Is whey a better source of protein than beef, chicken, fish, or other whole food sources?
Whey protein is not magical. It isn’t going to turn you into a superhuman or anything like that. Some supplement companies will try to make you believe that, but it just isn’t going to happen.
Whey protein is simply another source of protein. I prefer beef, chicken, fish, and other whole food proteins, but whey really helps for your pre-workout and post-workout smoothies.
Whey is one of the cheapest forms of protein available (at the time of this writing – it can change any time, though, as with anything). This is a huge advantage. You’ll be increasing your
protein intake while on this program, so whey will help you keep the cost down. Whey is as cheap as canned tuna when compared gram for gram.
Whey certainly is NOT a whole food, it is processed, and it’s not nutrient dense so it’s not one of the best foods available.
One of the biggest advantages of whey (fast-acting) can also be a disadvantage at times. Whey protein is a fast acting source of protein. In other words, it hits your bloodstream faster than
other protein sources and provides the body with the building blocks it needs much quicker than other sources. Amino acids in the bloodstream will not stay around for as long as other sources, though.
Whey’s fast acting nature makes it perfect for pre and post workout supplementation just to simply give your body more protein.
For other times throughout the day, it’s best to not have whey. If you must, include fibrous foods and essential fats. This will slow down the absorption of protein and create a longer lasting effect. I do not recommend having whey protein shakes throughout the day with no other foods included.
I’ve been using whey protein for a long time now. I’ve tried a ton of different brands and flavors. I’ve used expensive forms of whey such as whey isolate, ion exchange, and many other forms of whey. I’ve tried mixtures of protein powder including egg protein, casein, milk isolate, and other forms of protein.
Simply put, the cheapest form of whey protein (whey concentrate) has given me equal results.
Many others report the same thing. So, I highly recommend that you save your money and stick with whey concentrate. If you want to experiment with more expensive forms of protein, be my guest. Keep track of your results as you will with WLC, and see if your results improve.
No matter what, make sure you check the ingredients of the whey protein you use to ensure there are no artificial sweeteners. Cold-processed whey protein is the best if you can find it.
Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague! Non-flavored whey is the best if you’re going to be using it in your smoothies anyway. This prevents you from having to worry about artificial
sweeteners.
I have used whey protein throughout the day in the past, and I do not recommend that at all. I believe whey protein on its own leads to a release of insulin and higher blood sugar levels.
You don’t want that at all during the day. Not good.
Only use whey protein around your weight lifting workouts and no other times. This will provide your body with some extra protein in its time of need. This is not a requirement, though. I recommend the use of whey in your pre and post workout smoothies, but you definitely don’t have to.
Remember, whey protein is a processed food so it’s not packed with nutrition. It’s only high in protein content so you’re only missing out on the additional protein if you decide not to use.
This is not a big deal.
Whole food proteins are actually much better than whey. If you would rather use whole eggs, whole milk, chicken, beef, fish, or any other meat pre and post workout, this will work even better. Whey is simply convenient for pre and post workout smoothies, and that’s why I recommend. But again, it’s not a requirement!
