How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Beginners

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Certified Nutrition Coach’s guide to the best protein powder for beginners.

Discover how to meet your protein needs for the first time.

Last Updated
Jul 22, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, CNC

Jack is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your diet.

What Is Protein Powder?

Many people believe that protein powder will magically help them build muscle or lose weight, which is not true.

The protein in protein powder is no different than the protein in eggs, milk, or any other protein source.

The only advantage protein powder has over other protein sources is convenience and versatility.

That is, protein powder is easy to use and can be used in many different ways.

For example, protein powder can be mixed with just water to make a protein shake, or added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes.

This can certainly make it a good thing to have in your pantry, but it does not make it a magic bullet.

Protein Powder Alone Will not Make You Build Muscle

Simply consuming protein powder will not make you build muscle.

Although muscle growth requires protein intake, it also requires resistance training, like lifting weights.

In other words, if one of the two is absent, muscle growth cannot occur.

So, if you want to build muscle, adding protein powder to your diet can help, but only if you need the extra protein, and only if you do regular resistance training.

Protein Powder Alone Will not Make You Lose Weight

A high protein diet is hailed as the secret to weight loss because:

• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it makes you feel full for longer than nutrients like fats and carbs.
• Eating more protein can help you build muscle, and people with more muscle tend to have faster metabolisms (burn more calories).
• Eating protein increases thermogenesis, or your metabolic rate and energy expenditure.

Simply consuming protein powder will not make you lose weight, however.

At the end of the day, weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn).

Increasing your protein intake could certainly help you create a calorie deficit, but only if paired with other dietary and/or lifestyle changes.

In fact, simply eating more protein, if nothing else about your diet or lifestyle changes, will probably make you gain weight.

In summary, protein powder is just a tool that can help you fill in nutritional gaps in your diet.

What Is the Best Beginner Protein Powder?

I am not here to convince you that you need to start using protein powder.

If you are reading this, I assume that you have already decided to use protein powder, which was your decision, based on your personal nutritional goals.

Instead, I am here to help you choose the best protein powder for you.

Given how many types and brands are out there, this can be a daunting task, but once you know what to look for, choosing one is easy!

First of all, it is a common misconception that certain types of protein (and therefore protein powder) are better for you than others because of their amino acid composition.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and your body can make some of them, but not all of them.

The amino acids it cannot make, known as “essential” amino acids, must come from the food you eat.

Some high protein foods, like eggs and dairy, contain all of the essential amino acids; they are called complete proteins.

Other foods, including most plant-based foods, do not contain all of the essential amino acids; they are called incomplete proteins.

Given your body needs to get essential amino acids from food, popular diet culture suggests you should prioritize eating complete protein sources over incomplete ones, but this is not true for someone eating a balanced diet (getting protein from a variety of sources).

Someone eating a balanced diet is going to easily consume all of the essential amino acids needed to support things like tissue repair, hormone production, and immunity.

Moreover, there is no advantage to eating extra essential amino acids.

Amino acids are not stored in the body, so if they are not needed, they are excreted.

And if you focus all your attention on eating complete protein sources, you might miss out on the benefits of eating incomplete protein sources.

An incomplete protein like an almond, for example, contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals that many complete protein sources do not.

So, just pick the type of protein powder that you like or tolerate the best.

Ingredients do matter, however.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Many protein powders contain added ingredients such as emulsifiers, flavors, and thickeners known to cause painful side effects and long-term health problems.

Not only can food additives cause digestive issues like bloating, diarrhea, and stomach pain, but they can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut (Eur J Nutr, 2020).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is linked to the development of chronic diseases like obesity and cancer (Microorganisms, 2022; Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2024).

Your gut microbiome affects various physiological processes, including immune function and inflammation, so when the balance of bacteria therein is disrupted, it can have a huge impact on your health.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein shakes and powders:

• 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.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs 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 shakes and powders 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 (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

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

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. European Journal of Nutrition (Eur J Nutr). The impact of food additives, artificial sweeteners and domestic hygiene products on the human gut microbiome and its fibre fermentation capacity. 2020.
2. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
3. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology (Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol). From meta-omics to causality: experimental models for human microbiome research. 2024.
4. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
5. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Certified Nutrition Coach and reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.