Whey protein powders for women . . . planning on starting the New Rules of Lifting for Women program and I need protein advice!

I am starting the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and I need to up my protein intake and start using a protein powder.  I have no idea where to start as far as which powders are best, both for quality of the protein and taste (it has to taste decent or I simply won't eat it!).  I should probably add that I don't want a powder than contains creatine in it, and I would prefer as few artificial sweeteners or other artificial ingredients as possible.  I also have already tried Muscle Milk, but I really didn't like it . . . it was WAY to sweet for me.  Does anyone have any suggestions? 

I found a recommendation on one of the other forums for 100% Whey Gold Standard and found that the company also sells a 100% Natural Whey Gold Standard.  Has anyone tried this (the natural version)?  Is the protein really as high quality as they claim?  Does it taste good?   

Congratulations on Starting NROLW! It's a great program, I'm doing it and really happy with the results so far.

I am not following their diet program except to up my calories and protein just a bit, since I already eat very clean (whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean protein, low fat dairy, yadda yadda.) I also thought their plan was a little protein crazy. 100 g of protein per day is plenty for me, so I aim for that.

When using protein powder (not a daily thing for me) I use 100% whey by Natural Factors. It is just plain whey, not sweetened or flavored at all. I like it, since I don't ever drink it on its own (I blend it into fruit smoothies, and sometimes put it in oatmeal). I honestly don't notice it, which I like. Muscle Milk is pretty heavy on carbs (sugar) and high in calories, so I would avoid it.

oh, and I got my whey protein powder at my co-op, but I know they have something similar at whole foods.

I really like Designer Whey.  I started with "natural" (unflavored) and drank it with orange juice, sometimes with a drop of vanilla extract.  Now I"m using French Vanilla, still in my orange juice.  It's sweetened with stevia and tastes pretty good.  For a protein powder, it mixes well.  It has 100 calories, only 3 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein.  No creatine. 

 

I had tried Jay Robb brand and wasn't impressed, it was more expensive and didn't mix at all, even in the blender! 

I've had Muscle Milk because GNC sells it chilled.  It is very sweet and really high in fat!  It is almost like a supplement and for endurance.  Like if you spend hours working out and needing a lot of calories. 

I'll throw in my two cents in the other direction: I think you can get everything you need from food. I own this book (I love the exercises), but it recommends way too much protein.

Your protein needs range from about .3 grams per lb for average people, and 1 gram per pound for Schwarzenegger-like training. You'll probably want to stay between .5 and .75 grams per lb. (thats 75 to 112 grams for a 150lb person). Any more than this and your body can't absorb it.

If you add meat, cottage cheese, grains like oats and couscous, and milk you'll meet that amount easily.

 

I always go fo 100% Whey Protein, and my favorite brand - despite being the most expensive one - for taste and results (you get more protein per serving) is Gold Standard. I haven't tried the natural one though.

 My favorite brand is Optimum Nutrition but there's nothing particularly special about it apart from actually tasting decent and having some protein split into peptide fractions for even faster absorption than normal. This isn't necessarily useful to you though, it depends on how you plan to use it - pre-workout it doesn't make a difference, post-workout it does make for a slight but statistically significant difference.

 When having a protein shake pre-workout increases blood flow and muscular protein synthesis by 200% compared to having the same shake post-workout this difference becomes markedly less useful.

 My usual approach is to have a whey/casein blend pre-workout and then a pure whey (ON for preference) shake post-workout, but I'm an exercise geek who cares about a 4% difference :)

 Your protein needs vary wildly with the exercise you're doing, but when you are strength training, you do need strength-training levels of protein-  1.6-1.8 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight according to the latest research in  Journal of American College of Nutrition. The RDA is only valid for you if your only exercise is walking to the car, and the heaviest weight you lift is a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

That ain't anyone hanging out here.

 Besides, dieting itself increases your protein needs to about 1.2-1.4g/kg to compensate for the stresses on your body and preserve as much muscle tissue as possible, which is roughly the level of protein you need when doing medium-intensity cardio.

I don't agree that one can get all their protein needs met by diet alone, especially when working out.  When I was eating poorly, too much and with a lot of fat, yeah, I got plenty of protein.  But lean protein is harder to come by and I'm lucky if I can get 90+grams from diet alone.  On work out days, I need a protein drink for faster recovery and support. 

My recommended amount of protein for weight loss and exercise is 100+grams and it's very hard to get that without a supplement.

I use GNC Whey Protein. ( 1 full scoop is carbs 2 grams, protein 21 grams, sugar 2 grams) I use 1/2 cup 2% milk and 1/2 scoop with 1/2 cup whole strawberries. (158 calories) If I work out extra hard, I will make another one. I can really tell a huge difference since I upped my protein. I still eat lean chicken and fish and lots of peanut butter on my apples,  but still need a bit more on weight lifting days. I feel better and can lift more and longer.

I understand the confusion.  I just started taking protein powder and had the same question.  With all the products out there it's hard not to be confused. After doing some research, I bought IsoPure in low carb Dutch chocolate and I LOVE IT! I use about 1/2 of the serving size and mix it with water.  It tastes like chocolate milk. I also mix it with my soy milk and cereal for a little extra protein for breakfast after my morning run:)  Also worth trying is Lean Dessert.      Check out:  http://www.bestpricenutrition.com/

I like the 100% Whey Protein (all natural) made by Biochem.  I usually mix a scoop in with soy milk, nonfat yogurt, and fruit and blend to make a delicious smoothie.  The smoothies are perfect either before or after my workouts.

I'm also looking for the best tasting protein powder.

I'm on a low-carb diet plan and - especially during the summer - I'd rather drink a refreshing protein drink or smoothie for breakfast instead of loading up on protein and cutting carbs by eating a lot of meat and eggs.

Any suggestions for what you think are the best tasting protein powders out there (any flavor) would be greatly appreciated!

I have tried several protein powders and have found one that tastes absolutely heavenly.  Dedicated Women-Woman's Whey.  I have tried 100% Whey and thought it was horrible, it had that protein powder taste.  Dedicate woman however tastes amazing.  the chocolate tastes just like the really thick chocolate milk you get like restaurants and the vanilla tastes just like completely melted ice cream.  I always make my shakes with milk instead of water.  the vanilla is also really good mixed with oatmeal.

I think taste is a very subjective thing -- what tastes good to me may not to you.  My son and I have completely different opinions on which whey protein tastes best -- I prefer Whey to Go vanilla and chocolate; he prefers our store brand (Wegman's) vanilla but loves the Whey to Go chocolate also.  I have had the GNC brand and it's not bad either.  I agree that Muscle Milk is way too sweet. 

I will try a few of those mentioned here as well as I am always looking for whey that tastes good!

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm also trying to figure out which vanilla is best - there are so many vanilla flavors to choose from!

Does anybody know the difference between ON Whey Gold Vanilla and the Natural Vanilla? I can't figure out if there are different ingredients in the Natural Vanilla or if this is a flavor difference.

What is the New Rules of Lifting for Women program?

The New Rules of Lifting for Women is a book from my fitness hero, Alwyn Cosgrove :)

 And I still say Optimum Nutrition's the best-tasting protein powder I've come across - though I've been told Whey gourmet might taste decent as well.

 Just one tip - don't even think about strawberry flavour. I like ON's strawberry flavour personally, but I've been told that's because I'm a mutant who've burnt out my tastebuds with too much coffee. I'm the only person I've ever heard of who've admitted to liking any strawberry flavour :)

Thanks Everyone!  I really appreciate the feedback.  I will definitely try out a couple of these to see which one I like best. 

Melkor - can you explain this:

"When having a protein shake pre-workout increases blood flow and muscular protein synthesis by 200% compared to having the same shake post-workout this difference becomes markedly less useful.

 My usual approach is to have a whey/casein blend pre-workout and then a pure whey (ON for preference) shake post-workout, but I'm an exercise geek who cares about a 4% difference :)"

What is the benefit of adding casein (and what exactly is it, other than a different type of protein)?  I'm planning on having a small pre-workout shake and then adding protein to my breakfast as well (cereal or yogurt usually).  I usually work out first thing in the morning, so my pre-workout shake would really be more like my breakfast and my breakfast would be more like a morning snack, but still pretty early in the day. 

The protein in milk is about 80% casein, 20% whey - casein forms a 'gel' of sorts in your stomach and this bolus sits in your digestive system giving off proteins for a long, long time. It can take up to 8 hours to digest; and this means that you've always got protein available whenever your body needs some.

 The disadvantage is that it takes some time to get into your system, and it doesn't spike the protein resynthesis in your muscles the way a faster-acting protein like whey does - amino acids from whey hits your bloodstream in roughly 20 minutes and mostly finishes digesting in 90 minutes(amino acid absorbtion peaks at 90 minutes and then drops sharply) whereas amino acids from casein hits your blood stream at about 90 minutes.

 Having a tall glass of milk has some of the same effect, it's just that the protein powders means not having to chug 3 pints of milk before working out :)

 See The Top 10 Post Workout Nutrition Myths from Dave Barr for more details ;)