You understand how important protein is to build muscle and for our bodies to recover from exercise.
You understand the benefits and drawbacks of fast absorbing whey protein.
You understand the benefits and drawbacks or plant/vegan protein.
But do you understand what other protein is available? Let’s take a look.
Casein Protein
Casein protein is 80% of the protein in milk (the other 20% being whey). Casein protein is released slowly with research showing an absorption rate of 5 to 7 grams per hour compared to whey’s absorption rate of around 10g per hour.
Given that our bodies can only consume around 25g of fast release protein in one sitting, protein consumption needs to be spaced throughout the day. This can obviously be done via a balanced diet but someone choosing to supplement with casein will have protein absorbed for 3 to 5 hours depending on the serving size. People often consume casein before bed which is particularly useful following an evening workout.
Recovery Protein Blend (Fast & Slow Release Protein)
Although various supplements have “recovery” on the label, what we consider a recovery protein blend at Whey It Up is a supplement containing both fast and slow release protein. This means that following a workout, it can be consumed to benefit from both forms of protein. Recovery weight gainers and all-in-ones usually follow this rule but also have added carbohydrates among other ingredients.
Diet Protein
Some manufacturers will take their low calorie whey and add in digestive enzymes and other ingredients such as green tea that can claim to boost your metabolism to create “diet” protein. Often these won’t be as “lean” as other protein supplements as the enzymes may have a less desirable taste that needs to be offset by other ingredients so some prefer to opt for a high protein content isolate instead.
Milk Protein
Milk protein is the 80% casein, 20% whey split that milk naturally is famous for so you’ll be getting slow and fast release protein in the rough ratio of 4:1. You could get this through drinking milk but given the 7g of protein in a 250ml glass of milk, you’d have to consume a fair amount and absorb the extra calories alongside.
Clear Protein
Clear protein is a different type of protein drink. Rather than producing a milky texture like most proteins, it produces a juice style shake with lots of interesting flavours. They are also normally lower in fat, carbohydrates and therefore calories bringing with some boasting protein content in line of a standard whey isolate.
Collagen
Collagen is the most plentiful protein in our body. It is a protein found in the skin, hair, nails and connective tissue in our bodies. Supplementing with collagen therefore ensures each of the aforementioned are healthy. When exercising, ensuring connective tissue is healthy is essential but collagen has also been reported to aid cartilage regeneration and ease joint pain.
As we age, our bodies produce less (and lower quality) collagen. This is evidenced in the deterioration of our skin and cartilage to name but a few. You can naturally slow this down by eating less sugar and refined carbohydrates, by staying out of the sun and by not smoking. To boost collagen levels without supplementing, you can consume more vitamin C, eggs, dairy and meat to get high quality amino acids through diet.
Egg Protein
Derived from egg whites (lower cholesterol than the yolk), egg protein is seen as the next best alternative to milk based protein which is ideal for those intolerant to dairy. Another benefit over whey is that egg whites have zero fat compared to a typical whey concentrate that has roughly 8g fat per 100g. Egg white is considered a medium absorption protein which means it will typically absorb in 3 hours. This puts it in between whey and casein in terms of absorption rate.
Beef Protein
Coming Soon