I was killing time at the local “health shop” the other day and while I was looking at all of the protein powders, it dawned on me that I really had no clue as to what I should look for when buying a protein powder.
I have purchased Biotest Metabolic Drive and Grow! Whey in the past, but that was essentially on blind faith and recommendations of others.
That said, what do I need to know to evaluate a protein powder? Any tips or reading materials would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance-
the quality of proteins and well other crap, if its loaded with cheap proteins and sugar, high dollar protein,
your goals?? the digestion speed of the proteins and carbs to fit those goals for this food stuff etc…
Phill
There are several different types of protein:
Whey
Casein
Egg
Soy
Those are the big 4, most of this site will tell you to avoid soy like the plague, and for good reason (plenty of reading on that subject through the search feature.)
Whey is considered the “standard” protein, it has a high bioavailability and is absorbed rather quickly (there are different types of whey that get absorbed at different rates, but for the most part whey is “fast”).
Casein is absorbed slower, and like above there are subgroups that have different rates.
So… why use Metabolic Drive? It has a blend of proteins in it! It has whey, which is absorbed quickly, and it has Micellar Casein, which takes longer to be broken down thus lasting longer than whey.
In a sense you are getting a quick shot of protein, and then the Micellar Casein can elevate nitrogen levels (thats one of the reasons we use protein) for up to 7 hours.
This is the tip of the iceberg really, let us know if you have any more questions.
Great answers. I’d only add that a whey hydrolysate is the true “fast” protein. For the most part protein of this quality is not sold because it is expensive and tastes like ass. I’m still trying to figure out why Surge tastes great.
[quote]David Barr wrote:
Great answers. I’d only add that a whey hydrolysate is the true “fast” protein. For the most part protein of this quality is not sold because it is expensive and tastes like ass. I’m still trying to figure out why Surge tastes great.[/quote]
lol yes ass describes it very well. It is friggin crazy, Surge that is
Phill
I know that for a lot of people price plays a big part in which protein they buy. Now, this can get tricky because there are some decent proteins at discount prices, but there are MANY that aren’t worth buying. I’m not saying the most expensive is the best, but my gut has found that you get what you pay for, as a general rule. Trust me, I used many powders that were cheap, and I payed for it with excess gas and cramping, not to mention they usually tasted terrible.
It’s a little experiment you’ll have to do to figure out which agrees with both your wallet and your G.I. tract.
Shameless plug: Metabolic Drive is great. I stopped buying anything else after using the first tub I bought. Kudos to Biotest for putting out such a quality product. I was surprised at how easy on my system it is. Metabolic Drive was also the reason to explore their other products, because I thought that if they put that much effort into a “staple” supp, then they may put great effort into their “exotic” supps.
[quote]BigRagoo wrote:
I know that for a lot of people price plays a big part in which protein they buy. Now, this can get tricky because there are some decent proteins at discount prices, but there are MANY that aren’t worth buying. I’m not saying the most expensive is the best, but my gut has found that you get what you pay for, as a general rule. Trust me, I used many powders that were cheap, and I payed for it with excess gas and cramping, not to mention they usually tasted terrible.
It’s a little experiment you’ll have to do to figure out which agrees with both your wallet and your G.I. tract.
Shameless plug: Metabolic Drive is great. I stopped buying anything else after using the first tub I bought. Kudos to Biotest for putting out such a quality product. I was surprised at how easy on my system it is. Metabolic Drive was also the reason to explore their other products, because I thought that if they put that much effort into a “staple” supp, then they may put great effort into their “exotic” supps.
[/quote]
Actually I have to agree here. I used to use Metabolic Drive, recently had to switch to a bulk protein for financial reasons. Started using Dymatize Whey and ON Whey. Both are okay in the taste department, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get a case of the rotten-eggs afterwards. Never noticed that with Metabolic Drive. In about a year I’ll be making 3x the money, so back to Metabolic Drive i will go.
Surge = liquid heaven. Just ordered another 2 tubs last friday.