Protein powders

Any of several whey brands that have a sale on of whatever flavor is cheap at the time, out of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, Dymatize Iso100, and I recently got some Muscle Milk powder in Xmas sales around $30 for 5 pounds, and I like the taste of that and the macros are decent.

I'll have 35g-50g daily total in 2-3 servings through the day, depending how much I need to meet my daily protein target.

My favourite so far is the Applied Nutrition whey and whey isolates, their strawberry flavour is gorgeous, the choco bueno not so much though 47g of protein and 187 calories for 2 scoops.

And I have recently bought the protein pancake mix from Protein Works (just add milk or water) and it's so nice. 32g of protein per 'batch' and 203 calories.

Currently using Optimum Nutrition- it’s 24g protein in 120 cal per scoop (for the vanilla flavor). The chocolate peanut butter is ok but not as versatile as vanilla. I used to hate the taste but now I blend it just lightly with 8oz almond milk.

I typically use ready-made shakes from Body Fortress, 40g protein for 180 calories, as it's easy to just throw one into my gym bag and go. I also keep one in my work desk for days work won't allow me to eat lunch, or if my projected protein for the day doesn't look like it'll be covered through food alone. The taste and texture are close enough to a milkshake that I enjoy drinking it for its own sake, let alone the protein it provides.

I haven't tried the powder version, though there are times when the ready-made shake is sold out so I have a small supply on hand to supplement if needed in the future.

Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey (Vanilla Ice Cream Flavor). They sell the 80 serving size at costco for $71, compared to the 73 (or 5 lb) serving size from most other places, that costs $85, and you get less. It's a steal!

It tastes great, and is great for the macros, 1 rounded scoop (29.4g) is 120 Cal, 3g carbs, 1g fat, and 24g protein.

I also find that the Vanilla Ice Cream Flavor is a much better tasting vanilla than the "Vanilla" Flavor of the same brand. Highly recommend.

I've honestly never found a brand of vegan protein powder that I actually liked a lot or loved. I prefer Whey Protein Isolate (vs. Concentrate) because I find that concentrate isn't the best friend of my digestive system. LOL.

The ISO100 protein powders have all been good that I've tried. Really most whey protein isolate ones I've tried have always been the best.

If you choose to use a vegan protein powder just make sure that the protein sources used make up a complete protein. Usually they do (but there have to typically be more than one type of protein -- unless you're using soy).

The vegan Orgain is a solid choice - 21g of protein and 150 calories/serving. I like the chocolate fudge flavor in plant-based milk. I also like the Huel Complete Protein but it is expensive compared to other options.

One caution against pea protein is that there is the possibility that peas are linked to infertility, to the degree that they have even been studied for possible use as contraceptives. (This link is to a blog post, but the author links several relevant studies, though a couple links are sadly broken as the post was originally made in 2018.) It seems like this could be the case for both men and women. It's not definitive, but enough to make me nervous as far as my own consumption. (And before you say "I've seen you around, penguinmama, and don't you already have six kids, you crazy lady?" I would say, you're right, but for people of reproductive years fertility problems can often be a warning for other things, even if you're not especially concerned about your own childbearing.)

I stick to whey, and nutritional yeast, but I'm not really sure that "counts" as protein powder per se, though I do use it as a supplement. I'm not a shake person but add it to other foods, preferring as little change to taste and texture as possible.