Which Protein do I need?!
Protein powder is everywhere!! You can seemingly find endless companies that sell different types of protein powder. Among these may be Casein Protein, Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Egg Protein, and Plant-based protein. Let’s dive in to the protein powder to see which one does what so you can make an informed decision come purchase time!
Let’s start with Whey Protein. There are two popular types: Isolate and Concentrate. Whey Protein is made by filtering milk, which creates a concentrate protein that includes lactose, some fats, and carbs. Whey Protein becomes an isolate as the filtering process is repeated and the protein becomes more pure. In other words, concentrate contains more leftover lactose, fats and carbs. Isolate is broken down more and contains far less lactose, fats, and carbs. Whey Protein is quickly digested in to the blood stream and is absorbed by muscles faster, making it an ideal immediate post workout choice.
Casein Protein is also derived from milk proteins. However, this type of protein is slow-digesting and is absorbed by the muscles over the course of several hours. For this reason, Casein is popularly taken at night time to give muscles a constant source of protein to grab from.
Plant-based protein comes from, you guessed it, PLANTS! Pea protein is often the main source. Plant-based protein does virtually the same job and Whey protein. This type of protein is great for those with milk allergies, intolerances, or just as an alternative to milk-based proteins.
Egg Protein comes from eggs. It is often the most expensive, but it is a very pure form of protein and is again a great alternative to those with milk allergies or intolerances.
Happy lifting!
By Jared Bradford