How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Endomorphs

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for endomorphs​. Discover how to use protein powder to support healthy weight loss.

Protein Powder for Endomorphs​

Is Protein Powder Good for Endomorphs?

Endomorph is a term used to describe a body type characterized by a higher proportion of body fat.

Individuals with an endomorphic body type typically have a rounder physique, with a tendency to store fat in the abdominal area.

This body type is associated with a higher risk of obesity and related health concerns, such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

It follows that many endomorphs pursue weight loss to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve their overall health.

Unfortunately, endomorphs often face significant physiological and metabolic challenges that make weight loss more difficult.

These include lower resting metabolic rates, higher propensity for insulin resistance, and obesity-induced tissue alterations that impair fat oxidation and energy expenditure.

This is in part why a high protein diet is sometimes recommended for endomorphs struggling to lose weight.

Research shows that increasing the percentage of your calories that come from protein can support weight loss, especially if you are overweight.

A high protein diet can help you both eat fewer and burn more calories because:

• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than nutrients like fats and carbs, which can help prevent cravings and overeating.
• Protein increases thermogenesis, or your metabolic rate and energy expenditure, meaning you burn more calories.
• Eating protein can help you build muscle, and individuals with more muscle have faster metabolisms (burn more calories) because it takes more energy (calories) to maintain muscle than fat.

A high-protein diet for weight loss is typically defined as one where protein constitutes approximately 25-30% of total energy intake.

For most people, this amounts to 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

If you are finding it hard to eat this much protein, possibly due to a busy schedule or dietary restrictions, adding protein powder to your diet can be a great idea.

Protein powder, which can be added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes, makes eating more protein easy.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Endomorphs?

First of all, no one type of protein powder is better than another when it comes to weight loss.

That is, egg, pea, and whey protein are all equally as effective when it comes to helping you achieve body composition changes.

Not all protein powders are created equal, however.

Most protein powders contain ingredients known to cause painful side effects and even long term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly consuming emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed food additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome.

These shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, have been shown to impair weight loss through several mechanisms.

Imbalances in gut microbiota composition, for instance, can influence energy metabolism, hunger regulation, and inflammation in ways that can make losing weight considerably harder.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• 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
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many people cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut.

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.