How to Select The Best Protein Powder For You!

The best protein powder for you to use depends on the time you plan on taking it. For example, the type of protein powder you have pre- or post-exercise is different from the best protein powders to use as a meal replacement or before going to bed.

Protein powder is great to use for several reasons. If you're a hard-training athlete, your requirement for protein increases and 'drinking your protein' is an easy way of getting the extra protein that your body needs.

Also, one of the main recommendations for assisting your weight-loss efforts is to consume 5 or 6 small meals a day.

One of the biggest objections many people have with this recommendation is time, and since protein shakes made with the best protein powders are a quick and easy way to have your 5 or 6 small meals a day, protein powder is great for this reason.

In addition to this, many people fail to have a balanced macronutrient ratio in all of their meals, which means that they don't have a portion of carbohydrate, protein and fat in each of their daily meals, i.e. they will just have a piece of fruit for their mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal/ snack. The best whey protein powder makes it easier to get the protein component of the meal as well as prevent muscle loss, which means your metabolism can stay elevated for longer.

How to select the best protein powder

As was mentioned earlier, the best whey protein powder to use depends on when you planning on taking it. So we will consider three of the most common times and what is the best protein powders to use.

Pre- or Post-Exercise

The best form of protein powder to use pre- or post-exercise is a whey protein isolate (WPI). This is the most processed form of whey protein and may come in various forms depending on the filtration method used. Some of the methods for preparing whey protein isolate include: cross-flow micro-filtration, ion-exchange and hydrolysed whey protein isolate.

Any of these forms of whey protein isolates are highly processed and are rapidly absorbed into the body because very little, if any, digestion is required. These protein powders are considered to be in a 'pre-digested form'.

This means that when they are taken they causes a rapid increase in the blood amino acid level followed by a corresponding drop shortly afterwards.

By taking a small amount of whey protein isolate pre-exercise (in water because milk may slow absorption) you induce glucagon release from the pancreas. One of the functions of glucagon is to liberate glucose from the glycogen stores in the liver. This can provide energy to the working muscles during the exercise session.

Also, the amino acids from the protein powder may prevent 'catabolism' (muscle breakdown) from occurring during the workout. The liberated glucose may also have a 'protein-sparing' or 'anti-catabolic' effect.

The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in the protein powder are known to be directly oxidised in muscle tissue and are therefore a source of energy to the working muscles.

The best protein powder to use post-exercise is also a whey protein isolate (WPI). The main reason why WPIs are the best form of protein powder to have after training is simply because of its rapid absorption properties.

By having a rapidly absorbed protein after exercise, you can immediately start repairing the damaged muscle tissue. This will potentially reduce recovery time post-exercise.

Meal / Snack Replacement

The best protein powder to use as a meal replacement is a whey protein concentrate (WPC). They have higher levels of carbohydrate and fat compared to the whey protein isolates because they aren't as refined but they also have higher levels of 'glycomacropeptides' (larger chains of amino acids that have health-promoting benefits) because less processing has kept their levels high in the protein powder.

The higher fat levels and less processing means that they whey protein takes slightly longer to be absorbed in the body. This is an advantage for meal replacements because it means that the level of amino acids remains high in the blood stream for longer after consumption even though absorption isn't as fast. Whey protein concentrates are generally much cheaper than whey protein isolates as well.

WPCs are the best form of protein powder to use as a meal replacement and are best used with a small amount of low-fat milk to help promote a more sustained release of amino acids into the blood stream. A WPC/ WPI blend may also be used as a meal replacement.

Pre-sleep Protein Powder

The best protein powder to use before going to bed is primarily casein. Casein is the other form of protein found in dairy foods. It is not as high quality as whey protein but has other properties that are beneficial, making it the ideal 'pre-sleep' protein powder.

When it is consumed, casein forms a 'gel' in the stomach, which means the release of amino acids into the blood stream is extremely slow. This slow-release of amino acids means that the lean tissues of the body, particularly muscle tissue, are less likely to go into a catabolic state or 'negative nitrogen balance'. This is particularly important since the body is going without food for several hours.

A combination of whey protein and casein pre-sleep may even be better than a pure casein protein powder alone because then you provide your body with high-quality amino acids in combination with the slow-release properties.

In saying all of this, using three different forms of protein powder during the day is an advanced strategy and is really only necessary for people who are serious about their training, i.e. bodybuilders and fitness competitors.

If you simply want to lose weight and tone up then it is really only necessary to have one type of protein powder during the day. You can still consume it at the same times that we have covered here, you simply need to have the pre-and post-exercise protein powder in water and the meal replacement and pre-sleep protein powder in milk to slow absorption.

Out of the three type of protein powders that we have covered here, the best whey protein powder to use is the combination of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. There are many protein powders on the market that offer this combination. The WPI/ WPC combination is a high-quality, moderately rapid absorbing and cost-effective protein powder.

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