As a fitness enthusiast and a Science guy, I am always curious to find the real value of a supplement. What works and what does not work. More importantly, I believe the analysis of a product should be based on strong scientific knowledge base, combined with good old fashion practical use of the product, and only then one should come down to the final conclusion.This product review and analysis was conducted based on 3 parameters
A. Constituents: What comes in the box, the real value of the product
B. Assimilation: How does this product goes down in your system, how much of it will your body assimilate
C. Usability : Long term usability and and effects.
I believe this is one of the best supplements available in the market today. The Question is Why?
1. The Quality of protein. Since its manufactured by Glanbia (who owns Optimum nutrition), this product is coming straight from the manufacturer. This is a BIG factor, 90% of the protein supplement companies source their raw materials from third parties, often importing them from third world countries.
100 grams of Whey protein isolate from one source is NOT equal to the 100 gram Whey protein isolate from another. Inferior resources usually have high level of Heavy metals and cattle Hormones. This has been elucidated from recent tests and published widely in the consumer reports. ON aced this report with minimum levels of such harmful residues. Reason is simple, they make their own whey in a plant which has to abide all regulations under US law.
Just for the point of reference. I am from India, and therefore know first hand how many poorly regulated cheese plants export their whey to Europe and US. So make sure your Whey protein is coming from Whey extracted in the US!!
The Additives
2. Ideally, I will prefer the protein powder with no artificial sweetener. But lets face it, such a product will be hard to sell. However, Golds whey keep artificial sweeter to minimum. If you check Bodybuilding.com forums, lots of consumer complain that its not sweet enough. I request all such folks to realise that is actually good for them, if you feel this product is not sufficiently sweet for you. Its better you use lesser amount of hydrant (Milk, water, juice etc), or add a tiny bit of Honey.
The ProfileThe Myth about Isolate vs a Blend
3. This might be hard for some people to digest. However, the truth is 96% people who use Whey supplements, will have no additional benefits of taking an Isolate vs a Blend. Please note, when I use the word blend, I mean a product lile Golds whey which is well balanced with Whey isolate and Whey Concentrate. (not any junk product form the market). If you take the blend, you might get 1 gram of extra fat or 2 grams of extra carbs which is absolutely nothing. You can burn this by adding 1.5 minute to your jog routine or walking for 2-3 minutes. You will get the same result and effect as the Isolate, so its not worth spending extra refined Isolate. The Isolate rumor is just a Hype created by the supplement industry. I will repeat this again, if your blend is as good as Golds whey i.e you are getting 24 grams per 30 gram scoop, you don't need an Isolate.
Who all comprise the 4% population who can benefit from an Isolate. First people who are extremely lactose Intolerant. I have used the word extremely since all good products add enzymes to digest the little amount of lactose residue in the supplement. Lactose is not a a bad thing, its simply the milk sugar. So if you are highly allergic to Lactose, Isolate will help (they have negligible levels of lactose)
Second tier of people who can benefit from Isolates are professional athletes who are pepping up for an upcoming competition. This competitive set is consuming 5-8+ scoops of Whey protein daily and therefore will benefit from reduction in additional fat or carbs.
4. Why go for Whey protein blend when you have specialized protein powders with Whey,egg and Casein.
Its simple science, Whey is just better with the best Biological value*. This means that your body will better absorb and use the protein source from Whey more than any other source, therefore no wastage. Egg is also a great resource, which is just behind Whey. However in real world it lags behind Whey substantially, even the delayed absorption rate cannot compensate much. Scientifically it has been proven that Whey is just better, since it doesn't tax your digestive processes as much as an egg protein.
Question of Casein:
Its true that Casein has an edge when it comes to delayed absorption. Its anti-catabolic properties and slow absorption makes it an ideal night time protein. This said, its best when you take Casein in concentrated from, i.e. if you need Casein, take only Caesin, do not mix it with Whey... Why do I say this, Its a big topic based on metabolism response(will add a different thread later). One last thing 24 grams of Whey protein is NOT equal to 24 grams of Casein as the Biological value of Casein is lower than Whey.However Caesin does have its own benifit of delayed response, provided you actually need it.
*Biological Value: Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food which becomes incorporated into the proteins of the organism's body.
Whey protein concentrate: 104
Whole egg: 100
Cow milk: 91
Beef: 80
Casein: 77
Soy: 74
Last Thoughts:
Always keep a note of how much protein you are consuming from Supplements Vs straight from the food. Ideally one should keep protein sources from supplements under 25%, but if your life style is demanding and you are unable to get hold of good meals rich in protein, you should always keep your protein dependency under 50%. In layman terms, for most of us who are looking for fitness, keep it not more than 2 scoops/day. For those who really pump some heavy Iron keep it upto than 3 scoops/day. (let me know if you wish to know the science behind this)
In the end Supplements are only Supplements. The word Supplement has a lot of Drama attached to it, as if, if you don't take a protein shake within 30 minutes of your work out.. you will never make good gain. Total Crap. This is not a make or break factor(its just beneficial). Baring few exceptions. Supplements adds up only 20 percent of your fitness equation.
In the real world, for over 90% of us. The fitness equation is something like this.
A Intensity and Regularity of Workout: 3035%
B Lifestyle and Nutritional Choices: 4050%
C Supplements : 0 20%
So the most important thing is to focus on A%B. Once you have maximized A and B, think about C
In my honest opinion, "the BEST" protein product out there would have to be "Profect" by Protica Research. It's actually the stuff used by gastric bypass patients. It's 25 grams of high-absorb protein in only 2.7 fluid oz that literally tastes like fruit candy. But, it's way too expensive and a two-months supply can set you back a couple of hundred bucks easily. Because of this, it's better suited strictly toward its medical purposes.
This product is also not the "most cost-effective". There are plenty of other whey products out there that are much much cheaper and have just as much protein content, but they all pretty much taste like doo doo. What's the point in torturing yourself to save a few bucks? Cost is definitely an important factor, but not the most important.
Apart from all of the hype and apart from all of the hate, I would say that I really do like this product. It tasted a bit gross with just plain water, but when I added it to a cup of enriched soymilk, I couldn't tell the difference between it and a regular kid's chocolate milk shake. That is amazing. And this product did mix pretty well. I usually have problems with that when it comes to powdered shakes and it's always great when you can get a shake that doesn't just sit on the bottom of the cup and cement while everything else just floats to the top. I even added a serving of Benefiber fiber supplement, and it still didn't clump up.
One problem that I have with this product is that it does use artificial sweeteners, but I'll let that slide for now, since I don't intake too many products with them anyway. Still, it is a cause for concern for those you who want to avoid such things in your diet entirely.
Overall, 4 of of 5 stars. I'm pleased but not impressed. This product is definitely one of the superior brands out there but most definitely not a "gold standard". A lot could be done to improve it.
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When it comes to a no non-sense protein powder, one that has extras such as glutamine and BCAA's, and at the same time has a minimal amount of fat and carbs...this is the protein to get. This isn't a meal replacement or should be used as one, if that's what your looking for try muscle milk which is high in protein but also other calories as well.This is your post-workout protein shake plain and simple. I always add one banana either in the blender or just eat it separately, and when I'm in bulking phase I'll also add one tablespoon of peanut butter and bam, you have yourself a meal replacement too if that's what you prefer. Not to mention, its freaking delicious with the peanut butter!
One simple thing I have been adding to each shake is Citrulline Malate and Beta Alanine, Primaforce Citrulline Malate 200 Grams + FREE Beta Alanine Powder 250 Grams. My recovery time has literally been cut in half since adding this to the mix, also worth looking into if you are involved in intense training of any kind.
Read Best Reviews of Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard Here
This is the best Protein powder you can get, no doubt and let me explain you why.If you want a good tasting thing and that is your first priority then get one of those Wendy's or McDonalds's shakes. I mean, is that simple. Don't be so picky about the taste when you are consuming a Protein Shake. The industry has advanced a lot over the years and the powders get better and better with the time, so stop whining.
Now, if you still are into that taste and everything else comes second, then look for another product that has more saturated fat, more sugar, more simple carbs, less protein per scoop (less than the impressive .79 oz of Protein per oz of powder, a whooping 79%) and that is not 100% whey.
Don't get me wrong, I still think this powder tastes great, it's just not THE best taste out there (but who knows, maybe for you it is) but the benefits beat that. I have tried the double rich chocolate, the vanilla flavor, the strawberry flavor and the cookies and cream. They all taste good to me, especially if you know how to prepare them.
The amount of calories very slightly from flavor to flavor (no more than 10 calories per scoop) but let's take for example, the double rich chocolate.
1 scoop has 120 calories, 10 from fat, a minimum amount of carbs and 24 grams of Whey protein. In case you don't know, Whey protein is the most respected type of protein there is (with the white egg protein) since your body uses it entirely, unlike other types of protein that may become body fat if there's not enough physical activity.
The price is incredible too. Whether you are a weight lifter, body builder, somebody that wants to grow muscles or maybe somebody on a diet to eliminate that belly, you know how expensive food can be during the month. A Shake after workout there, a bar over there, whole wheat bread, fruits, etc. If spending extra money doesn't affect that's fine but if you sometimes have to take care of your personal budget then the price gives you another reason to choose 100% Whey.
I don't think there's a lot more to say here. This is the best selling powder and for good reasons.
And if you really need a good taste, then here are some recipes.
Prepare these in a blender, it's the best way.
1)Cut a banana in pieces and put them at the bottom.
2)Ice cubes, like 8-12 depending on the size.
3)2 scoops of double rich chocolate.
4)Milk. I prefer Soy Milk. It has some good fats and is better. 12 oz are more than ok.
Shake it until its ok. I'm not gonna confuse you saying "30 seconds" because some blenders do in 5 seconds what others do in like almost a minute.
Protein: 60-65 grams (almost 50 coming from the powder and more than 10 from the milk)
Calories: About 500 (The soy milk I drink has 100 calories per each 8oz glass, again look at the nutrition facts of your milk)
Calories from fat: About 60 (Half of them coming from good fats due to the soy milk).
Instead of the banana you can try rasberries too.
The cookies and cream recipe works the same as the chocolate recipe, plus the calories are the same. If you want a good strawberry shake do the same thing replacing the bananas with strawberries. Like 10 strawberries will be fine. It will have less calories since strawberries have less calories than the banana. Make sure the fruit is at the bottom, then you put the ice and after that you put the protein and the milk is at the end.
Enjoy.
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This stuff tastes Great ( I've used both Double-Chocolate and Strawberry mixed in with Vanilla Yogurt or Milk ). My only complaint is that they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners ( Sucralose aka "Splenda" for Strawberry, Acesulfame Potassium aka "Sweet One" for Double-Rich-Chocolate ). Amazon does not mention this and it is not spelled out on the container itself ( only listed under ingredients with their chemical names). I'm concerned as there have been no long-term human studies conducted to determine the potential health effects of Splenda on humans. Until long-term human studies are conducted, no one will know for sure whether Splenda is really safe or unsafe for humans to eat. Unfortunately, used in a Protein powder, a person is likely to consume quite a bit of this stuff (3-4 servings a day for me). They have a Natural Whey product with no artificial sweeteners that I think I will switch to ( contains natural fructose instead ).Save 36% off
