Selecting The Best Type Of Protein Supplement For You

You exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and watch your macronutrient intake – just like you are supposed to. But you need something more in order to get that extra kick that will help you achieve your goals a lot more efficiently. You know there are different types of protein supplements out there, but you get stuck in a rut when it comes to selecting the most appropriate product for you. You read the labels, but either find it tough to make up your mind or don’t understand all that ingredients jargon. If this is a problem you are familiar with during supplement shopping, keep reading.

The Basics

Deciding what type of protein is best for you doesn’t have to be a daunting task; simply understand the basic concepts and what you want out of your supplement, and you’re good to go.

Supplementation with protein products is fairly common among most people, but as mentioned above, selecting the best product for you will largely depend on what you are looking to get out of it. This article discusses a few of the top types of protein in the market, all with different purposes.

1. Casein Protein

Casein is a slow digesting protein that gets broken down over the course of several hours, and is definitely the route to take if you would like to get a protein supplement that you can use as a meal replacement or in a pre-bedtime protein shake.

If you use casein protein before bed your body will stay anabolic for between 5 – 7 hours, which is roughly how long it takes for the protein to be fully broken down, as your body keeps absorbing and utilizing the protein. If you also want to constantly supply your muscles with nutrients during the day, casein might be the ideal protein for you.

2. Whey Concentrate

This versatile protein is one of the most basic forms of whey that you will find stocked in many supplement shops. Supplements containing whey concentrate will be generally inexpensive and are a perfect place to start for beginners who don’t wish to spend too much on a protein supplement.

Whey concentrate can be used before and after workouts, as well as between your daily meals as a snack. However, unlike casein protein, whey concentrate is not the preferred protein to use at night.

3. Whey Isolate

Whey isolate is one of the purest and fastest absorbing forms of protein available, and has between 90 – 95% protein content. With very low carbohydrate and sugar levels, isolates are ideal for those on a low carb diet, and are also a good protein source for individuals with lactose intolerance since there is usually little or no lactose.

Although isolates are a little on the expensive side, they make excellent protein sources for pre and post-workout use since they are absorbed quite rapidly to supply your muscles with the required nutrients for recovery and growth.

4. Hydrolysate Protein

This is the highest quality and most expensive source of protein that is available on the market. With the highly absorbable peptides it contains, hydrolysate provides your body with the highest rate of absorption of the available proteins – meaning it gets absorbed even faster than whey isolate, and can be used both before and after workouts.

5. Soy Protein

If you are a vegetarian looking for a good source of protein, soy might just do it for you, even though it’s not very popular among the majority of the gym-going population. Soy protein is quite useful and comes with a number of added benefits such as glutamine – which helps with recovery, arginine – which helps with blood vessel dilation to promote better nutrient transport to the muscles, and BCAA’s – which also help with recovery.

Soy can be used both before and after workouts, or as a meal or snack during the day to supplement the body’s protein needs, but it’s not the preferred pre-bedtime protein source.

Conclusion

Hopefully now you know a little more about some of the common types and sources of protein available in the market, and can comfortably select the best type of protein supplement for you.

Once you select your protein supplement, try not to expect immediate results like you would get from a pre-workout supplement or similar. Give it some time and evaluate the results before you make any switches because you might end up spending more than necessary. Also remember to consult your doctor before starting any new supplement program, just to make sure it won’t have any undesired effects on you.