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Choosing the Best Protein Powder for Your Goals

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Wake up, pee, roll down to the kitchen and make my pre-workout shake of Glutamine, 1/2 scoop protein powder and a pinch of a pre-workout supplement, plus water.

Every day. Same thing. It works for me, after lots of experimentation.

Using protein powder to enhance distance training is entirely a personal choice! It’s not a must or a requirement, no matter what anyone tells you.

For me and many of my athletes it’s the most effective way to ensure we eat enough protein during high volume training months. Not only is this important for energy, but to prevent muscle loss which results in gaining fat and less powerful running.
Read more about maintaining muscle during marathon training >>

Leading to the obvious question…what is the best protein powder for women, for runners, for men?protein powder for women

How to Judge Protein Powder Quality?

Above and beyond the form of protein, the first focus has to be the quality of the supplement. A good protein for runners can come in plant based or not, start by looking at these things first.

Cheaper brands are filled with chemicals that will only slow your body down as it attempts to process these foreign substances. Leading to stomach pains, bloating and digestive issues.

Things to avoid:

  • MSG
  • Artificial Sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, maltodextrin
  • GMOs
  • Toxic heavy metals are found in many of those cheap store brands
  • NSF certified which means athletes can happily use it in competition
What to look for when selecting a protein powder (and why price isn't the first thing!) #healthy Click To Tweet

The best protein powder for women is one that doesn’t contain things that are going to make you bloated, feel bad and actually contains enough protein to be of benefit.

**Important to note: your body can only absorb about 30 grams at a time, so if you’re sucking down 60grams in one drink then you’re just creating some very expensive urine. Yup, when you have too much, your kidneys just go to work clearing it out of your system.

This has lead some people to claim it’s bad for the kidneys. However, that seems to be quiet rare or in people who already have other kidney issues. The overall benefit of getting enough protein generally outweighs this for athletes. vega smoothie

Don’t want to slug down just the powder, then make your protein shake after running a green smoothie! Now you’ve taken your recovery to the next level by getting in great easy to absorb nutrients alongside the protein.

Best Protein Powder for Runners

Now on to the type of protein. Because I’m dairy free, I tend to use only plant based protein powders which include things like pea and brown rice protein.

However, many who are dairy-free have no problem with whey protein isolates as the lactose is usually removed. This is one to test for yourself and find out how you feel because studies are showing some added benefits when using whey.

Over the years I have tested out a whole slew of flavors and brands, much of that is going to come down to preference once you’ve found a quality powder. Protein powder for women is no different than for men, we need generally the same vitamins and minerals, what we might need less of are calories per pound of weight. That you can easily control with serving size.Benefits of Whey Protein powder vs other protein powdersA quick break down of the most popular protein types and benefits:

Whey Protein Powder

Unlike the other powders, whey protein contains components which are found to have additional benefits to performance and healthy. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) helps prevent cancer and improve cardiovascular health.

It contains leucine which is critical for muscle building.
It is digested faster which allows for quicker muscle growth stimulation.
It has also been shown in studies to enhance recovery due to the complete amino acid profile.
It boosts glutathione which helps the body to remove free radicals that cause cell damage.

Whey hdryolysate, which means it’s a predigested form of whey that has dairy allergens removed and is more easily digested (huge for endurance athletes whose digestive systems are often working over time or shut down to blood being diverted to our limbs!).

Egg Protein Powder

Made from egg whites, it’s low in calories and carbohydrates, dairy free and can be a great source of vitamins depending upon the quality of the eggs. It has a slow release which can be beneficial to muscle growth.

If the powder is low quality, you could be exposed to antibiotics and salmonella among other things. A great option for making things like pancakes!

Decoding the benefits and drawbacks of different types of protein powder from whey to pea #sportsnutrition Click To Tweet

Soy Protein Powder

As always there are some amazing products out there, but I’m cautious about using a concentrated form of soy on a regular basis due to all the conflicting science. For Vegans, soy contains all amino acids, as well as the full B-vitamin complex, which are both things that many non-meat eaters find lacking in the diet.

Pea/Brown Rice Protein Powder

For those with food sensitives this is the best option and of course completely Vegan as well. It could be part of a protein rotation to get the benefits of whey and the switch up to prevent creating food sensitives.

It contains nearly as many BCAA’s as whey protein.
It’s easy to digest, putting the protein to work right away and preventing bloating.
It’s high in protein, low in carbohydrates and gluten free.
It can help to regulate your blood sugar levels.

90% of the time this is what you’ll see me using and often popping up in my Instagram Stories. I am a big fan of Vega and use all their options depending on the day:

  • Vega Sport Protein -highest protein content
  • Vega One Complete – great when I’m not having a smoothie
  • Vega Energy – good for pre-long run

Hemp Protein Powder

Did you know that pro-athletes can’t use hemp seeds or powder?! It’s not a drug, but apparently it’s too closely related for those regulators.

Another Vegan option, hemp provides omega-3 and omega-6 in the perfect ratio, which has a slew of benefits from reducing PMS issues to assisting with high blood pressure. However, hemp is higher in calories and slightly lower in total protein when compared to other sources and that could be a concern if the focus is weight loss.

Dr. Axe has created a great little graphic which breaks down the benefits. best protein powdersIt goes without saying that our goal should always be to focus on whole healthy foods as much as possible. But for athletes it’s often difficult to get in enough nutrients without the help of a quality supplement.

I simply can’t process larges amounts of protein either animal or plant based, so a powder has been hugely beneficial to my routine as I was often hitting less than 40 grams a day…a great way to be skinny fat. That being said, you’ll notice I usually only go for a 1/2 scoop at a time because I’m trying to force myself to work on those protein whole food sources!

Are there any issues with too much protein powder?
Beyond the reported kidney issue noted above the biggest things that I’ve noticed are the potential for skin breakouts. I’ve seen this is a lot of women who start using more than 1 scoop per day, which could be due to the ingredients or simply the overkill on protein, hard to say.

But if you’re doing a protein shake followed immediately by a steak and potato, it’s overkill!

So back to our original question, what is the best protein powder? Science would say if you don’t have any dairy allergies, whey is the top choice for men and women. After that it comes down to your body, your goals and taste buds!

How often do you use protein powder?

What do you look for in a powder?

Other ways to connect with Amanda
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Read Next: Protein Timing for Body Fat Loss >>

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Posted by amanda Categories: Guides and Tips, sports nutrition

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TheDimpledRunner says

    September 18, 2016 at 11:03 am

    I have been on the lookout for a great protein powder that is plant-based. Only thing is I need one that I can take if I was pregnant as I don’t want to risk anything (I’m a planner and worrier;). So far the only one my doc agreed I could use when I was pregnant with my son was disgusting. haha I’ll ask my doc about the one you and your husband use!! Thank you!

    • amanda says

      September 18, 2016 at 3:18 pm

      This powder is not plant based as it uses Whey, which is why David can use it, but I can’t. Just to be clear!

  2. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says

    September 19, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Great tips! I knew about the different kinds but not all the differences. I feel even more educated looking for my next bottle.

  3. Laura says

    September 19, 2016 at 2:24 pm

    This is super helpful! I started adding protein powder to my smoothies after I had my 3rd baby! I never get enough protein and I was feeling so tired. I found a delicious dairy-free, soy-free plant-based powder that I’m in love with! YAY!

  4. Mick says

    September 19, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    Great post and great info.! I’ve always done whey but I’ll have to give the others a shot.

  5. Sandra Laflamme says

    September 19, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    I use protein powder in smoothies and often for recovery. I always try to go for the most pure. And of course organic if I can find it. I hadn’t heard of this brand before so will have to check it out!

  6. Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says

    September 19, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    I had no idea pro-athletes couldn’t use hemp protein – that’s insane! When I do use protein powder, I’m all about pea protein.

  7. Taylor Kiser says

    September 20, 2016 at 5:54 am

    So much great information and tips! Really a helpful post to wade through all the choices on the market so that the right protein powder can be found!

  8. Bodynsoil says

    September 20, 2016 at 7:07 am

    Great article on proteins. I’ve found that within the whey family there are timing advantages to the different types. Casein is slow digesting and good before bed, isolate is fast digesting and great for post workout. At times I like to mix casein pudding right before bed as it helps with sleep and I’ve read that it helps to release GH.

  9. Heather @ FITaspire says

    September 20, 2016 at 8:22 am

    What a great article – there are so many options available and everyone has a different opinion, so I love this guide to help choose the right oen for you. :) I use protein powder before or after my workouts and sometimes for a quick snack smoothie. Honestly, taste is SUPER important to me, although of course it has to be a high quality protein that won’t make my stomach upset (lactose-intolerant). :)

    • Kimberly Werner says

      January 3, 2017 at 10:39 am

      Have you found a lactose-free whey shake?

      • amanda says

        January 3, 2017 at 10:48 am

        Well a lot of them claim that, but I’ve found for myself and others that the whey often still bothers the stomach. I prefer to stick to pea, and brown rice protein, but egg white is a great option too.

  10. Sonali- The Foodie Physician says

    September 20, 2016 at 8:26 am

    I missed the days of sticking to my morning routine- now with a 3 year old in the mix, every morning is an adventure! Thanks for sharing your expertise and all of this top quality info. I thought it was really interesting to learn that pro-athletes can’t use hemp products!

  11. Sarah- A Whisk and Two Wands says

    September 21, 2016 at 10:10 am

    I got in spurts of using it daily and using it about every other day post strength training. I use Vega and have only tried a couple others in recent years. I recently found another I like that I’m rotating in but strictly for protein and nutrition not for post workout and to mix things up (no BCAA’s and other things I look for). I haven’t tried whey proteins in years… not being vegan anymore maybe I should try it again and see how my body does. I do also use more protein milks now since the girls are loving it and it’s there and try to rotate things more.

  12. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says

    September 21, 2016 at 11:10 am

    Ok love this post! So many protein powders are full of JUNK! This is really helpful. I just tried Kashi’s plant based powder and it was really good!

  13. Emily Kyle says

    September 21, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    This is such a great resource! I am admittedly not up to date with protein powders, so this is a great article to keep on hand!

  14. Lindsay Cotter says

    September 21, 2016 at 3:22 pm

    Such a great post! Lots of helpful information!

  15. Wendy says

    September 22, 2016 at 6:01 am

    This is such great information! I’ve only found one vegan protein powder that I really liked and probably just need to try more variety. I’m pretty sure I’ve never tried pea protein.

  16. Brian says

    October 24, 2016 at 8:06 am

    Awesome information! I often just go with whey protein, but I’ll have to try out more pea and rice protein. Thanks for sharing!

  17. Jake Tyler says

    October 31, 2016 at 8:32 am

    Nice sharing with many helpful tips. I’m often confused with all these things, so this article is really a life-saver for me.

  18. Julia Walters says

    March 16, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    This article is so informative. I have never known those different protein powder. Thanks for sharing this blog post with us. I’m not familiar with hemp protein. and thanks to your article, now I know what type of protein powder I should be using. Which is your favorite protein powder from your list?

  19. Alexis says

    May 1, 2019 at 6:17 am

    In the past few months I switched over to Generation UCan’s Performance Energy + Protein for post-run recovery and I love it! It’s made a world of difference in helping my muscles recover quickly, especially after long or hard runs. This is a more in-depth look at what I’m doing for protein, hydration, and recovery: https://runningmybestlife.com/half-marathon-recovery/.

  20. Kristin Vincenzo says

    May 2, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    Great article! Thanks for sharing that information! I’m a runner and a kiteboarder. I need a good energy source to do my sports, but I also need something that helps with recovery post session. I’m going to share with this with my kiter friends!

  21. Greg says

    May 4, 2019 at 9:03 am

    Thanks for this! I’ve been looking for this exact resource!

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A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might alr A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might already know what’s best for you, but aren’t doing it consistently. That’s the only way we really make changes.
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A PLAN can help, but I often don’t think that’s step one to making lasting change.
//
HABITS AND ROUTINES✴️
-Eliminate the need to make decisions.
-Which reduces brain fatigue.
-Which increases your chance of success.
//
TINY HABITS✴️
This is the smallest step you can take towards your goal. Often so small it seems insignificant, but is easy to make it a habit.
🌟
That leads you to another tiny habit, then another and suddenly it’s just your lifestyle.
👆👆👆
When people ask how I easily kept off 35lbs for over 15 years, while enjoying pizza, taking rest days and not obsessing about food.
👇👇👇👇
When people ask how I stay motivated to run year round and rarely race. Tiny habits.
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Day one isn’t eat perfect or run for an hour.
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Day one IS drink a glass of water when I wake up. Put on my running clothes.
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Day 30 is then more like after I drink my glass of water, I do 5 push ups. After I put on my running clothes, I do a 5 minute warm up.
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SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS, it builds momentum and is sustainable.
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Have you ever practiced creating tiny habits???
1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR? M 1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR?
Mine... satisfying.
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1900 miles blows away previous years.
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(swipe to see...because yes I love tracking.) Unfortunately I’m not positive what it was 2001-2007 because I wrote it on calendars.
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🌲I loved the time outside to think, get lost in a comedy podcast or audiobook. Otherwise I’m at home working!
🤩Without a single race, I still checked a big goal off my list of running an ultra distance (solo was very interesting!).
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