Finding the Right Protein Powder

thisberichard

I've been actively hunting down ways to increase my protein intake, and I've had success in a number of areas. One major point that I haven't managed yet, however, is to find one or more protein powders that work for me. The trouble that I'm having isn't that I hate everything I try or anything like that, though. It's just that I'm having a difficult time finding ways to sample different powders without committing to the purchase of a giant container for each powder I try.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get a sense for what they like without buying a large supply of something you've never tasted and could well find yourself hating?

I found a few single-serving packets available at a health food store around here (similar to Whole Foods, but small and independent), but there were very few options to choose from. Then, last night, I went to a vitamin/nutrition supplement store in search of more... only to find that said store only carried large bins, purchasing any of which would have been a large (and blindly-made) investment. With that done... I'm pretty much out of ideas.

The primary thing would be to find one that I like when served in a shake as directed, but there are secondary benefits there, too, from making my own (much less expensive) protein bars to being able to put a protein boost into fruit smoothies or what-have-you. Since those secondary benefits can work out better or worse based on certain qualities of the protein powder being used (how fine or how grainy they tend to be, for instance), I would still benefit from having tried a wide enough range of supplements to know what protein to use for what purposes.

Any suggestions?

jen_zz

Where I live, I would never get samples. So I just google for reviews on the flavors and go with my gut feeling.

So far I have tried Isopure's zero carb rich chocolate, ON's gold standard whey mocha, Labrada's meal replacement for her strawberry ice cream. They all are quite tasty to me.