A Look at Whey Protein Powder
There are so many different whey protein powder products on the
marketplace today that knowing which one is the best one for you
is getting increasingly more complicated. To make things even
more confusing, many of the competing brands use different
suggested serving sizes, different measuring spoons and
different container sizes just to make comparisons more
difficult.
There is more to whey protein powder than nutritional-benefit
appeal. Increasingly, food formulators are taking advantage of
whey protein powder ingredients most functional properties, such
as whipping/foaming, emulsification, gelation and high water
binding capabilities, to improve the taste and mouth-feel of
their new product formulations or to replace fat.
It is important to note that there are significant price and
nutritional value differences between the various whey protein
powder supplements on the market. One containing 34% protein may
cost up to 80% less than better quality whey protein powders
with protein contents of 77% or higher. Most whey protein
powders use a blend of different whey protein concentrates,
isolates and hydrolysates, making it possible to hide
inferior/cheaper proteins in a product. But there's an easy way
to find out. To determine the overall protein percentage of your
supplement, whey or otherwise, simply divide the protein found
in each serving by the serving size and multiply by 100.
Here is an example to help you figure out how much of your
current whey protein powder actually protein is whey protein:
22g of protein per serving -- 28.4g serving size x 100 = 77.5%
protein. Keep in mind that it is impossible to end up with 100%
whey protein. Flavors, colors, sweeteners, and micronutrients,
that make these supplements nutritious and enjoyable to consume
tend to displace some of the space that could be occupied by
more whey protein. Nevertheless, it's important to account for
these fillers, since grams of whey protein powder per bottle is
what most consumers are really after.