A jaunt down to your typical health food store is getting to be a fairly complicated process these days. You’ll be faced with walls and walls of shakes and protein powders, plus hundreds of supplements each touting benefits. It can be tough to know what protein is best for you and your dieting goals.
Figuring out the best protein shake for you is certainly worth the trouble, as the proper supplement can make a significant difference. If you’re looking to bulk up with muscle or drop a few pounds, the right protein powder is out there for you. With a few simple guidelines you can make your purchasing decisions much simpler and make your health store visit a lot less intimidating.
Know Your Needs When it Comes to Protein
Our first consideration when choosing a powder is whether or not you have any dietary restrictions that may rule out certain types of protein altogether.
Oftentimes, lactose intolerance is the most common example. If you’re unable to digest milk properly, you’re likely going to have to avoid whey or casein powders. They’re made with milk byproducts, and can cause digestion issues for you.
Thankfully, you’ve got plenty of other non-dairy options. You can check out pure soy-based powders or even the relatively new hemp protein powder (made from the seeds of the hemp plant). They contain a great amount of protein per serving and help you avoid all the milk byproducts.
Know Your Protein Goals
Plenty of research has shown that ingesting more protein is a great way to lose weight. Particularly, consuming 30 or more grams of protein immediately after waking in the morning can result in a leaner body type and lower body fat percentages.
Therefore, if your goal is to drop a few pounds, give a high-quality whey protein powder a try. You’ll want to try to avoid a powder that doesn’t have lots of added sugar or heavy artificial sweeteners, as these can mess with your blood sugar levels and make weight loss more difficult. Whey is usually a better choice over casein as it helps you to feel full longer, and makes a wonderful supplement for a high protein diet plan.
Or, if you’re looking to bulk up muscle mass, you may want to instead take a look at a casein protein or soy powder. These types of powders digest more quickly, allowing the protein to hit your bloodstream (and your hungry muscles) faster during or after a workout. Avoid shakes that have high fiber content or fillers. Optimum Nutrition brand are probably the best protein powder for putting on lean muscle mass, but they are on the expensive side.
Depending on your weight gain goals, you can aim to have 2 or 3 shakes per day as meal supplements. However, you should never fully replace meals with protein shakes unless they are clearly labeled as “meal replacement.”