With so many different protein powders available on the market, it can be a tough choice which one to pick – not only for someone new to the game but also for someone that’s been around for a while. I don’t know about you, but I get set in my ways and sometimes I need to re-evaluate my plan of attack. When I do that periodically, I realize that there are usually a few small and easy changes I can make that will yield results.
Whey protein, whether it is isolate, concentrate, or in any other form, is typically known for being the best. There are times at which I believe whey protein is the best way to go such as post workout, but there most definitely is something to be said for incorporating other types of protein than just whey.
I’m personally a big believer in blended proteins, and I believe too much of any one kind of protein may cause a food allergy to be developed (i.e. I used to eat 10-12 eggs at a time, multiple times per day when I was younger as it was cheap – and it began to cause indigestion problems after some time). Now, I combine 40g whey isolate in the morning with egg whites (excellent quality, highest BV) and cottage cheese (
casein protein source, slower release) in a blender for a blended protein whole food shake.
Different types of protein have different advantages and disadvantages to them, depending on how you look at it. Let’s take a look at the biggest differences between casein and whey and look at which one is optimal at what time. Whey protein (isolate even more so than concentrate) is known for having a high BV and digesting/absorbing quickly, which makes it an excellent choice for post workout as we know it’s important to feed the muscle immediately following resistance training. I like to add some whey isolate in the morning to my whole food shake because by the time I roll out of bed it’s been hours since I’ve fed my body, so it’s important to get a surge of quick acting protein first thing.
In the earlier years of my lifting, I jumped on the bandwagon and used 100% whey concentrate in every shake because the ads said it was the best. Later I moved to using products such as
Beverly Muscle Provider, Ultra Size, and other Beverly blended proteins. Now that I understand what is what, I incorporate casein proteins more often for a few different reasons. Whey protein digests faster and therefore leaves me full for a very short time, if at all. Blended proteins which contain casein are helpful with this, but I’ve found more recently that when I have a shake that’s actually supposed to supplement a meal that a higher percentage of casein protein is best as it’s slower digesting, will keep my muscles fed for a longer period of time, and will keep me full longer. This is especially true at night before bed. I have always been a fan of consuming a meal right before bed, although it doesn’t align with popular opinion, it keeps me from going catabolic while I sleep. No carbs, low fat, mostly protein. I’ve done beef, salmon, and chicken (beef and salmon are better choices because they do have some good fat in them), but now I use a
casein protein drink before bed as it typically keeps working for 6-8 hours which covers my sleep time, so I know my muscles are getting fed all night long.
