Protein Powder

pitbullmamaliz

I'm contemplating protein powder to help hit my protein goal. I'm still in the "new to low carb so not super hungry" phase, so I'm really struggling to hit my protein. I found a website with the top low carb protein powders (http://www.esupplements.com/best-low-carb-protein-powder/) - anybody familiar with any of them? I'd love one I can mix with just water, but I know that's probably a pipe dream. ;-)

AlexandraCarlyle

A friend of mine, who works out regularly, began taking them, but it caused him all sorts of problems because he couldn't get the intake/exercise balance right....They messed his digestion up, too. Frankly, I'd buy a ham chunk, or poach some turkey breasts in stock, then cut them into bite-sized chunks and nibble those throughout the day.

But this is just my take.

mandycat223

I've been buying GNC's unflavored Wheybolic protein for years now. It's the only one I can find that is truly unflavored (I have a shelf full of various flavoring agents so I don't get tired of one or two flavors) and that isn't grainy tasting. Some of the vegan protein powders are like drinking powdered blackboard chalk. I put mine in smoothies (unsweetened almond milk, frozen spinach for fiber, some crushed ice, the flavor of the day.) Just with water was pretty hard to get down.

I deal with ongoing digestive issues and as far as I can tell the whey protein hasn't been a problem.

tcunbeliever

I have just started taking Sun Warrior Plus this week - here are my results so far:

Chocolate mixed cold (cashew milk and frozen pineapple) - delicious but a bit grainy, flavor is similar to swiss miss hot chocolate
Chocolate mixed hot (cashew milk) - tastes like generic hot chocolate, not quite as tasty as swiss miss, but still delicious, and mixed hot in a blender it totally melts, no grainy feel

Natural mixed hot (coffee) but just with a spoon, no blender - doesn't mix well, had sludge at the bottom of my cup, flavor was good, similar to jacob's tears tea

Vanilla mixed cold (cashew milk and frozen pineapple) - reminiscent of play-doh, bitter aftertaste, doesn't feel grainy though, maybe I blended this batch longer than the day I made the chocolate???

I can't do dairy, so whey proteins are out for me...ditto for milk...but cashew milk is 1 carb, 2 fat, and 25 cal per cup, and won't make me sick...

I haven't tried blending it with water, but I'm guessing that much like the coffee it won't blend well without some kind of blender...I ordered a little hand blender off amazon, I'm guessing that will work much better for future hot blending applications. Mixing hot things in my little smoothie blender makes a mess because the steam keeps the lid from sealing well.

On the plus side, other than the vanilla tasting kind of doughy with a bitter aftertaste, the other flavors have been good...choc/van are stevia sweetened, the natural is not sweetened at all.

https://sunwarrior.com/

blambo61

pitbullmamaliz wrote: »

I'm contemplating protein powder to help hit my protein goal. I'm still in the "new to low carb so not super hungry" phase, so I'm really struggling to hit my protein. I found a website with the top low carb protein powders (http://www.esupplements.com/best-low-carb-protein-powder/) - anybody familiar with any of them? I'd love one I can mix with just water, but I know that's probably a pipe dream. ;-)

I buy whey protein powder from Winco. It is low carb and I mix it with just water and it tastes fine to me. I like it because it is cheap at under $8.00/lb. Might be able to order on-line. It's unflavored which I like best.

https://www.fatsecret.com/Diary.aspx?pa=fjrd&rid=5613100

There are 113 calories in a 1 oz serving of WinCo Foods whey protein powder-Winco (Bulk).
Calorie breakdown: 11% fat, 6% carbs, 82% protein.

RalfLott

@tcunbeliever @mandycat223, thx for the tips.

I haven't manage to stumble upon a satisfying choice - will give blackboard chalk and play-doh a fair audition.

motorcyclekopp

I take EAS Myoplex Protein Blend for my protein powder. It's 1 net carb & it's the protein powder that Jason Wittrock uses (professional bodybuilder who does Keto). Of course, he is sponsored by EAS -but he also does have a very firm grasp on Keto & definitely knows what works on this diet. Aside from this community, he's been one of my top Ketogenic resources from the very beginning. He explains his reason why he uses it in this video: https://youtu.be/NSa_Y8nnu-4?t=7m4s

Sunny_Bunny_

I'm more of a whole foods person myself but I think there's a place for protein powders.
Do you workout? A whey powder might be helpful for the insulin surge it produces right after or even before a lifting workout.

pitbullmamaliz

I don't workout yet. I'd like to start lifting again, but I have a hand surgery coming up on Friday so I'll have to wait until that heals. I'm very lazy right now - I work 3rd shift so I just feel sluggish and half asleep during my waking hours. Hoping as more weight drops off that I may start perking up more. Also hoping I may get moved back to day shift here in a month or so. *fingers crossed*

@motorcyclekopp , what do you mix yours with? Water, milk, nut milk? And which flavor do you prefer?

I'm conflicted on flavor - I think chocolate would be better to drink straight, but feel like I should get a vanilla or even unflavored so I can mix it into crap.

#3rdWorldProblems ;-)

Sunny_Bunny_

IMO I would skip protein powders if you're not lifting. They produce an increase in insulin which doesn't seem like would serve you well.
I'm a 5'4" 140 lb woman and can easily eat 120g protein from meat, cheese and eggs. I think protein is very important but the source matters.

motorcyclekopp

I use the vanilla flavor. I've never tried their other flavors because I've always been a fan of vanilla in general. I like it. I mix it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk & a tablespoon of MCT oil. Works good for me.

pitbullmamaliz

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

IMO I would skip protein powders if you're not lifting. They produce an increase in insulin which doesn't seem like would serve you well.
I'm a 5'4" 140 lb woman and can easily eat 120g protein from meat, cheese and eggs. I think protein is very important but the source matters.

I don't know why I struggle so much with protein intake. I just find myself not wanting to each very much on this WOE. If I can hit 70g of protein, it's a good day.

RalfLott

@pitbullmamaliz, I agree with @Sunny_Bunny_ about not relying on PP. But I do find it challenging sometimes to get enough protein down the hatch.

Here are a couple cheap but surprisingly helpful tricks I picked up from folks here:

1. Try to get a big (40-45g) serving of protein earlier (first meal) rather than later in the day.

2. Combine varied protein sources into a single dish. For example -

* hot: omelette - eggs + meat/fish + melted cheese + spices
* cold: tuna/salmon salad + cheese strips + hard-boiled eggs + LC dressing/oil

3. Back off the fat, if lack of hunger is contributing to the protein challenge. (If it's early evening and I'm so close to my calorie limit that I start thinking of protein powder, I can be pretty sure I screwed the pooch by eating too much fat earlier.)

Good luck!

pitbullmamaliz

Thank you for the tips! I do think I'm getting too much fat, so I've been trying to keep an eye on that. I'll try to hit protein earlier in the day. I generally have a snack or small meal around 4pm, and then my main meal while at work around 11pm. Maybe I'll try to flip flop that, or at least even it out. Appreciate the assistance!

ladipoet

My favorite kind of protein powder is SDC Nutrition About Time Whey Protein Isolate:

http://www2.netrition.com/sdc_nutrition_about_time_whey_isolate.html

I use it a lot in my cooking (baking mainly). I'm not a fan of drinking my meals, specifically in the form of protein shakes, because for some reason they never seem to stick with me for very long (shrug). They also offer vegan options too. One caveat: it is sweetened with Stevia so the flavors are mild and don't kick you in the mouth the way many other flavored protein powders do; however, as far as the ingredients go, the product contains only Whey Protein Isolate, Xanthan Gum, Stevia and natural flavors. One scoop = less than 1 TOTAL carb...I haven't found any other protein powders that even come close to meeting or beating that!