Which Protein Powders Are Best?

Protein powders are very popular among health-conscious people. There are numerous types of protein powder made from a wide variety of sources.

As there are so many options, it can be difficult to determine which will provide optimal results.

Here are my recommendations of protein powder and brands:

What Are Protein Powders?

Protein powders are concentrated sources of protein from animal or plant foods, such as dairy, eggs, rice or peas.

There are three common forms:

· Protein concentrates: Produced by extracting protein from whole food using heat and acid or enzymes. These typically supply 60–80% protein, with the remaining 20–40% composed of fat and carbs.

· Protein isolates: An additional filtering process removes more fat and carbs, further concentrating the protein. Protein isolate powders contain about 90–95% protein.

· Protein hydrolysates: Produced by further heating with acid or enzymes — which breaks the bonds between amino acids — hydrolysates are absorbed more quickly by your body and muscles.

Hydrolysates appear to raise insulin levels more than other forms — at least in the case of whey protein. This can enhance your muscle growth following exercise.

Some powders are also fortified with vitamins and minerals, especially calcium.However, not everyone benefits from these powders. If your diet is already rich in high-quality protein, you likely won't see much difference in your quality of life by adding protein powder.

However, athletes and people who regularly lift weights may find that taking protein powder helps maximize muscle gain and fat loss.

Protein powders can also aid individuals who struggle to meet protein needs with food alone, such as people who are ill, older adults and some vegetarians or vegans.

Which Protein Powders/Brands Are Best?

Although all protein powders provide a concentrated source of protein, certain types may be more effective at giving your body what it needs.

For Muscle Gain

Research has consistently confirmed whey protein's ability to promote muscle mass and recovery. While whey concentrate is cheaper than whey isolate, it contains less protein by weight.

Here are a few suggestions for whey protein powders:

· Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein: This whey protein isolate plus concentrate provides 24 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of BCAAs per serving.

· Iso Zero 100% Whey Protein: This whey protein is carbohydrate free and provides 26,7 grams of protein and 6.3 grams of BCAAs per serving.

· Dymatize Nutrition Elite Whey Protein: This combined concentrate and isolate gives 24 grams of protein and 5 grams of BCAAs per scoop.

For Weight Loss

Casein protein, whey protein or a combination of the two may be the best protein supplement for promoting fullness and fat loss:

· Ekopura Grass-Fed Whey Protein: This whey protein isolate packs 25 grams of protein per scoo and completely organic.

· Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein Protein: This casein protein offers 24 grams of protein per scoop.

· Fusion Pro Whey + Casein Protein: This combination of whey and casein protein concentrates boasts 20 grams of protein per scoop.

For Vegetarians and Vegans

Here are a few high-quality protein powders containing single or mixed 100%-vegan plant proteins:

· Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake: This blend of pea protein, flax seeds, hemp and other ingredients has 20 grams of protein per scoop.

· Warrior Blend Bio: This organic protein mix contain organic pea protein, organic hemp protein and organic coconut. In addition, the Warrior Blend from Sunwarrior contains amino acids such as: alanine, arginine, glycine, lysine and 6 gr BCAAs.