Need help choosing protein powder, whats best etc

gibran30
gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am reposting this because I posted it really late last night and possibly many didnt see it as I didnt get much response

Hi there,

This is going to be a loaded question but I have alot on my mind.
There are so many places that sell protein powders and so many different Network Marketing Companies etc, Beach Boday, Visalus, Melaleuca, and on and on..... So how do you know when looking at the protein powder drinks etc if they are really a good one or not?

Second which type of protein powder is best and why? Whey, soy, Rice and then there is whey protein or whey protein isolate

Then I ask is it bad if they have sucralose in them? Many of the protein powders that people are ranting and raving about still have sucralose in them, so does this make them bad? I had one lady tell me she would never use any protein powder with sucralose in it.

Thanks for your help, I am so confused.

Gibran
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Replies

  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
    bump
  • chloenmiller
    chloenmiller Posts: 40 Member
    bump!
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
    another bump
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
    bump
  • josyjozy
    josyjozy Posts: 117 Member
    bump as I'm about to make my first protein powder purchase soon as well.
  • Debbiedebbiey
    Debbiedebbiey Posts: 824 Member
    I started with shakeology. 2 months. Loved it. Have tried others, none have had better taste( love chocolate!) just finished cookies n cream gnc amp 60. Nasty! I guess to each their own. As soon as summers over & I get back to work, I'll be reordering shakeology. Idk why all the haters on here. If its good for you & I don't have to swallow a handful of vitamins the size of my thumb, I'll take it! I miss u shakeology !Edited; stopped bc of price, but have found all the supplements to be just as expensive.
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
    Well for myself, Obviously I want it to taste decent but I also want it to be a good quality one as well. Whats the point if your not trying getting all the benefits from it.
  • lauren3382
    lauren3382 Posts: 372 Member
    I use MRM 100% natural whey protein. I like this one over many other options because it's not sweetened with sucralose or aspartame; rather, it contains stevia. It is DELICIOUS when mixed with 8oz of almond milk. To me it tastes better than chocolate milk! I've only tried a couple different protein powders and this one is by far my favorite. Cytosport makes one that several of my friends use and rave about the taste, but I believe that is sweetened with sucralose.
  • Lightbulb1088
    Lightbulb1088 Posts: 189 Member
    I am using the EAS myopleax permixed protein drinks they taste good. I've been told the Whey protein is good but I 've not tried it. but I know a few that do use it.
  • AnotherJenn
    AnotherJenn Posts: 62 Member
    I really like Ideal Sape chocolate flavor. I mix it with 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese, ice and raspberries or strawberries! Delicious protein shake.
  • Curvy1taliana
    Curvy1taliana Posts: 371 Member
    I am a firm believer in Jay Robb Whey Protein, I like them blended with frozen fruit though and use almond or coconut milk (unsweetened) instead of dairy milk or water.

    ETA: Jay Robb is sweetened with stevia and the whey protein is from cows not treated with hormones - the 2 main reasons I like it. But it is pricey.

    I want to try Shakeology.

    Not a fan of EAS or that crap they sell at Walmart or CVS.
  • jldunn713
    jldunn713 Posts: 41 Member
    I personally don't go for any "isolate" proteins because I like to stay away from highly processed foods. Health-wise, the best you can do is plant-based proteins such as rice, hemp, or pea. Of course, you will have to experiment with taste, because some products out there are nasty! Sunwarrior usually gets good reviews though and comes in chocolate and vanilla. If you don't mind buying natural tasting stuff, Tempt or Nutiva hemp protein is good, but not the sort of thing you would mix straight with water (it's okay blended with bananas and fruits though). If you want something that goes with milk or water, I like Vega Energizing Smoothie mix (albeit a little pricey but high quality and naturally sweetened).
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
    would anyone recommend ones that you would find at GNC or a health food store?
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
    Does anyone know if the Shakeology drinks truly are good for you and have good ingredients?
  • Debbiedebbiey
    Debbiedebbiey Posts: 824 Member
    Idk, I drank it for 2months. Didn't lose any lbs, but had great energy & NO cravings for sweets whatsoever! I'm a big fan. There are huge haters on here of shakeology . Idk why they get so whacked about the marketing of it. I could care less. I looked forward to breakfast each morning, I know that much. Had some protein & vitamins in it. Most of all, add a frozen banana.....heaven !!! I miss it so! If u get it order it on autoship, u save a bit. I just hope when I re order it they let me autoship again since I cancelled it once already.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I use mainly Pro Performance or Optimum Nutrition both at GNC and have lots of different flavors. Both taste very good and have about 110 calories, 20+ protein and less than 5 carbs. They are both whey, can't remember if they are isolate. Isolate is more of a "pure" protein so usually you can get higher protein with less calories. It is also usually more expensive. Casein is another form of milk protein that is slower digesting so it is usually recommend to take before bed so you can digest all night. ON has many really good flavors of that as well.

    The other forms of protein powders generally have more carbs. And IMHO, taste bad. But I don't like soy so nothing with it in I like for the most part.

    I have been using my entire time and doing really good for me.

    Edit -- Don't waste your money on Shakeology or Herbalife. They are no different from the ones I mentioned except you have to buy through a dealer that likes to make a tidy profit. Go to GNC, buy one of the above, you will not be disappointed. Try the Chocolate Carmel PP, that one is super good. Don't go for vanilla as first flavor, it is usually the worst of the flavors.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I am using the EAS myopleax permixed protein drinks they taste good. I've been told the Whey protein is good but I 've not tried it. but I know a few that do use it.

    Actually you have tried whey. That is what is in EAS -- whey and casein. That is some good stuff too, I like that one as well as long as it is the CarbAdvantage as most of others have way too many carbs.
  • orishp
    orishp Posts: 214 Member
    bump so I can go back to this thread later
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
    I've tried a bunch of different powders and I think I've settled on Optimum Nutrition as my powder of choice. They have tons of good flavors, it mixes really well and it's a reliable brand who's macro numbers can be trusted. Plus it's not super expensive if you get it online. I got my last batch from Amazon, but bodybuilding.com has sales on it sometimes.
  • icculus19
    icculus19 Posts: 39
    gold standard hydro whey protien. can be fund at GNC 30 grams of protien, 2 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fat and 140 cals. i feel this is the best for the simple fact that your body will absorb more of the protein and fasterl with most protien powders your body will only absorb about 50% with the hyrdo whey your body absorbs aroud 90% of the protein. you may want to google protien powders because there many different types out there
  • hyper24
    hyper24 Posts: 27
    Go with Optimum nutrition. They are of good quality and taste amazing. I love their French Vanilla.
  • bridies01
    bridies01 Posts: 57 Member
    I like the Sunwarrior raw vegan chocolate powder.

    http://www.sunwarrior.com/store/protein-raw-vegan-chocolate.html

    I am vegetarian and try to avoid whey proteins. I also get plenty of soy in my diet so avoid soy protein powders (plus they are highly processed), even though I find the soy tastes the best. I tried Arbonne powder but it had a ton of added sugar and was really sweet.

    The sunwarrior is not super sweet, and is really finely ground, I don't get any chalkiness in my smoothies at all. I've also just mixed it up with water - it's not the easiest to put down, but better than others.
  • iron_petros88GR
    iron_petros88GR Posts: 2
    optimum nutrition flavor double chocolate. http://www.answerfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/optimum-nutrition-whey-protein.jpg

    after excersise; 1 scoop in 200-230 ml of water. tastes good and it has good solubility in water (:
  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
    I have been using Fiber35 Fitsmart because it has 10g of fiber, which I need to help me with my IBS-C. It has 20g protein (whey I think) and is sweetened with stevia. It has other vitamins/minerals too, here is a link to the nutrition label: http://www.vitacost.com/fiber-35-diet-fitsmart-shake-chocolate-creme. I find it too sweet, but it doesn't taste bad and I really like getting the fiber along with it. .
  • harkonian
    harkonian Posts: 2
    Other than finding the one that suits your taste, finding a good protein powder is actually pretty straightforward. You want to look at the ingredients -- the best whey protein powders will list whey protein isolate or hydrolyzed whey protein isolate as the very first ingredient. These are both very pure forms of protein (> 90% pure). The difference between these two proteins is that hydrolyzed protein has smaller protein fragments which are easier to digest than non-hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, but other than that one caveat, they are essentially the same. Other types of whey are not filtered as much (70-80% pure), which means you are getting some of the natural carbs that are found in milk along with the protein. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these extra carbs, most of us don't have any issues getting carbs in our diets, it's the protein we need to focus on.

    It's easy to tell how pure a whey protein powder is -- just divide the number of grams of protein per serving by the number of grams per serving. For example, if you look at the powder I use -- Iso Sensation 93 (label found here: http://gnc.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pGNC1-6099251_gnclabel_pdf.pdf) -- you'll see that each serving has 30g of protein and each serving is 32g. So, 30/32 = 0.937 = 93.7% pure protein.

    Compare that to the Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard -- 24g of protein per serving, each serving is 30.4g (http://gnc.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pGNC1-2331558_gnclabel_pdf.pdf) which is 78.4% pure protein.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    today i tried USN - IGF-1 Pure Protein... tasted amazing, great protein and calories and no carbs... it was really thick like angel delight. LOVED it! 40g protein for 200 cals. x
  • fatty_to_fitty
    fatty_to_fitty Posts: 544 Member
    Ladies, you want low cal (my scoop is less thank 100Kcal), low sugar with as high protein as possible in that combo - most of the ones mentioned are whey protein which is fast releasing.

    Just having it with water is better in terms of less calories but having it with unsweetened soya milk which is also high in protein is what I like to do.

    The ones pre mixed in bottle are not as good for you as just the powder that you mix yourself. Buy a shaker where you keep powder in the bottom and you can mix 3-4 drinks a day while on the go just by adding water. .

    Always read the labels.
  • sarrylove
    sarrylove Posts: 88
    Does anyone know if the Shakeology drinks truly are good for you and have good ingredients?

    I have been drinking Shakeology for a few months now and it makes me feel great. Gives me energy and just makes my body feel good in general. Shakeology is all natural and has no artificial sweeters, flavors or any preservatives in it. I drink the chocolate which is really good. The tropical strawberry is also good. One reason that I decided to get shakeology is because I didn't like taking pills to get all of my vitamins and minerals in AND I knew that I didn't get enough fruits and veggies in every day and Shakeology fills that gap.
  • Lightbulb1088
    Lightbulb1088 Posts: 189 Member
    I am using the EAS myopleax permixed protein drinks they taste good. I've been told the Whey protein is good but I 've not tried it. but I know a few that do use it.

    Actually you have tried whey. That is what is in EAS -- whey and casein. That is some good stuff too, I like that one as well as long as it is the CarbAdvantage as most of others have way too many carbs.

    Thank you! I learn something new every day about good things for me. :)
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    bump

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