As you probably know, not all supplements are created equal and protein supplements are no different.  I’ll show you the ones I personally like… but let’s start by figuring out what kind of protein supplement is good for you.

There are many different kinds of protein supplements, such as egg protein, rice protein, hemp protein, pea protein and there’s probably a few more that I haven’t mentioned… but the one I’m going to talk about today is whey protein.  Whey is by far the most popular protein supplement.  Mainly because it’s cheap and it works. Whey is highly absorbable, which means the nutrients can get utilized by your body very efficiently.

There are 3 main types of whey proteins.

1. Whey Concentrate

2. Whey Isolate

3. Whey Hydrolysate

Whey Concentrate vs. Whey Isolate vs. Whey Hydrolysate

The main differences between all 3 types of whey protein is the level of processing involved.  Whey concentrate is the least processed and whey hydroslate is most processed.  The more processed it becomes, the more you lose the naturally occurring nutrients in whey.  Now normally that would be a bad thing, but in this case it’s not totally the case and here’s why…

By far the two most common types of whey protein you’ll see on the market are whey concentrate and whey isolate.  The biggest difference between is that whey isolate has more protein content than whey concentrate. Whey concentrates has about 80% protein and has a higher carbohydrate content and more fat content.  It also means it’s got a higher lactose content as well.  In comparison, whey isolate has about 90% protein and has much less carbohydrate, fat and lactose.

So if you’re looking for higher protein content with less carbs, less fat and you’re sensitive to lactose, you’re better off taking whey isolate than whey concentrate.  Now that being said, whey concentrate is cheaper and it’s got a higher content of other nutrients including carbs and fat including lactose.  So if you’re not lactose sensitive and don’t mind the higher carb and fat content and would like more of the naturally occurring nutrients in whey, then whey concentrate is for you.

Now what about whey hydrolysate?  The big difference is that both whey concentrate and whey isolate contain intact proteins, where as in whey hydrolysate, the protein has been “hydrolyzed’ or partially broken down.  This is to make the protein even more digestible to increase it’s absorption rate.  The draw back to this process is that it makes it taste more bitter and it’s more expensive.  Although this process does increase digestibility and absorption, it may not be enough to off set the loss in taste or the cost.  These are probably the two biggest reasons why whey hydrolysate is the least popular whey protein supplement on the market.

Regular Whey vs. Grass Fed Whey

There’s been a lot of talk about the difference between factory farmed animals and grass fed, pasture raised animals.  And it’s true that the nutrition of meat and dairy products are vastly different depending on the way the animals are raised.  When it comes to meat and dairy, it’s always best to choose grass fed instead of factory farmed.  Pastured animals have much higher sources of beneficial fatty acids, the meat is cleaner (no hormones or anti-biotics), and it’s an overall much better choice for optimal health.

But, what about whey protein?  Whey is a byproduct of cheese production, so whatever hormones or antibiotics that are injected in cows do show up in whey.  Although the amounts are very small and may not pose any serious health concerns, if I were you I’d stay away from any whey sources that don’t specifically say free of hormones and antibiotics.

So assuming all things equal (no hormones or antibiotics) what about grass-fed whey vs. regular whey?

Here’s the thing.  When it comes to whey protein, most of us consume it for the protein content and not for anything else.  Although you can get some beneficial nutrients from whey concentrate, it’s negligible compared to eating real food.  So if you’re eating a well balance diet with high quality protein from real food, it shouldn’t matter if you’re taking grass-fed whey or regular whey.  Grass-fed whey is usually much more expensive and I don’t think its worth the money.

Although I wouldn’t be too concerned over the difference, if you can afford to buy it, I would opt for grass-fed whey if you’re going with whey concentrate.  If you’re going with whey isolate, I don’t think it really matters. That being said the price is a big different between

So here’s my take on whey protein supplements:

• Get nutrients from eating real food.  (i.e. grass-fed meat, wild caught fish and pasture raised chickens)

• Whey protein sources should be free of any hormones and antibiotics

• Whey concentrate is the best choice if you’re not lactose sensitive

• Whey isolate is best choice if you’re lactose sensitive

• Whey hydrolysate is not worth the money

When to Take Whey Protein Supplements for the Best Benefits?

The most effective time to take whey protein supplement is right after you are done with a workout.  Anytime within the first hour of working out is probably the best if you’re looking to maximize the amount of protein absorption, since you’re body is highly insulin sensitive from the workout.

You can also divide your protein intake to small amounts throughout day (2 - 3 times a day) as well to help increase protein absorption.

Lastly, if you find that you’re stomach gets irritated from consuming whey protein consistently after sometime, it can be helpful to change up the type of protein supplement you’re taking.  For instance, you may want to take whey protein for 3 weeks, then switch to hemp protein for 3 weeks and then to some other protein for another 3 weeks and then start back again to whey protein.  You can also take a 2 - 3 weeks off of taking any protein supplement as well to give you body a break.