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How to choose the right whey protein and not get fooled
Confused about which protein to buy? Here I have outlined 5 smart ways to help you choose your next protein supplement. If you follow these guidelines, you will not only able to choose the exact whey protein supplement that you need but also avoid wasting your money on unnecessary products. This e-book will guide you to look beyond fancy advertising and flashy labels of whey protein supplements and make an informed choice.
Congratulations!! Now that you have been hitting the gym for a while or have started running. It requires dedication, sacrifice, and discipline, kudos to you for sticking with it. By now you must have heard of Whey Protein from your trainer, a friend, or your gym buddy. You may have intrigued by the delicious-looking shake that almost everyone around you is drinking or quite possibly may have consumed a couple of tubs of whey protein so far.
Whey protein is one of the best supplements that you can take to improve your performance, build muscles and, achieve your fitness goal. It’s been on the market for decades and the choice of protein supplement for many.
Why it is hard to pick the right supplement:
But, what happens when you embark on the rather frustrating journey of buying your supplement, you look up on the internet and immediately find hundreds of choices, varying from price, flavor, type, quality, and brands. You visit a supplement store, see rows and rows stacked with whey proteins, with colorful and attractive logos, labels, a cutout of a bodybuilder with a picture of protein tub next to it. Which one to choose, how to choose, which is suitable for you, how much to spend, whom to trust. There is always something new, ingredients, claims, offers, influencers. The list is never-ending. I know, it is very frustrating.
Currently, the market offers tons of different whey protein supplements and the choices are overwhelming. All companies are trying to market their product using various ways that can cloud your judgment. The abundance of choices and hyped marketing can hamper the decision-making process. All the glitz, hype, and claims can make you pick up the wrong product. It’s hard to cut through the noise and unless you have clear cut directions.
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How you end up with a wrong product:
What happens when you can’t make up your mind, you take a shortcut. You listen to your trainer or friend and buy the same supplement that they are using. Many times you get pushed to buy a supplement that you don’t need or lured into buying a supplement which is heavily advertised or one that looks good. In consequence, you will buy something that you don’t need at all and spend more money than required. More importantly, you won’t know what you are consuming and why you are consuming. You will just give in to some trend and won’t make a choice that is right for you.
How to choose the right whey protein:
To avoid that happening to you, I have outlined 5 smart ways to choose a whey protein supplement that fits your needs. This will also make it easy and simple for you to decide which whey protein supplement to buy. It will guide you through the sea of supplements to the right product.
Here we will discuss the type of protein that you need and what factors you sholid consider while picking your whey protein supplement. Here are the five factors,
1. Fitness Goal
2. Fitness Goal
3. Protein per scoop
4. Lactose intolerance
5. Budget
Now let’s dive deep and take a look at each factor one by one.
1. Fitness Goal: we start the exercise with a fitness goal in mind, either we want to maintain our physique, increase muscle mass, lose fat or gain endurance. If you just want to maintain your physique and muscle mass or want to supplement your diet with additional proteins then whey protein concentrate is good enough for you, since it provides enough proteins along with few carbs and fats.
If you have been working out for a longer time you probably need a protein supplement that provides a higher amount of protein, contains almost no carbs or fats and, has faster digestion, then Whey Isolate is the way to go.
If you have just started working out stick with whey protein concentrate until you have started hitting hard in the gym.
Endurance athletes need to build stamina and lean muscles, for which Whey Isolate is the most suitable choice.
For fat loss, you don’t need additional calories from fats or carbohydrates, you need to pack more protein in your diet to provide energy in the absence of carbohydrates, in this case choosing whey Isolate over whey concentrate makes sense.
There are two major choices of whey proteins to choose from, Whey Protein Concentrate and Whey protein Isliate.
Whey protein concentrate contains about 80% protein and few grams of carbohydrates and fats in them while Whey protein Isolate contains up to and above 90% of protein and a minimal amount of carbs and fats.
2. Diet: This is a hard part, how careflily you are monitoring your diet, counting your calories, making choices while consuming food. Do you stop and think about calories and fats before opening a bag of chips or just make them disappear. How often you eat that yummy-looking fast food or go for a salad.
If you find yourself constantly looking at the nutritional chart of food products, whey Isolate is the way to go. If you are not concerned about a bit of carb and fats then whey concentrate is good enough. Whey concentrate will provide enough proteins for your protein needs without burning a hlie in your pocket.
Consuming a whey protein Isolate shake in the morning and finishing the day with pizza will negate the additional benefits of the whey Isliate.
If you are conscious about your diet then go with Whey Isliate, if not Whey Concentrate will do.
3. Protein content per scoop: This is an important factor to consider while shopping for your whey protein supplement if you want to save money and get the best value. The protein content is specified on the label as grams per serving. Pay attention to the size of the serving and calculate the percent of protein you get per scoop. For example for 24 grams per serving with a serving size of 33 grams, you will get about 72% protein.
A protein supplement should provide the maximum amount of protein possible and that’s how you can get the worth of your money, anything less than 70% is money wasted.
I saw a popular brand of whey protein that offers about 46% protein per serving, but it offers great taste at the expense of the quantity of protein. Since the flavoring components have to be accommodated in the serving, there is not much room left to add enough protein. So the question to ask yourself is, are you spending money to buy a protein supplement or a shake with good flavor.
It is a wise choice to go with a product that offers more than 70% protein per serving.
If you want to get the best value for your money then go with whey concentrate that offers over 70% or Whey Isolate that offers above 80% protein per serving.
4. Lactose intolerance: It is an important factor while considering your protein supplement. Can you digest dairy properly or you get bloated and gas after drinking milk.
If you are lactose intolerant go with Whey Isolate because whey Isolate contains very less amount of lactose in form of carbs. If you can digest dairy products without any issue then go with Whey Isolate.
If you are lactose intolerant and still want to go with protein concentrate, buy a product that contains digestive enzyme Lactase, or purchase a lactase supplement. This will help you to minimize effects of lactose intolerance and digest dairy products better.
5. Budget: Consider your budget before purchasing your whey protein supplement. If you have a lower budget choose whey protein concentrate, it is good enough for most people. It provides a sufficient amount of protein for a beginner or even for someone who wants to build muscles.
If you have a higher budget and can spend a little more opt for Whey Isolate, it gives you the benefit of containing a higher amount of protein with minimal carbs and fats.
There is another form of whey protein that I have not mentioned yet, that is Whey Protein Hydrolysate. It is partially hydrolyzed with help of enzymes and when consumed offers faster absorption in the body than the other two forms. It is the most expensive of all.
Stick with Whey protein concentrate or Isolate unless you are preparing for an upcoming bodybuilding completion or a marathon.
Choose whey Concentrate if you are a
i) Beginners
ii) Want a budget-friendly protein.
iii) Don’t mind a few carbs and fats.
iv) Just want to supplement your diet with protein.
v) Can digest dairy products.
Go with Whey Isolate if you
i) Want to gain muscle mass and definition
ii) On weight loss diet.
iii) Don’t mind spending a little more.
iv) Advanced athletes.
v) Lactose intolerance.
Pay attention to serving per scoop.
The power of knowledge
These are the five basic factors that you should consider while purchasing your next whey protein supplement. With these important factors, you can determine the right protein supplement by yourself and don’t have to rely on someone. When you walk into a supplement store you will know when you are being oversold, when somebody is trying to push a supplement with just a cool label and some random ingredients. You will have some groundwork ready to decide for yourself what is best for you rather than letting someone choose for you.
Having an expert choose supplement for you is often good given he/she has your best interests in mind, but it is not always the case. So if you follow these guidelines you can easily pick a supplement for yourself, won’t spend money on a product that you don’t need, and avoid getting fooled by sales tactics.
I hope these tips will help you to choose your next whey protein supplement, achieve your fitness goals and get the best value for your money.
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