why do people use protein powder?

Right now I'm using Body Fortress Whey Isolate. 30grams of protein for about 130 calories. I'm trying to run through it because the after taste is awwffffuullll :sick:

I love the vanilla soy protein powder from The Fresh Market. I mix it with greek yogurt and some strawberries and it tastes JUST like cake batter. NO JOKE. I've done it with cocoa powder too and I feel like I'm eating brownie batter :blushing:

For me, I don't like to take protein after workout and replace it with a meal contain high protein.
bcoz I like everything in natural way. It is my personal opinion

Hello...wonder if I could join in this conversation by asking a potentially stupid question or two :embarassed:

How do you determine how much protein you need?

And also, if you eat a meal within 30 mins of completing your exercise is it therefore unnecessary to have protein powders, like even at a different time of day? So for example I saw someone say that they have them as snacks throughout the day.

My typical day goes something like this:

Weetabix crunchy bran, milk banana for breakfast
2-3 hours later snack such as fat free yogurt and/or apple
Lunch 2-3 hours later (Sometimes I run at lunch and so instead of above mid-morning snack I'll have a small handful almonds)
Afternoon snack, usually a banana or red grapefruit 2-3hours later
Gym workout 2-3 hours later
Evening meal within 30 mins of gym (usually a balanced meal with either chicken or pork, veg/salad and potatoes)
Evening snack 2 hours later, usually homemade banana bread or wholemeal toast with pure peanut butter - nothing added.

I'd love to know if I'm missing something that will benefit me and my health :happy:

People use protein powder for all the wrong reasons. The best reason to use is it is to give you a convenient, affordable source of protein. There are some unique benefits to protein powders but, in the end, it's an easy way to get protein.

Exactly. Good protein powders can have something like <3g carbs, <3g fat and >25g of protein. Caloric efficient way of boosting protein intake. I have a shake every morning.

A good protein can't have over 25g of protein per serving unless it's double scooped or the serving size is larger than normal. It's usually a gimmick employed by some companies to convince people that they have more protein per serving than other powders.

Its the ease of it. To really get benefits from protein into repairing your muscles post work out, you need to take it within the first 30minutes after your exercise.

Good news! That's simply not true! You can get the effects of a post-workout meal (with or without whey) after many hours. This notion still runs rampant throughout the fitness industry but it has long been dismissed.

For me, I don't like to take protein after workout and replace it with a meal contain high protein.
bcoz I like everything in natural way. It is my personal opinion

Whey is a milk-derivative. It's not any less natural than cottage cheese or greek yogurt.

Why don't you just eat protein rich foods instead of stuffing your body full of synthetic powder? Thanks..

Because it makes no difference.

I've been wondering this, too. I also wonder how protein shakes factor in a "clean" diet? How processed are they? How many other chemicals? For the person that said they can't get enough protein with food alone...maybe your goal is too high?

My husband likes to have a protein shake for lunch (he uses Shakeology) but I wonder how healthy it actually is.

Abandon the term "clean." It truly is a nonsensical word. Protein powders, regardless of chemicals or not, is one of the prime examples of why the word "clean" is stupid.

the one I use is minimally processed

If they say that then they're lying. Processing protein powder is quite extensive. All protein powders are heavily processed. This doesn't make it bad, though. People are on here don't understand that processed does not equate to bad. What equates to bad is too much of something that results in prolong nutrient deficiency.

And yeah, it's pretty much just soya in it, so pretty 'clean'. (Not that clean eating is something I lie awake at night worrying about... )

If your definition of clean is something that is minimally processed then powders are far from being clean.

You can get all the protein your body needs from real food and save yourself some $.

Protein powders probably are one of the cheapest sources of protein per dollar. For example, I get 46g of protein per dollar from my whey whereas if I bought chicken breast on sale here in Canada then it comes out to around 28-30g of protein per dollar. This is an astronomical difference in price.