Protein is essential to building muscle but also for repairing tissue, and keeping skin, hair, nails and blood strong and healthy. Protein can’t be stored though so your body needs a constant supply every-day, which probably accounts for the huge popularity of protein powders. A recent study found that protein supplements improve muscle strength for both men and women, but that the benefits increase with resistance training experience and decrease with age. The study also found that protein type- so a protein supplements vs. a steak- didn’t affect effectiveness. Nor did the time of day the protein was taken. Interesting stuff, so if you’d like to give a protein powder a go, here’s our round-up of the 9 best protein powders in no particular order:
1. The collagen enriched one:
If you like the idea of including collagen in with your protein powder, this one is for you! Proto-col is the first protein powder to blend 80% concentrate whey protein with 97% concentrate collagen hydrolysate which your body needs for healthy joints, bones and connective tissues as well as that essential muscle growth!
www.proto-col.com
2. The vegan one:
The ingredients of most protein powders rule them out for vegans, but Vegan Protein from Awesome Supplements which was founded by nutritionist, coach and speaker Ben Coomber is made from rice, hemp and pea protein. This smooth textured protein powder can be added to water or used with alternative milks:
www.store.awesomesupplements.co.uk
3. The vegetarian one:
A good choice for vegetarians and vegans, Protein Smoothie from British brand Rejuvenated is said to be beneficial for those looking to lose weight and improve general health. With 100% vegetable pea protein, this natural supplement contains inulin- a concentrated starch- which targets visceral fat found around the heart and other organs- as well as muscle firming amino acids.
www.rejuvenated.co.uk
4. The high strength one:
Our opening study suggests that there is a limit to the amount of protein that is beneficial- 1.6g per kg of weight. For a 79kg man, that would be just over 126g of protein per day. Whey Better is said to be Britain’s highest strength protein powder, Whey Better from Bio Synergy delivers 27.2g of protein in every 30g serving with zero carbs and fat.
www.bio-synergy.uk
5. The 50:50 one:
Protein powder aficionados will know that there are different types of whey protein, the concentrate and the isolate. The isolate is taken from the concentrate but undergoes extra filtering to remove more fat and carbs. No doubt they will also be familiar with casein, a high quality protein source. Hydra 6 from Grenade is said to be the perfect 50:50 ratio of fast acting whey protein isolate and slow release ultra-filtered micellar casein combined in a single protein powder, making it suitable to feed your muscles at different times of day without buying two different protein powders.
www.grenade.com
6. The natural one:
Taste is a big factor when buying a new protein powder but you don’t want something packed with artificial sweeteners. Natural Whey Protein Isolate from Natural Nutrients contains no flavours, colours or sweeteners for a neutral taste that you can add other flavours too- like fruit or milk.
naturalnutrients.co.uk
7. The organic one:
The organic movement has been huge in recent years and now you can go organic with your protein powder with Supernova, an organic vegan protein powder that blends the most hypoallergenic of pea and rice proteins with organic adaptogens like red maca, wild chaga and ashwaganda.
supernovaliving.com
8. The probiotic one:
Keeping our gut healthy with probiotics isn’t new, but now you can get your probiotics mixed in with your protein powder. Maximum Vibrance actually contains immense amounts of probiotics alongside vitamins, fibre, antioxidants, digestive enzymes and of course protein- yellow pea protein to be exact- with around 120 ingredients in total! Available through
www.water-for-health.co.uk
9. The mint-chocolate one:
When it comes to buying protein powders, finding an alternative to vanilla can be tricky. The new Stealth vegan recovery drink though comes in a mint-chocolate flavour that is said to be delicious. Developed by champion track cyclist Tim Lawson’s sports nutrition brand Secret Training, Stealth is vegan, gluten free and free from artificial sweeteners.
