How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Insulin Resistance

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for insulin resistance.

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with insulin resistance.

Last Updated
Jan 20, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jennifer is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Powder For Insulin Resistance

Is Protein Powder Good for Insulin Resistance?

If you need the extra protein, incorporating protein powder into your diet is thus a great way to manage insulin resistance.

What Is the Best Protein Powder For Insulin Resistance?

If you have insulin resistance, eating the right balance of foods can help keep your insulin and blood sugar levels in check.

Generally speaking, you should limit your intake of simple carbohydrates, and eat more fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

• Simple carbs: Simple carbs like sugar have a high glycemic index, meaning they cause blood sugar spikes, because they are easily digested and absorbed. Research has shown that a diet high in simple carbs increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (Am J Clin Nutr, 2004).
• Fiber: Because the body is unable to absorb and break down fiber, it does not cause blood sugar spikes like simple carbs. This is why high fiber fruits, veggies, and grains are a great addition to your diet.
• Fats and protein: Fats and protein help slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. When paired with simple carbs, they can prevent or at least reduce blood sugar spikes.

When it comes to protein powder, my advice is to limit Added Sugar to no more than a few grams per serving.

You should also avoid protein powders made with artificial sweeteners like sucralose as they are linked to higher insulin resistance (J Family Med Prim Care, 2020).

There is also a link between artificial sweeteners and a higher risk of glucose intolerance (Nature, 2014), which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Believe it or not, people with insulin resistance are probably better off with a few grams of added sugar than with artificial sweeteners.

You should also prioritize protein powders with a balanced nutrition profile, meaning those that contain some fats, carbs, and fiber in addition to protein.

Typically, these are protein powders made from whole food protein sources, not protein concentrates or isolates.

Protein concentrates and isolates have been stripped of everything (fats, carbs, fiber, etc.) but the protein, which means they measure high on the insulin index.

As a result, eating protein concentrates or isolates can cause hyperinsulinemia (abnormally high levels of insulin) because eating only protein has an insulinotropic effect (it promotes insulin secretion) (Eur J Clin Nutr, 2014).

If you cannot get your hands on a protein powder made from whole food protein sources like Drink Wholesome, then mix it with fats (nut butter, Greek yogurt, etc.) and fiber (fruits, chia seeds, etc.).

When choosing a protein powder, you should also consider how the ingredients in that protein powder could impact your gut health.

Gut health, it turns out, is indirectly related to the occurrence and progression of metabolic conditions like insulin resistance.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating food additives like emulsifiers, thickeners, and flavorings can alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, which is linked to the development both insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, as well as reduced efficacy of diabetic medications (Nutrients, 2013; Diabetes, 2022; World J Methodol, 2022).

Although the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are still unknown, it is thought that gut dysbiosis increases intestinal permeability and inflammation,

This, in turn, causes abnormalities in glucose metabolism and signaling events that contribute to insulin homeostasis.

⚠️ 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 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 (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

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.

Sources

1. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome (Diabetol Metab Syndr). Causal relationship between insulin resistance and sarcopenia. 2023.
2. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and dietary fiber intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle-aged women. 2004.
3. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care (J Family Med Prim Care). Effect of artificial sweeteners on insulin resistance among type-2 diabetes mellitus patients. 2020.
4. Nature (Nature). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. 2014.
5. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Eur J Clin Nutr). High dietary protein intake, reducing or eliciting insulin resistance? 2014.
6. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
7. Nature (Nature). The Role of Gut Microbiota on Insulin Resistance. 2013.
8. Diabetes (Diabetes). Butyrate-Producing Bacteria and Insulin Homeostasis: The Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (MILES). 2022.
9. World Journal of Methodology (World J Methodol). Gut microbiota interactions with anti-diabetic medications and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. 2022.
10. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
11. 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 Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.