Whey vs. Plant based protein

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TiffanyLoveG
TiffanyLoveG Posts: 76 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I get the difference, but is one better for building muscle/recovery/nutrition in your experiences?

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  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
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    I dropped protein drinks and switched to real food.
  • TiffanyLoveG
    TiffanyLoveG Posts: 76 Member
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    mtruitt01 wrote: »
    I dropped protein drinks and switched to real food.

    Yeah I try not to drink them but I have a hard time getting an adequate amount of protein, especially now that I’ve started weight lifting. Typically I’m hitting maybe 30 grams a day without supplementation, so I’m keeping them around while I try and uptake my protein with food sources😊
  • imfornd70
    imfornd70 Posts: 552 Member
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    TiffanyLoveG wrote: »
    mtruitt01 wrote: »
    I dropped protein drinks and switched to real food.

    Yeah I try not to drink them but I have a hard time getting an adequate amount of protein, especially now that I’ve started weight lifting. Typically I’m hitting maybe 30 grams a day without supplementation, so I’m keeping them around while I try and uptake my protein with food sources😊

    If you are lifting - I would start with doubling your protein level - that's the minimum for you
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    TiffanyLoveG wrote: »
    mtruitt01 wrote: »
    I dropped protein drinks and switched to real food.

    Yeah I try not to drink them but I have a hard time getting an adequate amount of protein, especially now that I’ve started weight lifting. Typically I’m hitting maybe 30 grams a day without supplementation, so I’m keeping them around while I try and uptake my protein with food sources😊

    30 grams a day seems really low. Are you prioritizing planning your meals around good sources of protein? Looking at your diary, I see completely unlogged days mixed with very low calorie days, so it could be that eating a decent amount of calories each day will help solve this problem. If you aren't eating enough, you aren't going to build muscle -- period.

    I'm not saying don't use a protein shake (they can be useful supplements), but you can also use meal planning to help bridge this gap.
  • TiffanyLoveG
    TiffanyLoveG Posts: 76 Member
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    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    Neither help you build muscle. It's just a protein supplement if you are low in protein. The source is personal preference, no one kind is better than another.

    I gotcha 😊 I guess what I was meaning was that I know protein is required to repair muscle and I was wondering if one source worker more efficiently in that. Thanks so much!
  • imfornd70
    imfornd70 Posts: 552 Member
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    TiffanyLoveG wrote: »
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    Neither help you build muscle. It's just a protein supplement if you are low in protein. The source is personal preference, no one kind is better than another.

    I gotcha 😊 I guess what I was meaning was that I know protein is required to repair muscle and I was wondering if one source worker more efficiently in that. Thanks so much!

    YES - Egg and Whey are your best sources as they absorb better
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    I use both. Whey mixes better for a quick shake so I use chocolate versions of those for afternoon snacks sometimes. But I prefer unflavored unsweetened vegetable sourced protein powder for my smoothies. That's really a personal preference - mostly related to being lactose intolerant.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    Unless you're doing competitions and need to maximize every gram, it's just whatever you like better.
  • VictorSmashes
    VictorSmashes Posts: 173 Member
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    Ultimately they're roughly equivalent. Just consume the one that works for you. If you can get your protein from vegetables, more power to you, but if whey works, then go for it. (Just an FYI since I don't know your goals, the ACSM recommends 1.2-1.7 g of protein per kg of body weight to build muscle.)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    TiffanyLoveG wrote: »
    mtruitt01 wrote: »
    I dropped protein drinks and switched to real food.

    Yeah I try not to drink them but I have a hard time getting an adequate amount of protein, especially now that I’ve started weight lifting. Typically I’m hitting maybe 30 grams a day without supplementation, so I’m keeping them around while I try and uptake my protein with food sources😊

    I see 36 g of protein on Jan 20, but you didn't log dinner and you were only at 722 calories. Hopefully you just forgot to log dinner. I see lots of other incomplete or unlogged days, but today you've logged 83 g of protein and still have 167 calories to go. If you'd had two eggs for breakfast you would have met your protein goal. Or you could have had 4 oz of chicken for dinner instead of 2 oz.

    I just want to make sure you know you are supposed to hit your calorie goal - if you set your weekly weight loss goal correctly, you have a calorie deficit already built in, and you are supposed to get very close to your calories. Some people get confused about this, so I wanted to point this out :)

    How much weight do you have to lose total?

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  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
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    I use both in the same shake
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    jm_1234 wrote: »
    From what I've heard, whey is a fast absorbing protein mainly used after a workout. Casein protein is used before bed since it is slow absorbing. I haven't heard much regarding vegetable protein.

    Regarding calories my whey protein is around ~5 calories per gram of protein whereas lentils are ~12 calories per gram of protein. Depending on your need a low or high cal food might work best. As an example 40 grams of whey protein gives you ~200 calories and lentils 480 calories, so it takes 280 more calories for lentils to give you 40 grams of protein.

    The catch is they have different nutrient profiles and micros which may help in other areas. i.e., Lentils have more carbs so I have more energy for my workouts and can do more, which likely offsets the extra calories.

    Protein shakes in general have a shady history, so do your research before you buy one.
    https://www.cleanlabelproject.org/protein-powder/

    My brand, BioChem, is # 2 on the best products list :)

    Note: none of the links I clicked in the buttons worked, but I was able to scroll down and get the info I wanted.

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