Training & Nutrition - Whey Protein

Hello.
I would like to try whey protein to bump my protein consumption to 25% or so. I googled and came up with TONS of options, but I am not sure which of them are "certified". I don't want to buy something that might mix some other stuff in to it, etc. So any recommendations for a reputable supplier? Also is there like a chocolate flavored whey protein?

Thanks.

The General Nutrition Corporation company is nationwide and has that sort of thing. It is my understanding that egg white is even better a source of protein they whey. The GNC web site has a store locator. IE: A GNC store in NorCal is in the Coddingtown mall in northwest Santa Rosa, Sonoma County if that is in your area.

The General Nutrition Corporation company is nationwide and has that sort of thing. It is my understanding that egg white is even better a source of protein they whey. The GNC web site has a store locator. IE: A GNC store in NorCal is in the Coddingtown mall in northwest Santa Rosa, Sonoma County if that is in your area.

Kool.
I can't decide between this: GNC (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133658&cp&fbx=0&fbn=Flavor%7CChocolate&f=PAD%2FFlavor%2FChocolate&fbc=1&fr=StorePrice%2FGNC%2F00000000%2F00002999&kw=whey+protein&parentPage=search)
and this
Hammer (http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&CAT=REC&PROD.ID=4059&OMI=10105,10082,10047&AMI=10105&uir=product.category,REC,Proteins%20%26%20Recovery#info1)
If I use GNC one half a serving it will produce more servings while giving the same amount of protein, but it has sugar and fat. Which I don't really need.
Hammer just has protein, but it's a bit more expensive and not a chocolate flavor.
Suggestions? :)

Kool.
I can't decide between this: GNC (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133658&cp&fbx=0&fbn=Flavor%7CChocolate&f=PAD%2FFlavor%2FChocolate&fbc=1&fr=StorePrice%2FGNC%2F00000000%2F00002999&kw=whey+protein&parentPage=search)
and this
Hammer (http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&CAT=REC&PROD.ID=4059&OMI=10105,10082,10047&AMI=10105&uir=product.category,REC,Proteins%20%26%20Recovery#info1)
If I use GNC one half a serving it will produce more servings while giving the same amount of protein, but it has sugar and fat. Which I don't really need.
Hammer just has protein, but it's a bit more expensive and not a chocolate flavor.
Suggestions? :)

I like MetRX products. 5lbs, 73 servings, 22g protein/scoop, 120 calories, $29, tastes good, too.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/met/whey.html

I like bodybuilding.com... very business savvy folks. fast shipping, great prices, great resource.

I would avoid GNC for whey protein. It's out there so cheap at all kinds of other places that spending the extra money at GNC makes absolutely no sense. Find what you like and order from bodybuilding.com or affordable supplements.com. I've used both with zero problems.

http://www.t-nation.com/portal_includes/articles/products/wheyProteinArticle.html

I received an email from chzman, I thought you find what he had to say about protein interesting:

“You can't beat a balance diet where you have a variety of natural protein sources.

For protein supplements... ALL milk proteins are valuable, and each can have its pros and cons. Isolating specific proteins (beta-lactoglobulin, etc.) is really only a marketing ploy. Cheese and milk are great sources of caseins, which as you probably know, are larger proteins that metabolize in the body at a slower rate. Casein marketed as micellar casein is popular, but most likely isn't beneficial to justify the value added cost. Cheese and milk work fine for that. Now, whey protein is only consumable by supplementing because in fluid milk, the whey proteins are very, very dilute (~0.6 to 0.8%). Whey proteins are smaller, globular proteins that will spike your blood amino levels pretty quick... good for after workout 'meals'.

As far as processing, most whey concentrates/isolates are pretty darn equal when it comes to nutritional. WP isolate by ion-exchange is very pure if done properly... it is very low in everything, but protein... typically produced commercially at ~95% protein. The whey concentrates produced by filtration systems are very nice too. Concentrates typically have higher fat, higher lactose, higher mineral content, and a very good taste... but the upper limit of filtration systems is about 80% protein. There is a lot of published studies that support each process of whey... but nothing incrimination against either way.

There is a lot of conflicting literature published on exercise/nutritional sciences. Truth is that most of it is not reproducible (as research should be). I have a problem with this, and therefore firmly believe in just plain old good dieting with a whey protein shake maybe once a day.

So I hope I answered some of your questions... protein nutrition is a lot like politics...”


I agree with him on the fact that you may want to consider a MIXED protein source instead a strict whey protein. This is what I use.

http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_item_dr005.htm. The Propeptide is pure protein.

and that is why I advised the OP to avoid GNC protein. It's basically all the same (whey) and GNC is normally quite a bit more expensive. It's not like buying a knockoff bike from Target and hoping it will act like a Cervelo.

http://proteinfactory.com/shop/product.php?productid=50&cat=1&page=2

milk protein... They can add chocolate if you want, but get Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup instead. Tastes better.

http://proteinfactory.com/shop/product.php?productid=50&cat=1&page=2

milk protein... They can add chocolate if you want, but get Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup instead. Tastes better.

Kool. So this would fall under "mixed" protein source? I am not looking to replace a meal, I eat through out a day small portions, just add to my daily intake.
They have a bunch of add-ins like Glutamine, do you know how much do they actually add? Also does nutritional information varies based on flavor?

Kool. So this would fall under "mixed" protein source? I am not looking to replace a meal, I eat through out a day small portions, just add to my daily intake.
They have a bunch of add-ins like Glutamine, do you know how much do they actually add? Also does nutritional information varies based on flavor?

As it says on their webpage, they simply extract the protein from skim milk.
Milk has whey and casein for protein, so I guess you could call it mixed,

It adds a thickness to shakes. I like it and it's cheap.

They will add as little or as much as you want of the additives like glutamine. I don't use any of them. I suggest you get a few pounds plain to try it.

100% whey is 100% whey is a 100% whey. Research will show you if it's 100% whey it is virtually identical to the product it sits next to on the shelf. Don't get caught up in the 'designer whey' marketing on this particular supplement. And I have found GNC to be higher priced on just about everything also.

That said, I buy EAS chocolate whey at Sam's Club for $24/6 lbs bag. Tastes good, easy to mix.

I just bought a 6 pound of EAS Chocolate and a 6 pound of WAS Vanilla at Costco for $24.95 each. Note that these are combo protein mixes, but they're good and work.

ON (Optimum Nutrition) is an excellent brand of whey protein. A lot of my lifter buddies love their chocolate stuff, or their Rocky Road flavors.

I don't recommend buying it from GNC, at least after figuring out what flavor you want, because it will be overpriced. Amazon sells it at a much better price. I'm pretty sure right now GNC is selling it at over $10 a pound, while Amazon is offering 7. I just picked up 10lbs of Rocky Road, which I mix with skim milk after lifting and cycling workouts.

Check the fat content on the labels.

This is the label from my bag of EAS:

Calories: 140
Calories from fat: 20
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 80 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 3 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 27 g
Potassium: 140 mg

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolized Whey Protein Concentrate, L-Glutamine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose and Aspertame, Potassium

Cheap whey has fat. That EAS stuff is 14% fat. Not really a lot, but if you
want protein, that's eighty something percent protein, not pure.

Now, just to be perverse, I am trying Whey Fraction, and that has even more fat.

dymatize whey, cheap and decent tasting

The numbers I gave were for a serving size of 35 g., which makes the cat content at about 7.25%, not 14.

Don't waste your money on the overpriced, over-hyped products at GNC. CostCo whey is virtually the same, for about half the price.

I get Whey Isolate, higher % of protein. Specifically Fitness Labs brand from this supplier: http://tinyurl.com/259cec

I get the Natural Vanilla as it has no additives or artificial sweeteners. But it only comes in vanilla, the chocolate may have some sweeteners and additives.

Optimum Nutrition for me, when I have the money. When I don't, I settle for Costco's EAS.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I ordered some chocolate flavored Milk Isolate protein from proteinfactory. Will post after it arrives and I use it for a few days.

I like Isopure. Functionally a lot of brands will yield the same results, but I've found that Isopure has the least taste/texture of its own, dissolves well in liquid, and blends well into protein shakes. Balanced died, yada-yada-yada, whatever, I need to eat too much and a protein shake in the evening helps me catch up on calories in a somewhat controlled manner at the end of the day.

If it hasn't been said yet, make sure you find one that has casein in it. A lot of proteins have whey but not casein, which both come from cow's milk.

If it hasn't been said yet, make sure you find one that has casein in it. A lot of proteins have whey but not casein, which both come from cow's milk.

Yeah, I said it. I told him to get milk protein. They never listen until they've been around the block a few times.

Try Jay Robb. 24g protein, no artificial sweeteners or fillers. Also non-growth hormone (ghb) cows. He also does an egg white.

Yeah, I said it. I told him to get milk protein. They never listen until they've been around the block a few times.

What a hell are you talking about?

These are my two cents: GNC protein is incredibly nasty, this stuff is undrinkable. My favorite is Designer's Whey Protein. It's hands down the best tasting protein out there, and it's a high quality product too.

Milk protein has a "Biological Value" of 60. Whey isolate has a BV of almost 160.

Not that you shouldn't drink milk, but Whey clearly has major benefits in that it gets absorbed by the body so easily. I get the best of both worlds by mixing each scoop of whey (25g protein) with 1 glass of milk (an additional 11g protein).

I like the idea, sometimes I add some whey fraction to my protein shakes. I usually save it
for post-ride drinks.

Your bod has a limited ability to absorb protein. Throw too much at one point in time and your body will find other uses for it, like storing it in fat cells. Casein slows things down a bit.

Bodybuilding.com
Optimum Nutrition or Higher Power(bodybuilding.com store brand)

Much better prices than GNC..

Milk protein has a "Biological Value" of 60. Whey isolate has a BV of almost 160.

Not that you shouldn't drink milk, but Whey clearly has major benefits in that it gets absorbed by the body so easily. I get the best of both worlds by mixing each scoop of whey (25g protein) with 1 glass of milk (an additional 11g protein).

The problem with BV is that in only counts how much of the protein your body absorbs, but has no way of telling how your body is using it. If you drink 100 grams of protein right now, despite the high BV, I can guarantee that most of it will be converted and used for something besides muscle growth. On top of that, most BVs are determined through test on rats. I'm not a rat, and I won't use my protein resources the same as a lazy rodent.

I say drink what tastes and feel good, don't get hung up on fake science propaganda the nutrition companies throw at you.

This is the label from my bag of EAS:

Calories: 140
Calories from fat: 20
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 80 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 3 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 27 g
Potassium: 140 mg

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolized Whey Protein Concentrate, L-Glutamine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose and Aspertame, Potassium

I would avoid anything that contains aspartame... just do a google search for it and you'll see why.

I would avoid anything that contains aspartame... just do a google search for it and you'll see why.

It's basically nutrasweet, not good for the body.

This is the label from my bag of EAS:

Calories: 140
Calories from fat: 20
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 80 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 3 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 27 g
Potassium: 140 mg

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolized Whey Protein Concentrate, L-Glutamine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose and Aspertame, Potassium

this is low quality product. they mix whey protein concentrate with isolate. concentrate is up to 89% pure while isolate is 90+% pure protein. mixing two produces cheaper product.
read info on whey protein here: bestofwheyprotein.com/2011/06/aboutwheyproteinisolate/

same site sells NSF certified for sport protein: bestofwheyprotein.com/
I would pay extra for that.

Zombie thread.

Also is there like a chocolate flavored whey protein?

Thanks.

Highly recommend Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard. I am actually a newbie in the cycling world but am a competitive lifter and need to regularly suppliment my protien intake. The double rich chocolate is fantastic and actually will mix fine with no lumps in a simple shaker bottle.

Several stores carry it both in shop and online. I would however recommend to stay away from GNC. There stuff is ok, but you can get a higher quality Whey from other places, especially from ON. I normally get my suppliments from Vitamine Shoppe.

25 bucks for 6 lb bag at costco, label looks pretty good to me, i picked up a bag, tastes greathttp://fitzaang.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/muscle-milk-protein-nutrition.jpg?w=500&h=666