The Best Protein Powder: Shopping Guide and Recommendations (01/22)

Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Protein Powder High Calorie Mass Gainer with Vitamins, Creatine and Glutamine, Chocolate, 8 Servings, 2.73 kg, Packaging May Vary

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30.93 GBP

Optimum Nutrition ON Gold Standard Whey Protein, Muscle Building Powder With Naturally Occurring Glutamine and Amino Acids, Double Rich Chocolate, 29 Servings, 899 g, Packaging May Vary

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28.41 GBP

PhD Nutrition Diet Whey Protein Powder, 1 kg, Vanilla Cream

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19.99 GBP

Myprotein Impact Whey Protein Powder. Muscle Building Supplements for Everyday Workout with Essential Amino Acid and Glutamine. Vegetarian, Low Fat and Carb Content - Cookies and Cream, 1kg

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25.99 GBP

Bulk Pure Whey Protein Powder Shake, Vanilla, 1 kg, Packaging May Vary

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18.14 GBP

The Bulk Protein Company - Serious Gainz – Mass Gainer Protein Powder – Banana 5kg, B142-BA

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28.50 GBP

Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying protein powder

What is protein powder and what types are there?

Protein powder is one of the so-called food supplements and is used in particular to support muscle building in sports or during a diet.

Protein powder mainly consists of proteins of animal or vegetable origin.

Whether for muscle building or for dieting - protein powder supports your body in the low-calorie intake of protein. (Image source: 123rf.com / 85422992)

As the name suggests, they have a powdery state. They are mixed in water or milk to make a protein shake.

There are many different types of protein powders. Depending on the type and taste of the protein powder, it contains other additives such as sweeteners, colourings or preservatives in addition to proteins.

The most common protein powder is Whey protein. Whey protein is a whey protein that can be absorbed particularly quickly by the body.

A distinction can be made between animal and vegetable proteins.

Whey is divided into three subclasses. Concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate, which differ from each other in their nutrient content.

However, there are of course many other types of protein besides Whey, which are either of animal or plant origin. The most important of these are:

Casein
Egg protein
Soy protein
Pea protein
Rice protein

Especially for people who suffer from lactose or other intolerances, these protein alternatives are particularly interesting.

Did you know that the body needs amino acids, but cannot produce nine of them itself?

The human body needs a total of 20 different amino acids, nine of which are essential. Essential means that the body cannot produce them itself. You have to get them from outside through your diet or supplements.

Why is protein essential for building muscle?

Protein supplementation has been shown to increase muscle mass and strength gain during prolonged strength training in younger and older individuals. ()

Proteins, or proteins, are essential nutrients. They have numerous physiological functions, which is why they are often called the basic building blocks of life.

Muscle consists largely of proteins. It can only be built up if the building blocks for it are there and they have to be taken in through the diet.

Since your protein requirements increase with regular and intensive strength training, dietary supplements in the form of protein powder can help to cover your body's protein requirements.

Supplements such as protein powders support muscle building and also fat loss. The protein shakes, which are dissolved in milk or water, can be taken before sports or after strength training. (Image source: pexels.com / Panther Sohi)

From a scientific point of view, there are three factors that determine how well the body converts protein from food into muscle mass after training: the time of intake, the amount and the type of protein.

But protein shakes also play an important role in losing weight. Increasing the amount of protein in the diet to 1.5-2.0 g per kilogram of body weight per day makes weight loss easier to achieve.

A study has shown that combining protein supplementation with strength training is effective in achieving an increase in fat-free mass in older adults. (2)

Protein supports the development of shaping muscles after training and these muscles increase the basal metabolic rate, or the basic calorie consumption per day.

Rebecca HöferFitnessmagazin

Are you wondering how useful protein shakes are?

Opinions are divided on this question, but both opinions are correct, because no one has to reach for protein from a can. It is also possible to take in all essential amino acids through a healthy diet.

However, it also makes sense to take protein powder, as it is the purest form of protein and you do not consume as many calories as you would through food.

(Source: menshealth.de)

Decision: What types of protein powder are there and which one is right for you?

There are different types of protein that you can take as a dietary supplement.

Depending on which characteristic is most important to you personally, you can choose between different types of protein powder.

Whey Protein
Casein
Egg Protein
Vegetable Proteins

The different types each have advantages and disadvantages. Depending on what you prefer, a different type is suitable for you. In the following section we would like to make it easier for you to decide.

What distinguishes Whey Protein and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Whey protein is the most popular type of protein for muscle building and fitness. It is obtained from whey, which is produced during the manufacture of cheese, and has a particularly high biological value.

The whey proteins are already broken down into free amino acids for better bioavailability. (3)

Whey is characterised by fast digestion and a high content of important amino acids. It is also perfect in the morning or as a post-workout shake.

Whey contains the three most important amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, which are responsible for more effective muscle building and provide optimal muscle protection.

Advantages

Relatively inexpensive
Many flavours
High value

Disadvantages

May contain lactose

Whey is also available as isolate and hydrolysate, which contains less lactose and is therefore lactose-free. A special manufacturing process changes the charge of the protein in the isolate.

This means that the degree of purity is higher in a Whey isolate, which also increases the quality.

What distinguishes casein and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Casein is a milk protein just like whey protein, with the only difference that the absorption process in the body takes longer.

The molecules of casein are larger than those of whey and take longer to be processed because they have to be broken down into smaller building blocks. This ensures a long-lasting protein absorption.

Advantages

Long-lasting protein supply

Disadvantages

Somewhat more expensive

Casein is therefore best consumed before bedtime to provide the muscles with sufficient protein during the growth phase.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of egg protein?

Egg protein (egg albumin) is suitable for athletes who do not tolerate dairy products well. Egg protein is also an animal protein and is made from the egg white.

It is characterised by a high biological value. Unlike Whey, it is free of lactose, cholesterol and purine.

Advantages

High value
lactose-free

Disadvantages

Very bitter taste

Due to its bitter taste, however, it is rarely used alone in bodybuilding products. Therefore, it is often found as an ingredient in multi-component protein shakes.

What distinguishes vegetable proteins and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

These three types of protein belong to the group of vegetable proteins. Soya protein is the most common.

It contains 9 essential amino acids and thus offers good added value for the body.

Due to its nutritional composition, the soybean is highly valued. The quality of the seed ingredients in particular is excellent and especially valuable from a nutritional point of view. The protein in the soybean in particular accounts for 80% of the bean's total protein content. (Image source: pixabay.com / bigfatcat)

Since the molecular chain of the individual amino acids is short, the absorption process in the body is very short, similar to Whey.

Rice protein is made from the whole grain of rice. The protein content in the rice grain is significantly increased through germination and fermentation.

Rice protein is characterised by its almost complete amino acid profile, making it ideal for building and maintaining muscle; compared to Whey protein, the isoleucine and valine content is even significantly higher.

Pea protein, on the other hand, is made from yellow hull peas. It has 85% protein content and is thus, like the other vegetable proteins, a good protein supplier.

The very high proportion of the amino acids arginine and lysine particularly stands out in pea products.

Advantages

Very high value
Vegan
Lactose-free

Disadvantages

Somewhat more expensive
Does not taste as good

Buying criteria: You can use these factors to compare and evaluate protein powders

In the following, we will show you which aspects you can use to decide between the many possible protein preparations.

The criteria you can use to compare the different protein powders include:

Protein content
Calorific value
Protein source
Price
Solubility & Taste

In the following paragraphs, we will explain to you what is important in the individual criteria.

Protein content

The protein content is a key indicator of the quality and value of the protein powder. The higher the protein content per portion, the higher the quality but also the price of the protein.

Whey concentrates usually have about 70-80% protein content. The protein content of whey isolate, on the other hand, is significantly higher and is often around 90 %.

A very special form of whey protein is the hydrolysate, which is already strongly broken down by certain processes.

You could also call it "already pre-digested", so to speak, as it consists almost of pure protein.

Calorific value

The calorific value is also interesting for comparing different protein powders with each other.

Athletes on a diet should pay particular attention that their supplement does not have a high calorific value, i.e. no large additions of carbohydrates and fats.

Here, too, it is similar to the protein content. Concentrates have the most additives, so they also have a higher calorific value.

An isolate is practically free of fat (usually less than 1 %) and also has very few carbohydrates (usually less than 3 - 4 %).

Protein source

You should pay particular attention to the source of protein if you have certain intolerances or if you want to consciously avoid animal products.

The distinction between animal and vegetable protein powders has become quite simple and you can also buy vegan protein without any problems.

The vegetable (vegan) protein types mainly include hemp, soy, pea and rice protein.

Price

As already mentioned in the guide, there are relatively large price differences between the various products.

Not all protein is the same and therefore does not always cost the same. Therefore, the price is of course also a criterion for comparing different protein powders.

Solubility & taste

Solubility and taste are especially important to many people, if not the most important purchase criterion when choosing protein.

If you are particularly keen that your protein powder has a certain taste, you can of course compare different products based on this.

Manufacturers such as Myprotein place great value on a diverse selection of flavours.

There are also seasonal "specials" such as speculoos or cinnamon in winter.

The solubility of the different powders is also not always the same. Some are specially designed for water, others more for milk.

In some cases, shaking the shaker creates a creamy substance, whereas other protein powders are unfortunately still slightly lumpy.