Is Protein Powder Really Worth the Hype?
SafaiatheHusky8
Posts: 1 Member
I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!
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Replies
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If you can reach your protein goal thru foods, no.9
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My $0.02 is (take it as what you paid for it...)
Stay off the Google Food Police.
There's something "wrong" with a lot of foods. Meh, I'm in my mid-sixties, in perfect health and yet someday I'm going to die. I'm thinking it may be caused by a whole long list of things I've put into my body over the years before we get to my protein powder intake. OR I may live to be 99...which is too long IMO.
Protein powder should be a last resort fill-in, not a daily protein source. I get nearly all my protein every day without resorting to powder, but I do have it in the house. Since it's not regulated I treat it like any other dubious thing I do and try to keep it to a minimum.
Food. It's delicious.
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What hype? It's just a supplement to help you hit you protein goal. If it helps use it. If you don't need it, don't. I find it a low calorie way to supplement most days. Other days not.12
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It's rather expensive. It's useful in a pinch but I woudn't want to depend on it.2
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What hype? It's just a supplement to help you hit you protein goal. If it helps use it. If you don't need it, don't. I find it a low calorie way to supplement most days. Other days not.
Well to be fair, a lot of places out there do over hype it, making it seem like protein from protein powder is special and better than protein gotten from food. I imagine that is what OP was asking about.
The answer to that is no. While I am not necessarily concerned about metal in my protein powder, I get sufficient protein from the food I eat, so there is no need for me to use protein powder with any regularity.4 -
What hype? It's just a supplement to help you hit you protein goal.
This. I don't use it because I prefer to eat other foods for my protein goal and I haven't really gotten into any foods that include it, but nothing wrong with it. I read something debunking the heavy metal thing a while back.2 -
SafaiatheHusky8 wrote: »I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!
There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.
I'm not sure what hype you are talking about in regards to protein powder...it's just a supplement that can make it easier to hit loftier protein targets.1 -
I have pretty high protein targets and getting it all from food would be unbearable. I use it daily and have for years. It allows me to hit those high targets while not obsessing about the protein content of every meal - or having to figure out how to eat 6 chicken breasts every single day.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »SafaiatheHusky8 wrote: »I love consuming various sources of protein since I am an athlete and want to maintain and increase my muscle tone, strength, and speed, and I have bought protein powder in the past (grassfed whey) since it is convenient and I want to buy protein powder again, but I've been doing research, and studies have shown that there are a toxic amount of heavy metals in protein powders since it is not regulated by the FDA. I acknowledge there are probably traces of heavy metal in all the foods we consume, but I just dont want the risk of the protein powder to outweigh its benefits? Should I just get all my protein through diet? Do you think the heavy metals in the protein will cause damage in the long-run? I would appreciate all feedback!
There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.
I'm not sure what hype you are talking about in regards to protein powder...it's just a supplement that can make it easier to hit loftier protein targets.
Are you thinking of Examine.com?1 -
I have a scoop a day of vegan protein powder (Vega). As with anything you ingest, you can research a particular company or provider to get a better sense of whether their product meets your nutritional needs, values, etc.1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.
Are you thinking of Examine.com?
Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/
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Its difficult for me to get enough protein in for my calories unless I am eating almost strictly meat, eggs, and cheese. I like a little variety.
So protein powder is a good way to get in a good chunk of protein without sacrificing a whole lot of calories.5 -
I prefer whole foods protein. No Fat greek yogurt has almost the same macro profile as many protein powders. It is also a natural mix of whey and casein. I keep protein powders if I get sick and have trouble eating.1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.
Are you thinking of Examine.com?
Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/
Yes, that's the one. It used to release a full report with neat reader friendly categories (heavy metal contamination was one of them, as well as the accuracy of protein claims among other things), but they appear to have shifted to a new approach and simplifying to a "top 10" kind of list with a less reader friendly actual test paper for each supplement. No way to directly compare.
As for protein powder, I only have it on days when my protein ends up low by the end of the day or I expect to have a low protein day (like during lent). It doesn't need to be all or nothing, you could have powder occasionally if it helps make things easier, although it's entirely possible to get your protein from food and entirely okay to have protein powder daily - from what I recall in the report published by the above labs, very few brands, if any, were contaminated.
Edit:
Never mind, you can still access the data from this page https://labdoor.com/rankings/protein/quality0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »There is a site that does independent research on all kinds of supplements...can't think of the name of it right now, but heavy metals is something they check for and there are plenty of choices out there that are just fine.
Are you thinking of Examine.com?
Examine doesn’t test brands... think the website he is thinking of is https://labdoor.com/
Yes, this one...2 -
Like most, I would say try to eat the needed amount of food to hit the desired protein level you want, however, most athletes can't eat enough food to hit that goal daily so supplementing with whey is much easier and realistic. Just don't make the mistake of making food the "supplement". Best to you!2
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I use it as what I was designed to be. A supplement to a good nutrition plan. My protein goal is between 200-220g a day. I use it immediately post work out to refuel my body and help attain my protein goal for the day. There’s nothing magic about it.0
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When I take protein powder, it's like a chocolate shake with how I prepare it, so it also fills a sweet tooth kind of thing for me, along with being the protein aspect.3
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I would never dream of using it on a regular basis because my protein intake is already really high through food. But I do keep protein powder around because there are days, especially days I eat out most meals, that it is beneficial for me to supplement. I keep a fiber supplement handy for the same reason. While it is not crucial to miss my mark on a single day I would prefer to be consistent as much as I can.1
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I use a scoop sometimes as I tend to not eat enough protein - its not my favoured way of eating, so it helps ...0
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Don't see an issue with it but obviously getting your protein intake through whole foods is always the preferred option.1
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For most of the general population its probably a waste of money. Human protein requirements are not that high anyway. Just eat food ffs.0
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amorfati601070 wrote: »For most of the general population its probably a waste of money. Human protein requirements are not that high anyway. Just eat food ffs.
Protein powder is food. Being a powder doesn't magically transform food into non-food.8 -
This video gives you some things to ponder when selecting protein powder (Bobby Parrish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o31t_6kOoB8&t=352s 0 -
amorfati601070 wrote: »For most of the general population its probably a waste of money. Human protein requirements are not that high anyway. Just eat food ffs.
Minimum protein requirements for the average human might not be that high, but for someone trying to add mass they are going to be much higher. I often have a hard time hitting my protein goals and supplementing with protein powder makes a lot more sense for me than just eating more food. On top of that, its extremely convenient and easier to just make a protein shake instead of grilling another chicken breast and forcing that down. Just because protein powder might not be beneficial to you doesn't mean it serves no purpose, and its pretty ignorant to tell people to just eat more food.13 -
amorfati601070 wrote: »For most of the general population its probably a waste of money. Human protein requirements are not that high anyway. Just eat food ffs.
The RDA for protein is a minimum for a more or less sedentary person to avoid protein deficiency. Minimum does not mean optimal and there is plenty of information out there showing that a greater intake of protein is beneficial. Also, protein requirements for active and very active individuals, particularly those engaging in regular strenuous exercise are higher than they are for sedentary individuals as muscle is being broken down with those activities and additional protein helps repair and recover. There is also plenty out there in regards to taking in more protein while dieting being beneficial in preserving muscle mass.
Beyond that, it is food...I use a whey powder which is just a bi-product of cheese making. Little Miss Muffett also ate her curds and whey.7 -
We are all trying to comsume proper nutrients, feel full , and eat delicious stuff.
For some folks protein powders help with that others find them not to work for them. If you want try them and see if they help you meet your goals. Hype or anti hype is less key then do they help you achieve goals0 -
IMO? It's over rated and over priced. I'd rather eat extra fish or chicken for the added protein. I bought a canister of it to make 1 specific thing and it still sits in my cupboard.
Is there a shelf life for opened protein powder? Does anyone want it? 
I suppose I could make smoothies from it but not a big smoothie person; again I prefer chewing food. I tried adding a little to certain foods and to me, the higher calories wasn't worth it. 0 -
As a vegetarian I regularly use plant based protein powders to help me reach my macro goals. I could definitely hit the minimum protein requirements without it, but I am trying to build lean muscle.1
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