Whey suggestions?

glasshalffull713
glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. I am looking for suggestions for whey protein powder.

Here is my wish list for qualities:
-concentrate (not isolate)
-raw
-grass fed
-no hormones/antibiotics (organic would be awesome but probably will make it too expensive)
-Non-GMO
-Not denatured/cold processed
-no added flavors, preservatives, sweeteners

Any suggestions on brands and where to buy? I've found some that sounds amazing, but costs $3.50 per serving and that is just going to be too expensive to sustain for me.

Replies

  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    anyone?
  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
    I don't have any suggestions, and was actually hoping someone had already posted some. :(

    I was just wondering why you'd rather have concentrate than isolate? I was under the impression isolate was better for some reason.
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    I do not claim to be an expert here, but from what I've read online, the reason people think isolate is "better" is because it has a higher concentration of protein in it, in other words more protein per serving.

    I have determined that clean eating is a priority for me, and isolates are also heavily processed, so that is why they are out for me personally. When they process the protein, there is heat involved which can damage some of the protein elements and many of the nutritional benefits received from unprocessed whey is lost such as immune system enhancement. If you are interested in a more accurate explanation check out this link: http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/not-all-whey-protein-is-created-equal (or google isolate vs. concentrate).

    So I would prefer to have a minimally processed protein source is why it comes down to concentrate for me. Concentrate is 80% protein by weight while isolate is 90% so the difference is not great enough for me to make up for the chemicals they use to process and the additives and preservatives they use to mask the taste of the processed protein. Supposedly minimally processed tastes way different.
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    So as an update, and also to bump this post up and maybe get some input from others, I went to the Vitamin Shoppe today to get something to tide me over til I find the "perfect" protein. I got Reserveage Organics grass-fed whey (23g proteing/serving). Since it is currently on sale, the price comes out to about $1.70 per serving which is awesome. Here is the link: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/reserveage-organics-grass-fed-whey-protein-unsweetened-unflavored-12-7-oz-powder/4r-1108#.U_eFyLxdU3t

    It hits all my marks except raw, so that's good too. It tastes okay, just kind of bland really, so I think I will be blending it with some fresh berries, or perhaps some raw cacao powder in the future.

    I also found this online, but want to do a little more research, as it seems too good to be true for the price: http://www.znaturalfoods.com/Whey-Protein-Concentrate
    It comes out to only 73¢ per serving, and it raw as well!

    Comments or other source suggestions very welcome!
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    still would love for someone to chime in...
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Why is grass fed important - I thought that only affected the fats and they're taken out of the protein.
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    Well, grass fed is important in meat and dairy products in general because cows stomachs are actually made to digest grass. When they are fed grain they are typically less healthy, leading to inferior milk. Grass fed just leads to a better end product. It is also usually pesticide-free, chemical-free, hormone treatment-free and GMO-free, although unless it's organic you are not guaranteed all those things. It is also supposedly higher in CLAs significantly and has better levels of vitamins and minerals. Are those eliminated in the protein powder? I'm not really sure on that.

    You do bring up a good point though, there is a lot of debate out there on whether grass fed makes a difference in protein, especially if it is not made from raw milk. FWIW, I did just go check the powder I bought and there is 2g of fat in there, so negligible, but I guess maybe it's not all removed?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Whey protein isolate is pretty low in fat (1% ?) but you're right there's several percent fat in whey protein, so it depends on the product how much of a difference one might see.

    I was thinking most of the fat is taken away in the cheese making that yields the whey.

    http://www.fasebj.org/content/28/1_Supplement/813.11 looks at the composition of fat in whey.

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