Protein Powder makes me gag!

Serafimangel
Serafimangel Posts: 174 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I need more protien, I really do, I do about 12 hours of dance classes/running per week (not inc walking etc), I recently changed my protien from 15% to 30% as I have stopped losing any inches despite being under (but not under my BMR) every day,

I am waaay under on protien and need ideas. I tried protien powder with milk and thawed frozen berried but my stomach is rebelling! I actually feel like I may throw up. Has anyone else had this? Are there any alternatives to protein powder, or (better yet as I just bought some) any less nausea inducing ways of taking it? Like could I take it in water or something?

Any help on this would be much appreciated!

Replies

  • wildhehr2
    wildhehr2 Posts: 122 Member
    I've had some luck mixing it into oatmeal....but I think it still tastes nasty.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
    chicken, greek yogurt,egg whites are healthy sources of protein, and fruity protein sucks, well anything with vanilla protein sucks, maybe try chocolate with milk and water, or add it to oatmeal or cereal ( foe me its peanut butter chocolate protein or cookies and cream flavor, with milk and water
  • Serafimangel
    Serafimangel Posts: 174 Member
    i tried the vanilla thinking it would be the least strong flavoured and sickening, how wrong I was. I thought I was being good as well by avioding the cookies and cream and the chocolate flavoured ones. Darn...
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    I don't know what type of protein powder you have tried, but are you using soy or rice protein? Those often bother people, so try whey protein. If you are using whey, there are a few things to consider.

    1. are you using 100% whey isolate, or are you using whey concentrate? (check the ingredients, many protein powders are a blend of the two because it's cheaper for companies to use concentrate). You didn't mention any dairy allergies, but whey concentrate is only about 75% protein and the rest is casein/lactose, which can often affect people with stomach sensitivities. Whey isolate is a higher-grade protein, usually around 98% protein, and doesn't usually affect people with those sensitivities.

    2. Why don't you like the flavor? Is it gritty? chalky? too sweet? Maybe try an unflavored protein powder, which will take on the flavor of anything you mix in with it. I like chocolate protein powders made with cocoa and sweetened with stevia, but everyone's tastes are different.

    3. What additives are in the powder? I am a proponent of the cleanest protein powders possible, with five or fewer ingredients, no additional supplementation thrown in there. If you try a really clean, natural protein powder, maybe it won't bother you as much as something that's got a lot of "extras." Jay Robb, Pure Nutrition, and Bluebonnet are a few brands I have used and enjoyed.

    Other than that, there are a few ways to eat it. I often make smoothies with almond milk and frozen berries in the blender. I also put mix it into yogurt, add it to oatmeal, etc. Keep in mind that if you heat protein powder, it will become denatured (less potent, essentially), but if you're desperate, maybe cook it into pancake batter or do hot cocoa with it and just add more to make up for the denaturing. Hope some of that is useful information!
  • samlankford
    samlankford Posts: 334
    try sticking it in a blender with whatever liquid you want, and add some ice to give it a milkshake texture.. I add 1-2 scoops to my shakeology in the morning and then usually for an afternoon snack I will have 1-2 scoops blended with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and a cup of ice.. sometime I add in an extract to give it a different flavor (favorite is vanilla whey isolate with orange extract)
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    i tried the vanilla thinking it would be the least strong flavoured and sickening, how wrong I was. I thought I was being good as well by avioding the cookies and cream and the chocolate flavoured ones. Darn...

    I don't know why, but even though I usually prefer vanilla flavored things to chocolate flavored things for exactly that reason, vanilla protein powder tends to be too sweet for me, too.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Some brands can be terrible for taste. In the UK I find anything my Nutrisport makes me gag REALLY badly! Ask for samples before you buy. I know for example, I work for Gaspari and if you contact them via the website they'll send you sample packs!
  • sneckerdoodle
    sneckerdoodle Posts: 69 Member
    protein powder makes me wanna gag too, but I found that the GNC fruit punch weigh protein is alot better if you mix it with great value fruit punch drink mix for the single bottle water. i much prefer this over my chocolate protein now, it tastes close to kool-aid.
  • caribvs
    caribvs Posts: 1
    The Whey protein from GNC, banana creme flavor is really good, in cold water
  • LuxHappens
    LuxHappens Posts: 72 Member
    Some days I look forward to my recovery/post-workout protein drink, other days I loathe the thought.

    On a day I'm craving it, I blend the powder with as much frozen fruit as I want and a splash of coconut milk or fresh OJ, sometimes even a spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter!

    On the days I really don't want to choke it down, I use only a half cup of coconut milk, a dash of cinnamon, and I chug it like there's no tomorrow!

    I use Isopure in the creamy vanilla flavor, even though I'm generally more of a chocolate fan. I chose vanilla so I can flavor my smoothies and shakes however I want.

    Random wild protein shake fact: this morning I was going cinnamon-crazy on my shake when I realized I was wielding cayenne pepper and not cinnamon after all! I didn't want to waste the powder so I just put cinnamon in with it and to my surprise it was EPIC. So delish. (Bonus: spicy foods speed up your metabolism!)
  • baoneill29
    baoneill29 Posts: 138 Member
    This is a great idea and it works. If you don't like the flavor/texture, you can easily change it with a little ice and some low calorie additions. I like to add a spoon of peanut butter to chocolate protein powder..mmmmm
  • silentnemesis
    silentnemesis Posts: 45 Member
    I work at GNC, and there's always a few customers that are constantly coming in for 'lean shakes', they are one of the tastiest ones out there. If you can't do that, there's actually boxes of 'power pak pudding', which tastes exactly like eating a snack pack, and each little tin of powerpak has 30g of protein.
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    I've found ONs Gold Standard 100% Whey to be excellent. I've tried the strawberry, vanilla creme and double choc flavours.

    The strawberry and vanilla I've found only taste good mixed with a milk (skimmed will do) whilst the chocolate tastes great just mixed with water. I rate the choc the best then vanilla, then strawberry.


    The tastest way is to mix though is def with Almond milk >> http://www.alpro.com/uk/almond :smooched:
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I use one called Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein - Vanilla Flavor... but I believe they make an unflavored one too. It mixes nicely with almond milk, peanut butter and banana... or with OJ and peaches or mango for something like a creamsicle flavor... always add ice. It's like a milk shake!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I easily manage to hit over 100g protein a day by having a 250g tub of 0% greek yoghurt or quark, handful of almonds, 2 wild salmon fillets or 200g fresh tuna steak, an egg or two and peanut flour stirred into the yoghurt or quark, along with some stevia and milled cocoa flax.
  • AmandaTWaH
    AmandaTWaH Posts: 181 Member
    Here are some of my favorite protein shake recipes.

    http://www.squidoo.com/blender-bottle-protein-shake-recipes
  • AmysLeanIn13
    AmysLeanIn13 Posts: 7
    Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein..vanilla or banana cream flavors are good...stick with a blender...I like adding fruit...bananas, mixed berries or mango/peach/strawberry blends. Good breakfast if looking to lean out....pre-workout etc! ON Whey Crisp marshmallow bars are good too if you get tired of shakes!
  • darkchocolate68
    darkchocolate68 Posts: 104
    I'm sorry you have had bad luck with your protein powder. I look forward to my protein shake every morning. I use the base recipe from Dashing Dish and her many different varieties. I feel like I am drinking a milk shake every morning. I do use the xantham gum and guar gum for a better consistency and texture. Please check out the webiste for some great recipes.

    http://dashingdish.com/recipes/shakes/

    I have bought Designer Whey vanilla and chocolate and Dymatize Elite Gourmet vanilla and I would buy both brands again.
  • jaysonhijinx
    jaysonhijinx Posts: 663 Member
    Like a few others have stated they use, until recently I've been using Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey and have tried the Double Choc/Extreme Milk Choc/Strawberry/Banana/Cookies & Cream/Choc Mint & Vanilla Ice cream.

    Vanilla ice cream I wasn't too fond of but the rest all tasted great even when mixed with nothing but water.

    I have had others that have been pretty foul but I've forced them down as I figure I'm not drinking them for the taste..

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