Protein powder vs real food -what's the difference?

[dustin4u]

I'm curious what the effects on our body is between real protein and protein powders (Casein, Isolate etc).

What's the difference if i eat say 3 eggs or have a scoop of whey? Or a chicken breast and a scoop of Isolate?

Does our body see the difference? Or is protein..

The reason i ask is i read protein powders are comparable to fast food - not very good for you.

I eat 6 meals throughout the day ( i would rather eat 6 meals than 3) and i would LOVE to chug oats and protein powder for 2 or 3 of those meals as an "easy fill".

I eat for fuel typically not taste.

Thanks!

[Ahmed81]

micro nutrient content

[WonderPug]

Protein powder is real food. It's just that it's a processed fast food.

Anyway, as long as you're consuming animal sources of protein and you're meeting sufficiency, you're fine in terms of meeting amino acid requirements.

[MichielN]

Get your protein from dairy, eggs and meat. Whey is fast food.

[AlwaysTryin]

Get your protein from dairy, eggs and meat. Whey is fast food.

Whey is dairy and it's an amazing source of protein
OP have protein powder if you enjoy it

[MichielN]

Whey is dairy and it's an amazing source of protein
OP have protein powder if you enjoy it

Too bad if he does, he will miss out on a lot of good fats and micro's.

[DBRedMan]

Get your protein from dairy, eggs and meat. Whey is fast food.

WonderPudge nuthug right here..

[MachetePower]

Too bad if he does, he will miss out on a lot of good fats and micro's.

Because people only eat whey and nothing else...

[dbp]

Too bad if he does, he will miss out on a lot of good fats and micro's.

What happens if he gets those good fats and micros from other foods?

[MichielN]

He would be wasting money on whey. Of course he can get his protein from whey, but whole milk, eggs and fatty meats are good bodybuilder foods, so why waste money? He says he doesn't eat for taste after all.

[AlwaysTryin]

Too bad if he does, he will miss out on a lot of good fats and micro's.

Whey powders contain a lot of micros generally

He can get fats from other sources too you know

[WonderPug]

What happens if he gets those good fats and micros from other foods?

As long as he's meeting his micro/macronutrient requirements, it's just a function of personal preference.

He would be wasting money on whey.

I have somewhat of the opposite view: whey tends to be a cheap source of protein and thus it's useful for folks that need to economize.

Would I consume whey protein powder? No, because I enjoy other types of foods and I generally consume very little processed food. But that's just my preference.

[dbp]

On a gram of protein per dollar basis, Whey is one of the cheaper sources. At least where I live.

So if you've met all your dietary requirements with other food sources, and you want more protein, why wouldn't you buy some powder?

[AlwaysTryin]

He would be wasting money on whey. Of course he can get his protein from whey, but whole milk, eggs and fatty meats are good bodybuilder foods, so why waste money? He says he doesn't eat for taste after all.

Wasting money how? It's one of the cheapest sources

Bodybuilder foods? Which are? Lol

[MichielN]

On a gram of protein per dollar basis, Whey is one of the cheaper sources. At least where I live.

So if you've met all your dietary requirements with other food sources, and you want more protein, why wouldn't you buy some powder?

Of course he can if he likes to.

But I think milk/eggs/meat offer benefits over whey, which is why, in my opinion, it would be better to eat those than to buy whey.

[MichielN]

Bodybuilder foods? Which are? Lol

Foods that offer benefits to bodybuilders.

[benz5521]

Wasting money how? It's one of the cheapest sources

Bodybuilder foods? Which are? Lol

That dude is full of wtf. Whey has the best bio-availability out there. It's cheap. It's fast and convenient. Can't beat it.

[EjnarKolinkar]

On a gram of protein per dollar basis, Whey is one of the cheaper sources. At least where I live.

So if you've met all your dietary requirements with other food sources, and you want more protein, why wouldn't you buy some powder?

Whey is a cheap piece of making the nutrition puzzle fit together for me.

[MichielN]

I'm not talking about protein or bioavailabilty.

Whole milk, eggs and fatty meats contain saturated and monounsaturated fats. Higher fat intake is linked to higher testosterone levels. Saturated and monounsaturated fats are testosterone boosters.
Eggs and fatty meats contain arachidonic acid, which speed up recovery. Eggs also contain DHA, which is another essential fatty acid.
Eggs contain choline, which is important for your nervous system.
Eggs contain cholesterol, higher cholesterolintake is linked to higher strength gains.
All these foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

You see why I advise these foods over whey?

Of course, whey is convenient and easy, and it has a higher bioavailabilty, but I think the benefits of those foods far outweigh the benefits of whey.

[WonderPug]

You see why I advise these foods over whey?

It's bad idea to view individual foods in isolation of dose and the context of total dietary intake.

Whey is processed fast food. That doesn't mean it's "bad" and it doesn't mean it's "good". It's just an accurate description of the class of food.

It's not essential or uniquely beneficial to consume whey, but some folks think it is because of supplement marketing nonsense. Thus, it can be helpful to point out the fact that it's just a protein source subject to personal preference.

That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the consumption of whey as one of the foods consumed in combination of quantities that meet micro/macronutrient sufficiency while optimizing for a personal sense of proper satiety, palatability, energy, performance, convenience, cost, etc.

[MichielN]

I never said there is anything wrong with whey, and after all, OP asked for a comparison between whey and real food, which I believe, I did.

[dustin4u]

Thanks for the replies..

I hit my 85 grams of fat, 175 grams of protein and fill in the rest with carbs. I don't eat sugar or anything processed.

In fact i only eat fresh salmon, chicken, Turkey, Steak etc - never frozen.
Every week i go get AAA food from Costco and spend a few hundred bucks on me and my girlfriend.

So from what i gather protein powder VS real food makes no difference....which is good news as i would rather drink a scoop of protein with a half cup of oats and a tablespoon of flax oil and call it a healthy meal!

Money is no issue- i can't "waste" money on powders.

[AlwaysTryin]

Foods that offer benefits to bodybuilders.

calories, micros and macros benefit people, not set foods

[MichielN]

calories, micros and macros benefit people, not set foods

Big oversimplfication imo, but lets agree to disagree. I'm going to bed (past midnight here).