Protein Powder Made Simple - The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Protein Powder for you!

“How do I choose the best protein powder for me?” asked one of my gym friends, with a puzzled look on her face.

We’ve all asked this question or a similar one at different phases of our life. Protein powder has existed for a few decades ; you can see it now on every shelf in the gym, at health stores, and of course, in drugstores. With so many choices today, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one for you.

There are so many colors, brands, types, and products. It’s easy to get frustrated and walk out of the store. But the good news is that there is nothing complicated about choosing the best protein powder.

In this article, we’ll answer six of the most common questions that people have:

• What is protein powder?
• How does protein powder affect the body?
• What types of protein powders are available?
• When is the best time to take your protein?
• How to choose the best protein powder for you?
• How does protein powder fit into my meal plan?

What is Protein powder?

Protein is composed of amino acids, and proteins which are the building blocks of muscle mass. Some of the major sources of protein come from animal sources such as red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Protein can also be found in plant sources such as legumes,nuts, soy, beans and some grains. Protein powder is a concentrated source of protein in powder form, making it an easy and convenient way to up your protein intake.  

How does protein powder affect the body?

Protein powder is not a “magic muscle creator”. Basically, it’s the same as the protein from the source listed above, but offers a highly concentrated serving of protein in each scoop to help people increase their daily consumption of protein. Mostly, people who consume this kind of  protein source are those who exercise and especially folks who do anaerobic types of sports. Consuming enough protein throughout the day helps with weight loss, muscle growth and muscle preservation. While exercising, especially strength workouts, tiny tears form in the muscles that help them grow bigger and stronger as they heal. Protein helps with this healing process. It also provides a sense of fullness, therefore reduces the calorie intake and results in more effective weight loss. 

These powders also help people who don’t have enough protein in their diet for various reasons. These reasons can include things like allergies, illness, age, or following a vegan or vegetarian diet. And in our harsh reality where time is limited, it can also help people who miss a proper meal. Though, we should always remember that it is a SUPPLEMENT and not a SUBSTITUTE for proper meals. 

It’s no surprise that for the last few years, there has been a major increase in sales in this industry. According to Grand View Research, the global protein supplements market size is expected to reach USD $21.5 billion by 2025. 

What types of protein powders are there?

There are four main categories of protein powders:

Whey protein concentrate

This is produced by extracting protein from whole foods, using heat and acid or enzymes. These powders usually supply a dose of around 60–80% protein. This type of protein is absorbed quickly in our bodies and muscles. Whey protein concentrate is considered to be relatively cheap, and is one of the most common forms of protein powder: almost every supplement company produces this kind of product.

Whey protein isolate

An additional filtering process to the one mentioned above removes more fat and carbs, further concentrating the protein. As a result, protein isolate powders contain about 90–95% protein. It is the purest protein source available. 

Because whey protein isolate is involved in a more complex and longer process than the previous whey protein, it is typically more expensive.  People who are lactose intolerant are not able to use whey protein concentrate, so isolate powder would be a safe option for them.

There has been a lot of hype around this type of powder as being the best in the market, but this simply isn’t the case. The reality is that this legend has been fostered by companies who obsess about nurturing this myth since it is more profitable for them.

During the manufacturing process, some of the proteins become denatured which reduces the effectiveness of this protein.  

Protein Hydrolysates (Protein Complex or Blend)

Protein hydrolysates are produced by further heating with acid or enzymes – which breaks the bonds between amino acids to offer a combination of different types of protein, such as whey protein and other quality types of protein called albumin and casein. In stores the popular product is Whey + Casein protein powder, whereas whey is about 75% and casein 25%. Again, around this product there is also a lot of  hype and some will consider this product an elite product.

I prefer a clear division between the two types of proteins. Primarily because we are talking about a supplement here and as it is, it is taken in addition to other food. Our body doesn’t  consume only these two proteins. Second, each protein is better consumed at different times. As a result, for a fast digesting protein after workout I take the whey protein and if I need something before bed or as the last meal I would take the casein as I will digest it at a slower pace.

Plant-based Protein Powders

Some powders contain plant sources of protein or a blend made up of soy, beans, and rice. They might be a complete protein (soy and pea), but their amino acid levels are insufficient or of lower quality. In order for you to get all the amino acids, blends of plant source powders exist like pea and hemp protein blends. These powders provide all the amino acids. Yet, their digestion is not fast enough to rebuild our body protein levels.

When is the best time to take your protein?

The ideal time largely depends on who you are and what your health goals are. If your goal is weight loss don’t take the protein between meals, as people used to believe was the right way. Alternatively, take the protein during meals, so you will feel satiated and as a result will eat less for the rest of the day.

If your desire is to build muscle, as a rule of thumb, it is usually best right after a workout, also known as the “window of opportunity”. If you are taking the whey concentrated powder, the best time is right after a workout since it is absorbed quickly. Do bare in mind that the level of amino acids in our blood drops soon after taking this protein, which means that we should try to take in a proper post-workout meal within an hour of ingestion as well, in order to optimize the effect. 

Casein Protein powder, however, has a longer absorption time than the whey protein and can help our body with a lasting consumption of protein for a period of up to 6 hours. As a result, it can be consumed after lifting weights, during the day and before bed. 

How Can You Choose the Best Protein Powder for you?

Unless you have a reason to take isolate or plant-based protein, I’d recommend starting off with whey protein, it’s easier to consume, has a great taste and is usually less expensive.
To determine the best protein powder for your own needs, you should take into consideration the following factors: protein percentage, amino acid levels, price and taste. 

Protein Percentage

First, check the product label, and look at the nutritional information, making sure to check for additives as well. The nutrition facts will reveal how many calories are in one serving, along with the division of protein, fat, and carbs in percentage and grams.

Don’t be fooled and think that “25 grams of protein per serving” is great – it doesn’t matter what the amount of protein is in a serving; instead, you should focus on the percentage of protein in a 100 grams of powder.

Let’s do some simple math here: If a serving size is 38 grams and the protein is 25 grams, then in 100 grams of powder, there is less than 68% protein. If we take a closer look, we can see that the amount of servings per container drops with time. There are less than 60 servings in a product. When choosing a container, we should aim for more than 60 servings.

Another issue is, of course, the number of carbohydrates. Make sure it isn’t too high!

We also need to pay attention to the ingredients and what they are. For example, do you see anything suspicious? Some unwanted ingredients you will want to look out for are cheap ones like Dextrin, Maltodextrin or fillers like coconut flour, psyllium, and sugar.

Amino Acid Levels

Like we mentioned above, amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Our body produces 11 out of the 20 amino acids, the rest are called essential amino acids ( 9 in total) and are consumed through diet. When buying a protein powder, the type of protein will determine the quality of amino acids. For example, 10g of protein from milk has a completely different amino acid composition than 10g of protein from hemp. For this reason, take into account the amino acid composition.

Pricing

The third factor is value for money. Paradoxically price is not indicative of quality. It might be more expensive to extract protein from wheat than from eggs. But it doesn’t mean egg protein is less effective than wheat protein. In fact, the opposite is correct. 

Flavor

Last but not least is taste. A protein powder’s flavor is affected by brand and type of protein. In general, milk-derived protein powders tend to taste the best. Brands also make a difference due to the quality and quantities of sweeteners they use. So before you order in bulk, check the product reviews online to get a feel for the taste.

Take a look at this helpful protein grading table provided by MuscleHacking.com

How does protein powder fit into my meal plan? 

Our opinion on the subject is that your supplements are in addition to your regular meal plan. Therefore, avoid trying to calculate it into the plan. If you followed us this far,  you know by now it is much more efficient to take protein powder around your workout or during your workout day. Given this, and the natural need of the body for a higher intake of protein on a workout day, we can use the powder as the source of that protein. To sum up, on a day you have your workout, add a protein shake to raise the level of protein. 

Protein Powders: The Bottom Line

When picking the right protein powder, it is essential to remember that our body cannot store protein. Unlike fat or carbohydrates, the body doesn’t have a reservoir to draw on when it needs a fresh supply. When exercising regularly, especially power lifting, you should supply your body with a sufficient intake of protein. Protein powder is a supplement that can complete your nutrition plan perfectly. Basically, a good rule of thumb would be to take casein when you want a slow digesting protein. For instance, for the last meal of the day (to break down during the night). And for a fast absorbing protein after a workout, take whey.