How Long Does It Take to Digest a Protein Shake?

How long does it take to digest a protein shake? Discover why some protein supplements take longer to digest than others.

Protein Shake Digestion

How Fast Do I Digest Protein? 

Digestion refers to the complex process that breaks down food into smaller components that can be absorbed by the body.

For example, it turns carbs into glucose, fats into fatty acids, and proteins into amino acids.

Carbohydrates are generally digested and absorbed the fastest, followed by proteins, with fats being the slowest to be digested and absorbed.

Moreover, different types of carbs, fats, and proteins are digested at different rates.

For instance, amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are absorbed at a rate of 1.3 grams to 10 grams an hour.

20 grams of protein could therefore take anywhere from 2 to 15+ hours to digest!

Moreover, exactly how long it will take you to digest a protein source can be affected by the presence of other nutrients, as well as your individual digestive health.

Does Protein Digestion Rate Matter? 

The speed of protein digestion affects postprandial metabolic response, which refers to the physiological changes that occur in the body after eating.

In other words, different types of dietary protein have different effects on muscle protein synthesis and breakdown.

Slow-digesting proteins like pea protein tend to inhibit muscle protein breakdown, whereas fast-digesting proteins like whey tend to promote muscle protein synthesis.

That said, people rarely consume just protein on an empty stomach, which complicates things.

In most cases, protein shakes contain several ingredients and most people already have food in their digestive tracts.

This matters because the presence of other nutrients like carbohydrates and fats can speed up or slow down protein digestion.

Individual gut health, including food sensitivities, can also affect digestion.

It is therefore really hard to say with any degree of accuracy how long it will take you to digest a protein shake on a given day.

In short, different types of protein are digested at different rates, which can affect things like muscle building, but digestion is so complicated that this is not something worth worrying about.

Keep in mind any type of dietary protein (egg, pea, whey, etc.) can help you reach your wellness goals, assuming you are eating a balanced diet.

And if you spend too much time worrying about factors like digestion rate, you might overlook what really matters: the ingredient list.

What Is the Easiest Protein Shake to Digest? 

When it comes to digestion, fats, carbs, and fiber, etc. are not the only variables you need to consider.

Added ingredients like emulsifiers, thickeners, and flavors can also affect how long it takes you to digest your protein shake.

Food Additives

Food additives can cause digestive issues like bloating and diarrhea.

They can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome.

This, in turn, can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is linked to a number of chronic 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

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it could make your protein shake harder to digest.

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

You should also be mindful of dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar many individuals cannot fully break down.

Keep in mind that you 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 might want to 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 it does whole foods, which can affect both short and long-term gut health.

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

So, pending further research, I recommend sticking to whole food protein sources.

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Drink Wholesome Is the Easiest Protein Supplement to Digestion

Finding a protein supplement free from food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the easiest protein shake to digest 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.