Why do protein shakes make me feel sick?

Protein shakes can make you feel sick.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

Can protein shakes make you feel sick?

Protein shakes are notorious for making people feel sick or nauseous (as if they are going to vomit). Nausea can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and understanding why it occurs can be tricky. Sometimes, it is simply a question of eating too much or eating too fast, but it can also be related to the type of food you ate, and how it affects your digestion. 

Believe it or not, most protein supplements are not easy to digest. There are several reasons why this is so, and we will get into those shortly. All you really need to know is that foods that are hard to digest cause a number of unpleasant side effects, one of which is nausea. 

Why do protein shakes make me feel sick?

There are two types of protein shakes: ready-to-drink (store-bought) protein shakes, and homemade protein shakes made with protein powder. Both are known to make people feel sick, and for the same reasons. Virtually all ready-to-drink protein shakes and most protein powders contain ingredients that are hard to digest.

The ingredients that tend to be the hardest to digest are food additives like emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, sweeteners, and flavors. Ingredients like these look nothing like real food, and your gut does not know what to do with them.

Additives therefore sit in your digestive tract for longer than food should, which leads to one of two outcomes: either water is drawn into your intestines, resulting in diarrhea, or the additives feed your gut bacteria, which produce gas. The accumulation of gas can cause feelings of nausea, as well as bloating, flatulence, stomach pain, and even constipation.

But wait, there is more. Over time, eating food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways within the intestines, contributing to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other systemic inflammatory disorders. Food additives, particularly artificial sweeteners, also possess the potential to disturb the delicate balance of the gut microbiome — the collection of microorganisms that help you digest food. As you can imagine, this can significantly impact your gut health and impair your ability to digest food.

Why drink wholesome? 

drink wholesome is additive-free.

One of the reasons why our protein powder will not make you feel sick is that we do not use food additives. As you just learned, food additives are bad news for digestion, and one of the leading reasons why protein shakes can make you feel sick. 

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

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

our ingredients: 

egg whites, coconut, maple sugar, vanilla

the alternative:

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

drink wholesome is dairy-free.

Another reason why our protein powder will not make you feel sick is that we do not use dairy-based protein like whey and casein. Whey and casein, which are byproducts of  the production of cheese and yogurt, are notorious for making people feel sick. This is especially true for individuals with lactose intolerance, as they lack the enzymes needed to fully break down lactose, the sugar in dairy. As you now know, the presence of undigested food can result in a number of undesirable side effects, including nausea.

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why our protein powder will not make you feel sick is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. The majority of protein powders, in contrast, rely on either one or both of these protein sources, which are foods stripped of everything but the protein.

Your digestive system is meant to handle minimally or unprocessed real foods, not protein concentrates or isolates. It follows that emerging studies suggest refined ingredients like these can significantly disturb the balance of the gut microbiota.

In addition to its vital role in food digestion, the gut serves as a protective barrier against harmful pathogens, plays a crucial part in educating the immune system, and affects various physiological processes. As a consequence, disruptions to the delicate equilibrium of the gut microbiome have been closely associated with the development of chronic illnesses. In this case, protein shakes can make you REALLY sick.