What’s The Best And Cheapest Protein Powder?

Want to lose weight so you don’t have to rely so much on your personality to score with the opposite (or same) sex? Better get some protein for that!

Want to put size on your frame so people stop mistaking you for a rather tall prepubescent child? Better get some protein for that!

Want to get strong enough so you can bring in all the grocery bags at once instead of having to make multiple trips? Yup, you better get some protein for that!

Protein! Protein!! Protein!!!

Protein is life.

As the macronutrient that helps the body repair, build, and maintain its cells and tissues, protein is responsible for bringing to reality all of our narcissistic hopes and dreams. But because the body doesn’t store protein for future needs like it does dietary fat and carbs, our narcissistic hopes and dreams are dependent on the daily consumption of protein in food, which gets broken down into the wondrous amino acids that make up the protein used for body processes. For someone who’s getting off their ass to change their body, that amounts to 0.8 to 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight (possibly even more).

For some, having to down that much protein is a chore. In addition to their woes, the volume of chicken, beef, fish, eggs can get expensive, even when eating cheap protein sources. On top of that, making meals, eating them, and cleaning up afterwards is time-consuming.

If only there were something to help!

Hmmmmmm…

Oh, wait, there is!

There’s protein powder.

Protein powder is the answer to many a problem.

But that in itself presents a problem because, well, there are several types of protein powder on the market.

Which should you buy? How do they differ? What’s the best and cheapest protein powder?

While the different protein powders available to you are all “good,” they each have their place.

BEEF PROTEIN

Beef protein powder, or hydrolyzed beef protein isolate, is not steak meat magically turned into chocolate or vanilla flavored powder. Rather, it’s made up of gelatin. And we all know what gelatin is, right? Yup, the hooves, ears, bones, hide, horns, eyeballs, anus, and other butcher scraps!

That sounds irresistibly yummy, huh? So yummy that you want to go out right now and grab a tub of the stuff! Before you do, just consider that the protein from the boiled down throwaways isn’t as high quality as steak meat, or any of the protein powders listed below. But if you have no problem chugging down cow bunghole for no added benefit, chug away!

EGG PROTEIN

Egg protein powder comes from…ummm…eggs.¹ While egg protein powder is affordable and has fairly high protein content, it may not be the best bet.

Egg protein powder doesn’t have as marked an effect on satiety as other protein powders, something that’s kind of important for someone interested in losing weight who needs to eat less. What’s more, egg protein powder isn’t all that effective when it comes to improving body composition and sports performance. As a result, egg protein powder is better served as an alternative for individuals prone to crap bricks if they consume milk-based protein powders.

CASEIN

Casein is sourced from dairy and can take several hours before it’s broken down and fully absorbed by the body. In addition to feeling fuller for longer, this steady stream of amino acids keeps the body in a constant state of nutrient absorption, which creates an anabolic (i.e. muscle-building) environment. It’s for these reasons that casein is good for use during the day as a meal replacement or prior to bed at night.

WHEY ISOLATE

Whey isolate is a form of whey protein that’s low in lactose, as well as additional carbs, sugars, and fat. Whey isolate has the further distinction of being a high concentration protein, containing anywhere from 90-95 percent of the stuff. Because it’s quickly broken down and absorbed by the body, whey isolate is perfect for pre- and post-workout nutritional needs. It’s also ideal for the lactose intolerant, plus those on carb-restrictive diets.

WHEY HYDROLYSATE

Whey hydrolysate is another form of whey protein. Nothing more than amino acids with their bonds broken, whey hydrolysate has the highest absorption rate of any protein on the market. Accordingly, whey hydrolysate is the highest quality protein and, consequently, the most expensive.

WHEY CONCENTRATE

Whey concentrate contains more lactose and slightly more carbs and fat than the more processed isolate and hydrolysate forms of whey. As for the protein content, it can contain between 70-80 percent protein, sometimes even less depending on how concentrated the powder is, which will be touched on shortly.

All of the above proteins derive from animal products.

If you’re a hippy nutjob who views animal-product users as knuckle-dragging cavemen, plant proteins are a good vegan and vegetarian option. Protein powders sourced from soy, rice, hemp, and peas are also suitable for people with digestive issues related to milk and eggs. With that said, I’m not writing about them here and thereby helping to further the anti-meat agenda, so look these protein powders up on your own!²

Unless you have issues stomaching lactose or you have money to blow or you’re just some carnivore hating freak, my personal recommendation leans more towards whey protein concentrate. So long as you don’t use it as a substitute for real food (as if it were a meal replacement) but limit its use to before and after your workouts, or as a snack between meals, whey protein concentrate is a good all-around protein powder that should meet all of your fat loss, muscle building, and strength gaining needs.

Whey is the protein of choice because it’s the most basic, readily available, and inexpensive type of protein on the market. And without any extra steps in the manufacturing process, whey protein concentrate is the best and cheapest protein powder for the money-conscious.

But regardless of the type or form of protein powder you do elect to buy, be sure to purchase a powder from an established brand such as Cytosport, Dymatize, Met-RX, NOW, Optimum Nutrition, what have you.

Steer clear of bargain powders from Six Star Pro Nutrition, Body Fortress, and other generic supplement companies. Many of these cheap brands have been found to sell products where the protein content falls far short of what’s printed on the label, stated on the packaging, or represented in advertising.³

This deceptive practice is known as “amino spiking”. What companies do is rather than fill up tubs with complete proteins, they instead use cheap nitrogen-rich ingredients such as glycine, taurine, or leucine (i.e. amino acids) and substances like creatine — with the tub’s label reading, for example, that it has 27g of protein when in actuality the container may only have 47 percent (14g) of the claimed amount.

One defense against amino spiking is to look for the powder’s protein-to-calories percentage (P/Cal) rather than the grams of protein per serving (or scoop). This information is rarely found anywhere on the label or packaging, but that doesn’t mean you can’t obtain it. What you do is multiply the grams of protein by 4 and then divide the result by the total calories. The higher the P/Cal, the closer you are to consuming unadulterated protein — meaning that it isn’t spiked with fillers and that you’re getting exactly what you paid for.⁴

Another way to make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth is to read the ingredients list. If buying a higher-end protein powder, it’s probably a good idea to take a look at the contents to make sure, for example, that the product you’re about to buy contains whey protein isolate and not high amounts of whey protein concentrate or the powder advertised as casein isn’t full of cheaper calcium caseinates.

Beyond staving off harm to your wallet by ripping you off, there’s still more to why you should spend greater time paying attention to the nutrition label instead of ogling the fancy packaging.

There are powders on the market that can do serious damage to your body with their preservatives, toxic dyes, genetically modified corn starch, synthetic sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin, and metal contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

So yeah, happy hunting!

Glossary: calories, diet, dietary fat, muscle, supplement, workout

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer in San Diego. He has been lifting weights for +25 years and training clients in the gym and online for about half of that time. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys long walks and leaving buildings crushed and entire city blocks decimated in his wake.