What do I have to consider when buying protein powder?

Not all protein powders are the same. There are numerous suppliers, even more types and, of course, the most diverse flavors. While the latter depends on your personal taste, it is worthwhile to find out about the different types of protein powders.

Depending on the consumer’s goal, some products are more suitable than others. For protein powders, it is worth taking a close look at the nutritional value table. Many cheap products from the supermarket or drugstore have lower values, such as a lower protein content.

People with intolerances or even allergies to milk proteins should naturally switch to appropriate alternatives. Also vegetarians and Veganer can fall back to alternative protein powders, approximately from Sojaeiweiß, pea protein or hemp protein.

Whey isolates or hydrolysates, for example, have a particularly high protein content with a very low carbohydrate content.
If you want to build muscle and consume an excess of calories, you can use the so-called weight gainers. In addition to proteins, these contain a large amount of carbohydrates and are very high in calories.
A slowly digestible and thus constantly supplying source are so-called caseins, which should be taken before going to bed.

Alternative supplements for muscle building

The basic prerequisite for successful muscle building is effective strength training. This should exceed the load limit of the muscle, because the body’s adaptation mechanism is the hypertrophy of the muscle cells, i.e. the muscle build-up. Since this leads to an increased need for protein, a sufficient supply of protein is another key to success.

In addition, the ever-growing fitness industry offers numerous supplements that promise the consumer an even faster and more successful muscle build-up. None of these supplements is absolutely necessary to achieve success in training and in the mirror and no supplement can replace a balanced diet and a demanding training. First and foremost, emphasis should be placed on high-quality protein sources from natural foods in the diet.

In addition, you can invest your money in high-quality protein powder with a high protein content and good biological value. A balanced diet also includes the intake of fatty acids. Omega 3 in particular must be taken in through food, such as fish or nuts.

Anyone who follows a low-calorie diet and still wants to cover their requirements for essential fatty acids can take fish oil capsules or vegetarian Omega 3 capsules. Many athletes swear by so-called BCAAs – however, these are simply the amino acids that are supplied in sufficient quantities in a balanced diet. Creatine is also a popular product, which also occurs naturally in meat, fish and milk.

It is a component of skeletal muscle fibers and is involved in muscle contraction. The average athlete is not recommended to take creatine via supplements, the high supplementation can also lead to flatulence and diarrhoea in individual cases. At the beginning, water retention and thus weight gain can also be observed. This topic might also be of interest to you:

The intake of creatine
Creatine Powder