{"id":13136,"date":"2019-04-15T23:52:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T23:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=13136"},"modified":"2022-04-06T03:03:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T03:03:48","slug":"best-protein-powders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/best-protein-powders\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dietitian’s Complete Guide to Protein Powders"},"content":{"rendered":"There are endless options and claims on labels\u2014but how do you select the best protein<\/a> powder for you? Jessica Nelson, RDN, CPT<\/a>, educates us on what’s out there.<\/em>\n\nFirst things first…\n

Are Protein Powders Really Necessary?<\/h2>\n

Nutritionally speaking, if you are eating an adequate diet \u2013 then no. You do not need a protein powder. In reality, many individuals struggle to meet protein needs. Perhaps you’re a vegetarian or vegan \u2013 or you have food allergies<\/a> or sensitivities. Maybe you’re someone who works out constantly and your body needs extra protein for muscle recovery.<\/p>\n

Whether medically necessary to fill in nutritional gaps, or for an athlete that needs to get extra protein in fast and efficiently, protein powders do have a place and purpose.<\/p>\n

But how do you shop for a good protein powder? First, there are two types: whey and plant-based or vegan protein powders.<\/p>\nTo understand how each works, we first need to understand what essential amino acids and complete proteins are.\n

Essential Amino Acids & Complete Proteins<\/h2>\nAmino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are at least 20 amino acids the human body needs to function optimally. Some our body is able to produce on its own and others we need to get from our diet.\n\nAmino acids we can only get from food sources are called “essential amino acids.” There are nine total essential amino acids we need to get from our dietary sources. When a source of protein has all nine essential amino acids it is called a “complete protein.”\n

By default, animal proteins naturally offer a complete profile of amino acids. By contrast, individual plant-based proteins are considered “incomplete proteins” because they only have some but not all of the essential amino acids we need.<\/p>\n

However, you can easily combine different plant-based protein sources to achieve a complete amino acid profile. For that reason, you’ll see that plant-based powders tend to combine several sources of plant proteins.<\/p>\n\"Protein\n

Whey Protein Powders<\/h2>\nWhat is whey, exactly? After milk has been curdled and strained, the remaining liquid is dehydrated and used in powder form. That’s whey. Whey protein powders generally mix well but can have a slightly chalky taste.\n

When it comes to choosing whey powders there are three main forms including:<\/p>\n\n