Need an affordable & good protein powder

nicolemstevenson
nicolemstevenson Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am new to using protein powder after my strength workouts in the morning, and I am told that it's essential to have good protein right after a workout. A friend is trying to sell me the product she sells, which is $100 a tub (it equals out to $3/scoop) but under my student budget, I simply can't imagine spending this much on protein powder. I looked at the store and there was a big selection of tubs being sold for about $20, except I don't know which ones would be the best. So what is a good and affordable protein powder?
«1

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I get Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder. It's like $15ish at Walmart and my grocery store.

    I haven't tried other brands yet because I don't do protein drinks all that often. It's more of like using vanilla in pancakes nowadays, haha.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    I'm sure you'll get varying opinions because everyone has their favorites. I like Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize and BSN, Depending on where you're located the best prices can usually be found on line but I would still go into my local GNC or whatever other nutrition stores you have in your area to ask for samples before you commit and purchase a flavor you may not care for. I tend to stick with vanilla, chocolate based flavors because they work well with mix ins since I tend to have one for breakfast a couple two or three times a week and vanilla also works added to my oats.

    Keep in mind you don't have to use protein powder, you could just do food. I just find powder is easier and more convenient for me. But $100 a tub does sound a little redic in price!
  • All_Out_Attack
    All_Out_Attack Posts: 63
    I've been using Isopure for a while, but it's on the expensive end. IMHO, Optimum Nutrition has the best flavors, but Dymatize is yummy, too, and I think it's usually about $0.70 per serving for the larger tubs.

    I'm using Isopure because of the high quality, taste, and bioavailability. I started out using the cheap whey concentrates and ended up with my face covered in acne, poor performance, sore joints, and other symptoms of systemic inflammation. The very "cheap" brands are extracted in a cheap way and that is reflected in the price, but also the quality. Find a good quality whey ISOLATE (has low fat and carbs) and go from there.
  • badbcatha05
    badbcatha05 Posts: 200 Member
    I use TerasWhey. I think it was around $25 for a canister. But grassfed cows (so they advertise), and to a lesser degree organic, is important to me.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Well, if you aren't able to meet your protein macro through food (which probably would be the most cost effective when you think about it)....then there are protein powders at Wal-Mart that are pretty cheap. I get Optimum Nutrition Gold Whey Isolates which is 120cals per scoop (at 24g of protein). It costs me around $58 for a 5lb tub.
  • ironrat79
    ironrat79 Posts: 273 Member
    I've been using Isopure for a while, but it's on the expensive end. IMHO, Optimum Nutrition has the best flavors, but Dymatize is yummy, too, and I think it's usually about $0.70 per serving for the larger tubs.

    I'm using Isopure because of the high quality, taste, and bioavailability. I started out using the cheap whey concentrates and ended up with my face covered in acne, poor performance, sore joints, and other symptoms of systemic inflammation. The very "cheap" brands are extracted in a cheap way and that is reflected in the price, but also the quality. Find a good quality whey ISOLATE (has low fat and carbs) and go from there.

    I'm with you on the ON gold standard. My fav nut shop uses Dymatize in their shakes and it's great too. I'd rather pay a bit more for quality powder and taste.
  • KateRVA
    KateRVA Posts: 13
    Muscle Milk Cookies and Creme tastes good. It's vanilla tasting for the most part. I use it in my morning oatmeal and it's awesome.
  • somefitsomefat
    somefitsomefat Posts: 445 Member
    Go to Walmart. Six Star, Pure Protein, and Body Fortress are all pretty cheap. Six Stars flavors seem to taste the best to me. Just my 2 cents.

    EDIT: By cheap I mean $17-22 bucks.
  • beertrollruss
    beertrollruss Posts: 276 Member
    Be sure to shop at the most affordable place. Your friend is definitely charging you too much. If you have Costco, their protein is a decent option. If you don't mind mail order, bodybuilding.com or nutritionexpress.com are good choices. Amazon also has protein. A 5 pound tub of protein will cost enough to get the free shipping from Amazon. Avoid GNC like the plague. If you're in a store that sells a 5 pound container of Optimum Nutrition Whey Gold Protein for more than $60, leave and check somewhere else.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I use Pure Protein from Walmart. I have used the Body Fortress chocolate, but prefer the taste of the Pure Protein.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    A lot of them taste very, very bad, or have hardly any taste at all. Body Fortress at Walmart is good (especially chocolate peanutbutter), Muscle Milk is delicious, but can be pricy, and the Vitamin Shoppe's brand BodyTech is usually good (they actually have a tasty vanilla which is apparently difficult)
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    Don't know if you get it in the US but I use Myprotein and it works just fine, tastes pretty good too. I pay just under £30 (say $46 as it's roughly £28 with my student discount) for 2.5kg which is equivalent to 50x50g - it's cheaper if you buy even more though. 50g is 2x scoops or 40g protein per 2 scoops.
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
    I like the EAS Lean 15 from Walmart. About $20 per container, 100 calories, 15 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber per serving. And it mixes really well.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Well, if you aren't able to meet your protein macro through food (which probably would be the most cost effective when you think about it)....then there are protein powders at Wal-Mart that are pretty cheap. I get Optimum Nutrition Gold Whey Isolates which is 120cals per scoop (at 24g of protein). It costs me around $58 for a 5lb tub.
    Depends on where you live.

    I can easily get way more of my macros from protein powder and cost WAY less than lean meats, which can cost lots on your grocery bill.


    ANYWAYS - back on topic! I love Kaizen Natural Whey Isolate! Can find in grocery stores, and is very well priced for not having tons of fillers in it!
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
    Bulk Barn sells whey protein (chocolate and vanilla only) in bulk with virtually no packaging. I don't recall the price but it was cheaper than the same stuff at GNC (20 g protein per scoop at 85 calories I think).
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    A lot of them taste very, very bad, or have hardly any taste at all. Body Fortress at Walmart is good (especially chocolate peanutbutter), Muscle Milk is delicious, but can be pricy, and the Vitamin Shoppe's brand BodyTech is usually good (they actually have a tasty vanilla which is apparently difficult)

    Funny. I thought I would like the chocolate peanut better, but I didn't.
  • nicolemstevenson
    nicolemstevenson Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks everyone! I usually don't get my protein well from meat because I'm on the go a lot to class and I'm not a huge meat person anyways. $20-30 is affordable for protein so I will look at the brands you guys all said at WalMart or GMC. I appreciate all the suggestions :)
  • fitladybug
    fitladybug Posts: 5
    I use the chocolate Muscle Milk and its very good.
  • crevices
    crevices Posts: 226 Member
    bought my first protein powder recently from target for 20$, Pure Protein Whey Isolate in vanilla cream. so tasty, 130kcal, 1g carbs 1g fat and 30g protein per scoop :drinker:
  • SuziQGettinFit
    SuziQGettinFit Posts: 28
    I use PGX Double Chocolate - sooooooo good. I use the Vegan one because it's gluten, dairy, sugar and soy free
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    5LB tub of Optimum Gold Standard 100% Natural Whey - Chocolate. I found Stevia tastes much better then splenda.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I use TerasWhey. I think it was around $25 for a canister. But grassfed cows (so they advertise), and to a lesser degree organic, is important to me.

    I just bought a container of this. I hate flavored whey proteins (had to return another one because it turned out to have a yucky flavor!) so I acquired Tera's Goat Milk Whey Protein. It tastes quite goat-ish (anyone who has tried slightly gone-by goat milk or goat yogurt will know what I'm talking about, ew) so I won't be getting it again, plus the serving size is 2 scoops, which was a bit surprising as I was used to 1 scoop. When I run out, though, I will go for Tera's cow milk unflavored whey, because the grass-fed/organic aspect is really important to me as well.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    Somewhere around 10-12 dollars a lb is what you are going to be spending on decent protein.
  • skiextrm
    skiextrm Posts: 144 Member
    Bumping for use when I get some.
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
    Go to bodybuilding.com or vitacost.com for the best prices. Optimum Nutrition 100% whey and Dymatize ISO-100 are by far the best an purest proteins I have come across for a great price (around $27). Btw, body fortress from Walmart is full Of junk/fillers. If you want something good, stay away from Walmart supps.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    Go to bodybuilding.com or vitacost.com for the best prices. Optimum Nutrition 100% whey and Dymatize ISO-100 are by far the best an purest proteins I have come across for a great price (around $27). Btw, body fortress from Walmart is full Of junk/fillers. If you want something good, stay away from Walmart supps.

    I love Vitacost. I called in my order last week for five items. Went to the store and walked out with about 15! Lol. Great prices!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Go to bodybuilding.com or vitacost.com for the best prices. Optimum Nutrition 100% whey and Dymatize ISO-100 are by far the best an purest proteins I have come across for a great price (around $27). Btw, body fortress from Walmart is full Of junk/fillers. If you want something good, stay away from Walmart supps.

    So what's the difference between these two?
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    Go to bodybuilding.com or vitacost.com for the best prices. Optimum Nutrition 100% whey and Dymatize ISO-100 are by far the best an purest proteins I have come across for a great price (around $27). Btw, body fortress from Walmart is full Of junk/fillers. If you want something good, stay away from Walmart supps.

    So what's the difference between these two?

    I can't speak to that. I've never shopped bodybuilding.com. I've been happy with Vitacost plus I like that I can shop in the store. And there is another store local to me that has really good prices comparative to Vitacost and Amazon. Yelp is a good resource to check out what people think of nutrition stores in your area. You can often find Vitacost $10 off offers from bloggers posting on IG too.
  • DavePFJ
    DavePFJ Posts: 212 Member
    Body Fortress tasted good (17 for 2 lbs), but it has creatine in it. Not that big of a deal, but I personally don't want anything extra in protein powder. I've had the chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate peanut butter - and no complaints. The regular might have a few more grams of sugar, but just check the label out. They also make an isolate.

    EAS 100% Whey Protein is also good (19 for 2 lbs). I've had the vanilla, which is a little sweeter and thicker than Body Fortress.

    Target Market Pantry Protein (19 for 2 lbs) - I've had the chocolate and vanilla, but the new recipe is too sweet for me.

    Vitamin Shoppe has buy one get one 50% off on their store brands (includes body tech protein powders). If you get two of the Whey Tech Pro 2lb containers - it averages out to about 18 for 2 lbs. Sales ends in a few days. I'm going to pick a few up today.

    Some other cheaper brands are SIx Star, and Pure Protein. As I said above, read the labels and see how much fat/sugar/protein is in a serving to see what suits you best.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Body Fortress tasted good (17 for 2 lbs), but it has creatine in it. Not that big of a deal, but I personally don't want anything extra in protein powder. I've had the chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate peanut butter - and no complaints. The regular might have a few more grams of sugar, but just check the label out. They also make an isolate.

    EAS 100% Whey Protein is also good (19 for 2 lbs). I've had the vanilla, which is a little sweeter and thicker than Body Fortress.

    Target Market Pantry Protein (19 for 2 lbs) - I've had the chocolate and vanilla, but the new recipe is too sweet for me.

    Vitamin Shoppe has buy one get one 50% off on their store brands (includes body tech protein powders). If you get two of the Whey Tech Pro 2lb containers - it averages out to about 18 for 2 lbs. Sales ends in a few days. I'm going to pick a few up today.

    Vitamin Shoppe's store brand has been my fave for a long time. I used to buy the giant canisters when they did BOGO. Haven't had the money for it since I've started getting fit again, but it's definitely on my list. Love the chocolate mint!!

Categories