How To Avoid Extreme Stomach Pain After Protein Shake

Do you ever experience extreme stomach pain after drinking a protein shake? Discover how to supplement your protein intake without upsetting your stomach.

Extreme Stomach Pain After Protein Shake

Can Protein Shakes Cause Extreme Stomach Pain?

If protein shakes upset your stomach, you are not alone.

Protein shakes cause gastrointestinal (GI) side effects for many people.

Common side effects include bloating, constipation, cramps, diarrhea, gas, nausea, and stomach pain.

The severity of these symptoms can vary from person to person, and from mild to extreme.

In most cases, they last for only a few hours, but some people have reported feeling sick for days after drinking a single protein shake.

How Do I Stop Stomach Pain From a Protein Shake?

If you just drank a protein shake and are experiencing stomach pain, try the following:

1. Hydrate. Drink plenty of water, especially if your stomach pain is due to constipation.
2. Eat ginger. Ginger tea, ginger ale, and even fresh ginger can help soothe stomach pain.
3. Drink peppermint. Peppermint tea can help relax muscles and allow painful gas to pass.
4. Use over-the-counter medication. Over-the-counter medications such as antacids, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen may help relieve digestive discomfort. Always follow the recommended dosage.
5. Try heat therapy. Applying a heating pad or hot water bottle to your abdomen can help relax muscles and relieve cramps.
6. Rest. Stress and anxiety can exacerbate stomach pain. Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to help calm your mind and body.
7. Consult a healthcare professional. If your stomach pain is severe, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or bloody stools, seek medical attention promptly. It could be a sign of a more serious condition that requires professional diagnosis and treatment.

Although the tips above can help relieve protein shake stomach pain, the best course of action is to learn how to avoid it in the first place.

Why Do Protein Shakes Cause Extreme Stomach Pain?

Many protein powders are made from ingredients known to cause stomach pain and even long term gut health problems.

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

Avoid food additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can upset your stomach because they are hard to break down.

Foods that are hard to break down feed your gut bacteria, which release gas as they eat.

And too much intestinal gas can cause bloating and stomach pain.

Regularly eating certain food additives can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome.

Over time, this can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which has been linked to a number of painful digestive issues.

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

Note that this list includes several artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium are among the worst ingredients for your gut microbiome, reducing microbial diversity and promoting the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria.

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder. 

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

You should also avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar many people cannot fully digest.

Keep in mind that teens may be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if they are not lactose intolerant.

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

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You should steer clear of protein concentrates and isolates too.

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, 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 they do whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt the gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut.

So, pending further research, it is recommended that you stick to protein powders made from whole food protein sources.

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Drink Wholesome Does Not Cause Stomach Pain

Our Protein Powder does not cause stomach pain because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

egg whites

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Protein Powder than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order samples to see for yourself.