Which protein powder should I choose?

There are many different types of protein powders out there, and it can be confusing to know which protein powder to buy. Vegan or not vegan, casein or whey. To make it a little easier and maybe clear up all the questions, I will go through everything.

Protein:

Protein is important to us humans, and if you want to know more about protein, I have another blog post about just that. A complete protein is one that contains all the essential amino acids we need. "Essential" means that the body cannot produce these amino acids on its own, so we must get them through food.

Vegan Protein Powders:

There are a few different types of vegan protein powders. Not all non-animal protein sources are complete, so sometimes we have to combine different vegan protein sources to get all the essential amino acids and create a complete protein. Vegan protein powders also often have a lower bioavailability, meaning how well our bodies absorb and use the nutrient, in this case protein, and they are also slower to digest than animal protein.

• Soy protein - complete
• Pea protein – not complete
• Oat protein – not complete
• Hemp protein - complete

You can combine pea protein and oat protein to get a complete protein.

Milk Protein Powder:

There are two main types of milk protein powder: whey and casein. One thing to keep in mind with whey protein is that it comes in different degrees of purity. Purity indicates how much lactose and fat have been filtered out. Isolate is the highest quality and purest form of whey protein, which also makes it more expensive than other types of whey protein. Then there is Whey 100 and Whey 80, where Whey 100 is purer than Whey 80 but still not as high quality as isolate. The purer the protein, the more expensive it is. But to keep costs down and still get more protein, I recommend Whey 100 if you want a whey protein. There's also a Clear Whey, which is more like juice than a typical protein shake. It's also usually an isolate, meaning it's been filtered out of lactose and fat, but it generally doesn't contain as much protein as regular whey isolate.

What are whey and casein? Both proteins come from milk, but they are processed in different ways in the body. Whey is a "fast" protein that the body can absorb immediately. Casein, on the other hand, provides a slower release in the body. Casein is typically found in thicker dairy products such as quark and has a thicker consistency such as protein shakes. I recommend whey protein as a snack or as a post-workout protein shake, and casein protein if you want it as part of a meal to keep you full longer.

Should I use milk protein or a vegan alternative? This mainly depends on whether you have a specific diet or are perhaps allergic to milk. Then a vegan option might be right for you. But then it is important to choose a vegan protein powder that is a "complete" protein. So that you get all the essential amino acids. Also keep in mind that vegan protein powder has a lower bioavailability and is digested more slowly than milk protein. And of course, texture, taste and price level are also good things to consider when choosing protein powder.

If you want a protein powder from milk, you have two different choices, whey or casein. And because of their differences in both consistency and release in the body, you should think about when and why you want to take protein powder. If you want to include a protein shake to get more protein in your diet, you can buy whey. If you want to eat it as part of a meal, casein may be more suitable for you.

And of course, all the different vegan options have different tastes, textures and price points, so let's start with soy protein. It is usually a bit nutty and neutral, so it can be used both as a shake but also in smoothies, it is easily soluble and therefore does not leave a strange texture. Usually it's pretty cheap too.

Then we have pea protein, which has a very mild flavor but gives a thicker and grittier texture. The price is often not the most expensive, but not the cheapest either.

Let's move on to oat protein. This is usually slightly sweet and naturally tastes like oats. The consistency is creamy and the price level is medium to high.

Hemp protein has a slightly nutty and earthy flavor and is coarse and grainy, so it's not as pleasant to drink as a protein shake, but it can be used in smoothies. Hemp protein is usually quite expensive.

Depending on the texture, taste and use of the protein powder you want, it doesn't really matter if you choose a vegan protein powder or a milk protein powder. But choose a protein powder that is a complete protein, keep in mind that vegan options do not have the same bioavailability as animal protein, and also make sure it fits your diet and how your body reacts to the protein powder.