Which Protein Should I Buy? And How Can I Tell The Difference?

Are all Whey Protein Powders the same?

 

NO! and it’s important to understand the difference. Whey protein powders are produced by removing a certain percentage of non-protein ingredients from pasteurized whey derived from cheese processing. Let’s start with the two most common forms of whey protein, Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Concentrate.

 

While both come from the same place, the final product is where they differ. If the front of a container just says "Whey Protein" there’s a good chance it’s Whey Concentrate. Whey Concentrate is a precursor to whey isolate. What that means is that whey isolate is a more filtered down version of protein. The extra fats, sugars, lactose, and carbohydrates have been removed. That leaves a purer version of protein. That also comes with a little higher price point, usually a few dollars more (5-10$) more per 2lb container. The major (possible) problem with whey concentrate is there is a very wide spectrum as to what is acceptable. Whey Concentrate can be as low as 34% or as high as around 80% protein value. The issue, both will still be considered whey concentrate on the label. However, the good news is you can check the amount of actual protein in your powder by dividing the amount of protein in one scoop by the total weights of the scoop which can be found at the very top of the nutrition facts. Take that number and multiply by 100). This will give you an idea of how much of that one scoop is protein vs other ingredients. While this number will never by 100, anything in the 80% range is good when you factor in flavoring and other necessary ingredients to the final product.