Scoop (Sweet Vanilla): 395cal, 26.5g protein, 0g *added* sugar, 305mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Sweet Vanilla, Chocolate Glaze Donut
Ghost Whey Protein
Best known for: Taste
Description: Ghost supplies a good quality protein powder with some interesting flavors to try out. Products like this and optimum nutrition are soy and gluten free. Meaning it is designed not to boost your insulin. If you are looking for something new to try, this is a flavor blasting option.
Macros Per Scoop (Cereal Milk): 130cal, 25g protein, 2g sugar, 150mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Milk Chocolate, Cereal Milk, Peanut Butter Cereal Milk, Fruity Cereal Milk, Marshmallow Cereal Milk, Milk Chocolate, Coffee Bean, Oreo, Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy.
*Highly suggest trying the Hot Cocoa Mix, not protein powder it’s just protein hot chocolate mix, but it’s incredible and you wouldn’t even be able to tell it’s protein*
Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protien
Best Known For: Taste
Description: Similar to the products above, high quality product with low carb and low fat. Just another option I wnated to add to the list if you were looking for another option. The Birthday Cake Pebbles is my personal favorite of the flavors.
Macros Per Scoop (Gourmet Vanilla): 110cal, 25g protein, 1g sugar, 100mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Strawberry, Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Gourmet, Chocolate and Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, Pebbles Birthday Cake, Dunkin Cappuccino, other flavors here
Best Casein Products
Best Known For: Best Overall
Description: This list may be a little biased because I personally use on standards products the most,
Macros Per Scoop (Chocolate Supreme): 120 cal, 24g protein, 1g sugar, 200mg sodium
Some Available Flavors:
Ascent Casein Protein Powder
Best Known For: Quality
Description:
Macros Per Scoop (Vanilla Bean): 110cals, 25g protein, 0g sugar , 50mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter
Best Known For: Taste
Description: All Casein tastes majority the same, but dymatize is known for their expressive flavors and taste. So if you are looking for the best tasting casein, I’d recommend this.
Macros Per Scoop (Rich Chocolate): 130 cal, 25g protein, 0g sugar, 180mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Rich Chocolate, Cinnamon Bun, Smooth Vanilla, Cookies & Cream
*Most of every product that sells whey also sells a form of casein, but these 3 are my professional suggestions*
Best Vegan Products
Kos Vegan Protein Powder
Best Known For: Best Overall
Description: For a reasonable price, semi good taste, and a high quality product, this is for you. Orgain’s protein powder ingredients are notorious contain no artificial add ons. The flavor can be described as a little bland but not something to complain about. The wide varying flavors make up for it.
Macros Per Scoop (Vanilla Ice Cream): 160 cal, 20g protein, 3g sugar, 140mg sodium
Some Flavors: Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Mint, blueberry muffin, salted caramel coffee, vanilla, unflavored
Naked Nutrition Naked Protein Powder
Best Known For: Quality
Description: Naked nutrition is one of the only protein powders that only has one ingredient. Making it a must need if you arelooking for a vegan, high quality product. However, being such a good product, the price tag is pretty high compared to other options. From the taste aspect it doesn’t really taste like anything. But if you are buying this product, it shouldn’t be for the taste regardless. I would highly recommend this.
Macros Per Scoop (pea): 120cal, 27g protein, 2g sugar, 110mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Neutral (Flavroless), vanilla, chocolate.
Orgain Organic Protien Powder
Best Known For: Taste
Description: Even though I have never tried orgain unlike everything else on this list, after some research I’ve found that that people say orgain is one of the best tasting vegan options. Orgain is a pretty popular option and is commonly reviewed as a trustworthy choice. However, be careful with some of their fishy ingredients. For a protein powder, their ingredients list is fairly long (which I try to avoid in any product). It contains things like high oleic sunflower oil, rice dextrin, and “natural flavors” which shouldn’t be needed in any protein powders. If you are looking for a very high quality product, I wouldn’t suggest this. Otherwise, If you are looking for a more flavorful choice, then you can give it a try.
Macros Per Scoop (Vanilla): cal, g protein, g sugar, mg sodium
Some Available Flavors: Chocolate fudge, Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Coconut, Iced Coffee, Strawberry