Is Protein Powder Really Worth the Hype?

I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!
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Replies

  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    It's rather expensive. It's useful in a pinch but I woudn't want to depend on it.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    What hype? It's just a supplement to help you hit you protein goal. If it helps use it. If you don't need it, don't. I find it a low calorie way to supplement most days. Other days not.

    Well to be fair, a lot of places out there do over hype it, making it seem like protein from protein powder is special and better than protein gotten from food. I imagine that is what OP was asking about.

    The answer to that is no. While I am not necessarily concerned about metal in my protein powder, I get sufficient protein from the food I eat, so there is no need for me to use protein powder with any regularity.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    What hype? It's just a supplement to help you hit you protein goal.

    This. I don't use it because I prefer to eat other foods for my protein goal and I haven't really gotten into any foods that include it, but nothing wrong with it. I read something debunking the heavy metal thing a while back.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!

    There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.

    I'm not sure what hype you are talking about in regards to protein powder...it's just a supplement that can make it easier to hit loftier protein targets.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!

    There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.

    I'm not sure what hype you are talking about in regards to protein powder...it's just a supplement that can make it easier to hit loftier protein targets.

    Are you thinking of Examine.com?
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    I have a scoop a day of vegan protein powder (Vega). As with anything you ingest, you can research a particular company or provider to get a better sense of whether their product meets your nutritional needs, values, etc.
  • Kalex1975
    Kalex1975 Posts: 427 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.

    Are you thinking of Examine.com?

    Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    I prefer whole foods protein. No Fat greek yogurt has almost the same macro profile as many protein powders. It is also a natural mix of whey and casein. I keep protein powders if I get sick and have trouble eating.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited February 2020
    Kalex1975 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.

    Are you thinking of Examine.com?

    Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/

    Yes, that's the one. It used to release a full report with neat reader friendly categories (heavy metal contamination was one of them, as well as the accuracy of protein claims among other things), but they appear to have shifted to a new approach and simplifying to a "top 10" kind of list with a less reader friendly actual test paper for each supplement. No way to directly compare.

    As for protein powder, I only have it on days when my protein ends up low by the end of the day or I expect to have a low protein day (like during lent). It doesn't need to be all or nothing, you could have powder occasionally if it helps make things easier, although it's entirely possible to get your protein from food and entirely okay to have protein powder daily - from what I recall in the report published by the above labs, very few brands, if any, were contaminated.

    Edit:
    Never mind, you can still access the data from this page https://labdoor.com/rankings/protein/quality
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Kalex1975 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.

    Are you thinking of Examine.com?

    Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/

    Yes, this one...
  • tmac68w
    tmac68w Posts: 19 Member
    Like most, I would say try to eat the needed amount of food to hit the desired protein level you want, however, most athletes can't eat enough food to hit that goal daily so supplementing with whey is much easier and realistic. Just don't make the mistake of making food the "supplement". Best to you!
  • jlhalley7835
    jlhalley7835 Posts: 188 Member
    I use it as what I was designed to be. A supplement to a good nutrition plan. My protein goal is between 200-220g a day. I use it immediately post work out to refuel my body and help attain my protein goal for the day. There’s nothing magic about it.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    When I take protein powder, it's like a chocolate shake with how I prepare it, so it also fills a sweet tooth kind of thing for me, along with being the protein aspect.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I would never dream of using it on a regular basis because my protein intake is already really high through food. But I do keep protein powder around because there are days, especially days I eat out most meals, that it is beneficial for me to supplement. I keep a fiber supplement handy for the same reason. While it is not crucial to miss my mark on a single day I would prefer to be consistent as much as I can.