Protein Powders - To use or To not use

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  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    edited December 2015
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    If you need to make up your protein number, powders are a good way to do it because they are cheap and generally tasty. They're cheaper than meat / eggs and better tasting than egg whites.

    I use ON gold standard and GNC's equivelant.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
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    DBrooks1979 wrote: »
    Ok.. to push this back to the top and give a bit of an update and ask for some more ideas on what protein powders everyone likes... I have tried a few protein bars and found a few I like but going to be looking for a few inexpensive shakes and bottles of protein powders and now I really need to figure out what the difference is in each of the powders and what makes any better than the other... maybe you all can chime in on this.. and maybe a trip to GNC is in order or one of our other health and nutrition places to get some advice and maybe try a small bottle.

    Thanks everyone so far on this and I would love to hear more and maybe even see what using them has allowed you to do.

    Don't count on good advice from a GNC store (or most nutrition stores, for that matter). They're going to try to sell you whichever protein powder makes them the highest profit. The people working in there are just salespeople, not nutritionists/dietitians.

    ON (Optimum Nutrition) makes very good quality protein powders. I also like Dymatize, and have recently been trying Trutein (they have a lot of good flavors and you can order sample packages on their website for very reasonable prices).
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
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    ON makes GNC's brand , they have the same stats.
  • DBrooks1979
    DBrooks1979 Posts: 350 Member
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    Thanks @AnvilHead for the advice on this... I would also love to find out what the difference between pea protein, whey protein, soy protein etc.. etc.. etc... is and what difference it actually makes nutritionally, and how it effects taste.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited December 2015
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    DBrooks1979 wrote: »
    Thanks @AnvilHead for the advice on this... I would also love to find out what the difference between pea protein, whey protein, soy protein etc.. etc.. etc... is and what difference it actually makes nutritionally, and how it effects taste.

    Here's a great paper from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, which talks about the nutritional values of various protein sources: jssm.org/vol3/n3/2/v3n3-2pdf.pdf
  • DBrooks1979
    DBrooks1979 Posts: 350 Member
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    Thanks @AnvilHead I will take and read the information here.. looks like it will be a great read.. so thank you for sharing this information...
  • DBrooks1979
    DBrooks1979 Posts: 350 Member
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    bump
  • DBrooks1979
    DBrooks1979 Posts: 350 Member
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    would love to hear more...
  • usmc01462
    usmc01462 Posts: 1,944 Member
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    best protein my brother is egg whites, almond milk and 2-3 teaspoons of sugar free pudding like choc. vanilla and so on.
  • usmc01462
    usmc01462 Posts: 1,944 Member
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    don't over do it I do about 120-160 at most that's it. Unless your on the juice then of course you could up the amount but you also shorten your life span
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    usmc01462 wrote: »
    best protein my brother is egg whites, almond milk and 2-3 teaspoons of sugar free pudding like choc. vanilla and so on.

    Huh???

    Egg whites, almond milk and pudding mix would have comparatively very little protein, short of consuming the equivalent of a dozen eggs worth of egg whites.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I think they're great for helping you hit your protein goals.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    Yesterday i had no interest in eating meat, fish or eggs. The protein shakes sounded good though. I like having that option.
  • Masq
    Masq Posts: 191 Member
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    I also struggle to get enough protein..... I have been mixing a scoop of Whey powder in my morning coffee for over a year and it gives me 18 g of protein for 100 calories.
    I use Designer Whey French Vanilla - I get a 4lb container for about $40 and it lasts about 90 days.
    The trick is to find one that you think tastes good..... the one I use has a lot of bad reviews... but I like it.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
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    I too have a hard time with protein. I am allergic to eggs and I hate meat, so I am vegetarian. I consume greek yogurt, protein bars and protein shakes in an efford to get enough protein during the day.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    I make delicious smoothies !!!!!


    If you like gingerbread, Oxygen magazine has a recipe for a delicious Gingerbread cookie shake: 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1/2 cup vanilla enriched Rice Dream, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 T molasses, and ice cubes. Blend and drink ! Mmmmmm

    I also like a Creamsicle, which is a cup of orange juice (I get the Healthy kids kind with extra calcium and vitamins), half a scoop of vanilla protein powder (I’ve been getting spirulina), and a lowfat or Greek vanilla (or plain or coffee) yogurt. Blend and drink.

    The Key Lime Protein Shake is blended with the juice of a lime, 2 tsp lime zest, 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, 1 T coconut, a cup of milk, and 1-2 packets of Stevia (optional).

    The Chocolate Maple Shake is made by blending a cup of milk, 3 T protein powder, 1 T cocoa powder, and 1 tsp maple syrup

    Last but not least, for a change, I blend a cup of orange juice (I get the Healthy kids kind with extra calcium and vitamins), half a scoop of chocolate protein powder (I’ve been getting spirulina), and a lowfat coffee yogurt. Also good!

  • jevco19
    jevco19 Posts: 3 Member
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    Eileen_S wrote: »
    I drink protein shakes as a way of getting extra calories and protein into my diet when I'm at work and don't have time to eat.

  • jevco19
    jevco19 Posts: 3 Member
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    How do you put it in your coffee? I put my coffee in the shaker and shook it up,,, it exploded. Just stirring makes it lumpy?
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    In addition to straight-up shakes, I use protein powder as a flavor enhancer in a number of different ways:

    Greek yogurt
    Oatmeal
    With coffee over ice

    I know that some people bake with protein powder, although I haven't tried it yet.

    I buy in bulk and wait until there are killer deals. I try and get it to about $0.30-$0.40 per serving.
  • khhregister
    khhregister Posts: 229 Member
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    I use two kinds - every morning, I have 2 TBS of collagen that dissolves completely into my coffee.
    Then, on some days (especially when I work out with weights) I'll also make a protein fluff made with casein powder. It's FABULOUS - I wish I had heard about it years ago. It feels like a real treat and is very filling.

    I find if I don't include protein powder it's really hard for me to meet my protein needs without going over in calories. This is not true for me at maintenance, but it is when I'm trying to lose weight.

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