Which Protein Powder is the Best?

At least you got the memo that protein is the most important nutrient for proper digestion and you're are trying to eat more of it. Protein powders, however are expensive and not all they live up to be. Let's take a look at the most popular option, whey protein

Whey is a superfood!

It's the liquid that floats above the yogurt in your container. When you make butter out of cultured cream, it's the leftover liquid. Do you recall the childhood nursery rhyme.

"Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey..."

Ah yes, this naturally cultured or fermented product by which the beneficial bacteria feasts on the lactose sugars in the cream. When people are paying $30-50 for a probiotic, made of beneficial bacteria we can understand that this whey is a mighty affordable way to get our probiotics.

Unfortunately, as health gurus starting spreading this knowledge, food manufacturers perked up their manufacturing radar ears and started putting whey protein in everything! Unfortunately, this has cheapened and denatured our product. In order to shelf stabilize the powder, it has to be processed, refined, and well, dead.

Then, since whey has virtually no flavor, they must add "natural flavors" which always means sugar. Even then these powders are not often that sweet so we blend them into a fruit smoothie full of fructose. Boy do we feel "great" with that high. Unfortunately it's not a stable source of energy.

You're better off eating whole foods, with natural proteins in them, and real dairy with real whey probiotics are a bonus! Next time throw 1 cup of plain whole milk yogurt with the whey on top in your blender. Add a handful of raw nuts and a raw egg yolk. Squeeze half an orange, toss in half a cup of berries and a spoonful of raw honey and you'll be creating a much cheaper, tastier, and healthier version of your protein powder smoothie.

If you just don't have time to get those valuable proteins into your shake, then I can recommend two brands of proteins that are legitimately safe. Most protein powders are processed at very high temperatures which denatures the structure and releases glutamic acids like MSG and oxidized cholesterol. However, buying 100% gelatin avoids the sugars, artificial ingredients, and glutamic acids.

Safe Protein Powders

I love the grass fed beef gelatin by Great Lakes. It has no funny stuff and no funny flavor. You can make jello, gummies, thicken your sauces, and boost up your protein intake if you really really can't do it with egg yolks, yogurts, or real meats.

I recently found one more company that makes their pure protein without the added gunk; Vital Proteins. I've used both of these products so I can attest to the claims. However, I do not take either one on a daily basis. I use the gelatin to make fun gummies and jello for my kids, and I've brought them on road trips or vacations when I was unsure what to expect for meals.

The point is, though these are great supplements to your diet, there's no better source of protein than pasture raised animal meat, eggs, raw milk, and cultured cream such as yogurt or butter. It's an easy diet to follow, if we just stop making it so dang hard!