I get lots of questions on protein powder and which one to buy. It's a normal question. Back 10 years ago there was only a few kinds and none of them tasted good. Kind of like chalk with some nasty flavor added.

Now when you walk into a health store they are stacked to the roof, and come in all shapes and sizes. So what do you buy?

Most protein powder out there now is whey protein and unless you have a problem with milk products then this is usually the easiest way it go. It's cheaper than rice or soy protein for the most part and it has more choices. Under the whey protein there are a few different types though.

First is meal replacement protein powder. This is basically protein powder with extra carbs in it so it feels like a meal. I'm not a huge fan of these since they tend to have a lot of sugar in them, which you don't need, and often have lots of extra carbs too.

The second is weight gainer. This stuff is pointless even if you are trying to gain weight. Basically it is just lots of calories with some protein, and it will make you fatter no question. Will it help you put on muscle? Maybe but you won't be able to see it anyway so I'd skip it.

The third and forth ones are the ones you want to aim for. They are plain whey protein and whey isolate. The only real difference is in purity. Isolate is refined more so it has less sugar (by a few grams at most) and if you have milk issues, you should be able to drink it. It also mixes better in water. It is more expensive too, but that's about the only differences.

I personally go with plain whey protein powder since I feel it does what I need it to do and really the few grams of sugar isn't all that much of a big deal. I tend to go for Power Whey, which I find tastes the best (even Gina likes it) and isn't very expensive.

Happy shaking. :)

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