THE HONEST GUIDE - HOW TO FIND THE BEST WHEY PROTEIN

It’s a simple question, but with the abundance of protein powder brands on the market all touting that they’re the best, how do you make a decision? Which whey protein really is the best?

After a little research, below are just some of the types of protein powders that are available:

• Lean whey protein
• Diet whey protein
• Native whey protein
• Naked whey protein
• Best whey protein
• Recovery whey protein
• Total mass whey protein
• 100% whey protein

1 site actually had 25 different ‘types’ of whey protein. Strange that, considering they all start with the same ingredient, milk…

So, which one to take? Unlike trigonometry there is no black-and-white answer here, but in essence, as the main goal for taking whey protein is for muscle growth and recovery, the answer to “what is the best whey protein?” is actually quite simple.

As experts in our field, we eat, sleep and breathe whey protein. So we’re narrowing it down to 3 main things you need to look for when finding the best whey protein. These are:

1. A lean macro profile
2. Good taste
3. Effectiveness (Amino acid profile)

Let’s break these down a little further… 

1. A lean macro profile

9/10 of you are taking, or looking to take, whey protein because you’re trying to increase your lean muscle or to help with weight management. Trust me, I’ve done the research. Twice.

Because of this, you need to be looking for:

• At least 80% protein content (less than that and it’s no good – too many unnecessary ingredients)
• Low calories, fat, carbs and sugar
  • You’re taking it for protein remember, not for additional sugar and calories
• An ingredients list that you can read and understand

2. Taste

Let’s face it – to be ranked as the best whey protein, it needs to taste good. Not on the first usage, but time-and-time again. Having a shake 3-5 times a week means you should enjoy it. You also need to ensure that the taste isn’t at a compromise of added sugar or unnecessary ingredients. If you’ve found a whey that tastes amazing but has 250 calories per serving, then is there really any point?

TOP TIP

Unfortunately, there aren’t any independent studies that actually show a consumer ranking on taste so you’ll need to check out the reviews. A little tip - in the same way that grass-fed dairy products such as milk and butter tastes nicer, so will grass-fed whey. 

3. Effectiveness (Amino acid profile)

The amino acids within a whey protein powder are the key elements that help you reach your goals of recovery and growth – NOT the rest of the added, unnecessary ingredients.

There are 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) that our body doesn’t naturally produce so we need to get them from our diet. Whey Protein has all of these 9 EAAs – unlike most of its Vegan Protein Powder cousins (or sisters…). 3 of these EAAs are the BCAAs.

BCAAs stands for Branched-Chain Amino Acids – made up of Valine, Isoleucine & Leucine.

These 3 BCAAs stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the process of making muscle) more than the rest however they can only do this most effectively when combined with the 6 other EAAs. So taking BCAA powder or drinks in unison isn’t as effective as simply taking a whey powder. Taking both is even more of a waste of money!!

Check out this article– it perfectly tells of the benefits of BCAAs.

TOP TIP: in short, when looking at which is the most effective, the higher the number of amino acids (specifically BCAAs), the better. Again a good grass-fed whey will have an abundance of naturally occurring BCAAs – don’t be tricked by those “adding” BCAAs in. They’ll charge you more and it’s a waste of your money.

A secret 4^th reason – convenience

Let’s face it, we’re all extremely busy and often choose the most convenient option when it comes to nutrition in our daily lives. If you’re able to hit your protein goal from protein-rich foods then that’s preferable, however the main reason whey protein is so popular is that it’s a perfectly convenient way to get a protein rich in all the EAAs on-the-go.

THAT SAID, historically whey powder has been a nightmare to have on-the-go. At whey’d, we originally started our business to simply make it easier to take whey powder. Our single-serve sachets are perfect for a convenient access to whey without the need to opt for higher sugar milkshakes or protein bars. Just a really clean, pure whey powder that you can throw in your bag without any mess!

The final word

My advice is that although your goals may be different (getting lean, building mass etc) – the base product will ALWAYS be the same – a pure, clean whey protein source.

You should then tailor your diet and training plan to meet your goals with wholesome food and sheer hard work in the gym. It’s as simple as that.

Don’t buy 4 different types of whey and BCAA drinks – you’re just wasting your money.

So what is the best whey protein?

Naturally in my opinion whey’d is the best whey protein powder. (No doubt you’re thinking “Good grief, what a bias article this is!”)

I didn’t create whey'd just for fun (although it is the best job in the world), I created it because I couldn’t find anything that met my needs on the market already. Don’t just take my word for it either – see our genuine 5* feedback ratings on Trustpilot here.

 whey’d has:

• Low calories, fat, carbs and sugar 
• Ranked #1 in ALL taste tests
• A very high % of BCAAs 

The fact we give a glass of milk to a school child in poverty for every serving sold on our site, source our whey from sustainable family-run dairy farmers & off-set our carbon footprint from our whey production through our donations to The Woodland Trust is just an added extra!

You’re now armed with the information you need to find “the best whey protein” in your opinion!

To say thanks for reading this blog, click on this code - THEBESTWHEY or add at checkout for 20% off any of our products!