What’s the best whey protein powder supplement?

A reader question: among all those many varieties of protein powder, which is the best?

Really the driver for that decision is going to be, first, what form of protein.  Soy protein is potentially but not definitively linked to some forms of cancer, and has a hormonal effect; plant proteins are expensive, so my first thought here would be to go with whey protein.

Whey is a by-product of the cheese making process; it’s a watery byproduct that occurs when milk is curdled.  In cottage cheese making, some of it is left in as the ‘juice’ around the curds; in most other cheese it’s drained off.  It’s a very rich source of protein, a scoop of it has close to 20 grams of protein with only 100 calories and only 3 grams of carbs.

Note that protein powders, unless vitamin fortified, do not contain vitamins or enough carbs to be the only source of your daily nutrients; think of whey as an add-in, a very pleasant protein addition to shakes, hot cereals and even in baking and in mashed potatoes (use a lower heat than you otherwise would to reduce the toughening effect whey has when cooked).

As far as brands, whey is whey, so the differences from one brand to another, as long as it’s pure whey, is whatever flavoring is added.  From this context I’ve long been a fan of Designer Whey, which you can pick up here on a subscribe and save basis for a very reasonable price (no kickback to  me, btw, just providing a link).  Otherwise anything you find on sale is going to be roughly equivalent.  Vanilla flavored protein will take on whatever taste you add to it — my go-to adds are peaches and strawberries.

Note that you could get a similar high protein, low carb, nonfat intake by eating cottage cheese itself, or skim milk, or lean poultry.  The choice is up to you.  If you like smoothies, whey is a great way to boost their nutritional value.