The ingredients in protein powder
If you are worried about the ingredients in protein powder, you have come to the right place. In this article, I review the ingredients in a typical protein powder to give you a better idea of what might be in your protein powder, and whether or not you should be concerned. This article was written by Jack Schrupp.
Real vs fake ingredients
What are real ingredients?
Real ingredients are foods that can be found in nature. In other words, they have undergone little to no processing. Examples of real ingredients include fruits, meats, vegetables, etc.
Real ingredients are good for you, and your diet should consist primarily, if not entirely, of real ingredients. When it comes to protein powder, the more real ingredients on the ingredient list, the better.
Real ingredients are nutritionally balanced, and allow nutrients to work together like they were meant to. Eating a diet composed primarily of real ingredients can lower your risk of chronic disease and lead to better life outcomes.
What are fake ingredients?
Fake ingredients are foods that cannot be found in nature. They are either artificial, or derived from real foods by means of mechanical or chemical processing. Common examples of fake ingredients include colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Fake ingredients are not good for you, and you should avoid eating them at all costs. When it comes to protein powder, the fewer fake ingredients on the ingredient list, the better.
Here is a list of some of the most common fake ingredients in protein powder:
acacia fiber, acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, ascorbic acid, aspartame, calcium carbonate, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dicalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, ‘natural’ flavors, rice bran extract, rice dextrin, rice hulls, rosemary extract, silica, silicon dioxide, sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, soluble corn fiber, soy lecithin, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, tocopherols, tricalcium phosphate, xanthan gum, xylitol, zinc oxide
Because they look nothing like the foods that your body was built to digest, fake ingredients can cause painful side effects and long-term health problems. For example, regularly eating certain fake ingredients can alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut. This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in your gut microbiota. Gut dysbiosis is not only a leading driver of inflammation, but also contributes to wide range of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
I will now review the ingredients in BSN SYNTHA-6, one of the most popular protein powders and a great example of a typical protein powder. I counted all the real ingredients and all the fake ones, and gave the protein powder a Wholesome Score, which is calculated on a scale from 1 (not wholesome) to 5 (wholesome). The more real ingredients and the fewer fake ingredients a protein powder has, the higher its Wholesome Score is. Now without further ado, here are the ingredients in BSN SYNTHA-6 Whey Protein Powder. Protein Matrix Comprised of (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumen, Glutamine Peptides), Polydextrose, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Nonfat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide), Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain. Real ingredient count: 4 Egg Albumen, Cocoa, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt* *Notice that I did not include Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, or Milk Protein Isolate in this list. Although these ingredients may seem like real foods, they are not. Protein concentrates and isolates stripped of everything but the protein, so they look nothing like something you can find in nature. Fake Food Count: 21 Glutamine Peptides, Polydextrose, Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide, Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain Wholesome Score: 1 Of the 25 listed ingredients, 21 of them are fake, making BSN SYNTHA-6 Whey Protein Powder about as far from real food as you can get. It is for this reason that I gave it a Wholesome Score of 1 (out of 5). According to my criteria, BSN SYNTHA-6 Whey Protein Powder is not something you want to put in your body.; although it has protein, it is also full of added junk. 1 serving of BSN SYNTHA-6 Whey Protein Powder is not going to kill you, but regularly consuming so many fake ingredients is certainly not food for you. This is why I recommend choosing a protein powder made with a short list of simple ingredients. Continue reading to learn more. Our protein powders are made with 100% real ingredients. That not only means we do not use any food additives whatsoever, but it also means that we use whole food protein sources instead of protein concentrates and isolates. Order samples to experience the difference for yourself. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. drink wholesome is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Typical protein powder ingredients
Our protein powder ingredients
