[karthikg87]

I have been using the whole truth unflavoured whey concentrate for a few months and found it to be working well for me. I avoid the flavoured proteins from them as they are expensive and you can easily prepare much better ones at home. The ingredient list is also short and sweet without a lot of added garbage unlike other brands.

I found it to be a bit bitter when mixed with just water but got used to it when away from home. I try to order in bulk whenever there are offers on their website. You can get a 1kg packet for 1600-1800Rs on average.

I prepare a protein shake daily with half a banana, half an apple, 30-40grams of whey, choice of flavours like saffron , vanilla, coffee & cinnamon powder, chocolate powder etc and a spoonful of chia seeds. We have great quality saffron available on Amazon and I realised my love for it after trying these milk shakes at home.

The added benefit for me is the Bromelain enzyme that helped a lot with my sinusitis issues.

I also tried Amul whey but found the taste similar to milk powder and did not enjoy drinking it so have a bunch of 30gm packets lying with me.

[handsofsteel]

I have been keeping fit for over 35 years now. I have seen a lot of fads come and go. I am a vegetarian too. Too much is being made out of protein and the need for supplementing it. With age, one needs to be very careful with the amount of protein we ingest, There is such a thing as too much protein as it spoils your kidneys. Either one goes to a qualified and reputed dietician/ nutritionist (not a doctor) or stick to natural sources. Whey and supplements are an industry unto themselves and it is next to impossible to find unbiased reviews.
Let us first understand what is whey? Whey is nothing but the watery substance left behind when u make curd at home. My recommendation - Just accumulate it and drink it. It is tasteless. Over a period of a few days, one gets used to it. The advantage being, it is as unadulterated as you can get with minimal side effects.

[ranjitnair77]

+1 for the Optimum Nutrition Whey suggestions. I have been using ON for a couple of years. There are two varieties, the relatively cheaper Concentrate and the more expensive Isolate. I buy the Concentrate in double rich chocolate flavour. The benefits of Isolate over Concentrate are marginal at best so not worth the extra spend.

No bloating, or any other side effects. And I'm in my mid-forties.

I whack in some whey, chilled milk, oats and a scoop of peanut butter to create a really delicious smoothie.

[poised2drive]

1. Muscleblaze Unflavoured 90 % is the best bang for buck and no nonsense product.
2. Muscleblaze (other flavours) 80% or 70 % , if you want to start slow.
3. One Science Nutrition - Their blueberry flavoured 90% whey is incredibly tasty and a perfect for making smoothies.

Though this is anecdotal, I found my muscle growth to be more effective when I have muscleblaze whey.

Whey protein consumption becomes tricky for new consumers as we are not accustomed to eat protein on daily basis. So sudden consumption of whey is bound to upset the digestive system.

Please keep in mind that having enough fiber in the diet along with drinking sufficient water through out the day is a prerequisite for ease of digestion of protein.

[SlowDough]

You need to consider two things:

1. Absorption of protein is a bit subjective, depending on our own bodies.
2. There are grades of Whey. I think it goes like Whey > Whey Isolate > Hydrolised Whey Isolate. Hydrolized is the easiest for the body to absorb.

I ran the brands and products by my trainer and my cousins who have been taking them for far longer.

Common recommendation: Dymatize ISO 100. You can buy from Healthkart physical stores. Before you pay, you can check authenticity through the sticker on top that contains an sms code. If I'm not wrong, it is manufactured in US.

Common rejection: The Whole Truth. My trainer went through its nutritional info, ingredients, and then even its website. According to him, this is not going to be super good, just decent.

Middle ground: Isopure brand. The person who recommended the trainer to me suggested this and has been taking it for 3-4 years. My trainer also recommended this as an option cheaper than Dymatize.

My suggestion: If you can find these amongst your friends, get 2-3 days worth of samples. Try them after your gym sessions. See how you feel. My trainer suggests taking them with a bit of Pineapple or Papaya as that aids both digestion and absorption. See what works best with your gut.

[nagarjun_s]

1.Dymatize is a good choice, but bit expensive in India when compared to others. Their ISO100 series (hydroluzed whey) is tooe. If you can get them from outside India then it should cost equal or even less than other brands available in india.

2. Body building India is a good website (I am not anyway related to them), however I would suggest not to order online as they might give a discount but an older stock, with less shelf live remaining. So would suggest to visit their shop or any other shop to get one with maximum shelf life.

3. There are 3 types of whey protein:

a. Concentrate
b. Isolate
c. Hydrolyzed

Dymatize got hydrolyzed whey protein, which is good for people sensitive to lactose and is easy on the guts, as in these the molecules are broken down to enhance absorption and digestion by the body, making it the most expensive form of whey.

[mak.prasada]

I have used nitrotech by muscletech and Isopure and found both of them to be great.
Also have heard great reviews about ON and Avvatar.

I would also suggest Amul's protein range which has great items like high protein milk and paneer.

[TheBigV]

I've been hitting the gym and using whey protein for more than 20 years now, and whey protein is a must have supplement for vegetarians. My go to brands are Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard and Ultimate Nutrition Prostar whey(best tasting). Sites like Nutrabay and Healthkart can be trusted for genuine products.

[smrtdvl]

Dr recommended my mom (70 yrs) to have protein rich diet after a surgery but since she is diagnosed with terminal illness she is not able to eat well. Can I give whey protein to her? I'll be checking with my Dr this weekend but wanted to have a check here as well.

[MileCruncher]

I have been running for he last 14 years but would do minimal strength training. Over the last couple of years, I started seeing muscle strength going down. So physio advised serious strength training 2-3 days in a week in addition to the existing 3-4 days of running.

Even though am a non-vegetarian, the general food intake doesn't come close to 1-1.2Gms/ Kg of body weight. So protein supplement is a must to aid in recovery and to also build up muscles, thereby increasing BMR and fat burn.


I started serious weight training from Nov last year and started on protein powder from Feb this year. I have been using alternately Whey and Plant Protein.

Plant Protein from Fast & Up - Has about 26Gms/ Scoop (about 34 gms) .https://www.fastandup.in/product-cat...hoCMz8QAvD_BwE
Whey Protein - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BN35D92F/?tag=tbhp0e-21 - This was recommended by my trainer.

While plant protein is not a complete protein like whey, whey is difficult to digest. Some of the regular side effects are gastrocolic reflex, blood in stool etc. Always case protein with some carbs especially complex ones like fruit. Aids in digestion.

[vellatechie]

Originally Posted by GTO

1. Please share the best brands, products & recommendations.

2. Also reliable sources to buy from? Have been told there are a lot of fakes in the market.

3. Any other tips & advice.

Muchas gracias (thank you very much ).

Hey GTO you can Checkout the following channel for scientific testing of supplements sold in India.

https://youtu.be/fxmExB2NNaA?si=8MlqcecF2sHotcN6

Most decent supplement companies have their own website or Amazon. While buying on Amazon don't buy from the seller whose selling at the lowest rate, buy from the one with the highest reviews.

Also with Whey, start taking Creatine. You can take it every single day and don't have to cycle it. There are absolutely no long term side effects of whey and creatine in any study.

[deadlifts26]

Originally Posted by GTO

We have mentions of whey protein on many threads, but no dedicated discussion on the same, hence starting this new thread for solid advice.

2. Also reliable sources to buy from? Have been told there are a lot of fakes in the market.

3. Any other tips & advice.

Hi GTO

May I suggest the brand Maxn for whey protein ? There is a channel(fitness community by PFC) on telegram by a company PFC Club. They test the supplement and publish the result on the telegram channel. You can use their code and get a good discount on the same.

[lordrayden]

There was a study done a while ago that evaluated various protein powders available in India, including for things like actual protein content (vs claimed), fungal toxins, heavy metal content, etc.

https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/...unded,.15.aspx

The main page above lists the results with the blinded code assigned to each sample, that can be decoded using this link (also present in the main page):
https://cdn-links.lww.com/permalink/...09401_sdc1.pdf

[ralto]

Originally Posted by smrtdvl

Dr recommended my mom (70 yrs) to have protein rich diet after a surgery

Yes you can and in my personal (and non-professional ) opinion, you should. High protein intake is a major factor in recovery for such scenarios as I have come to understand.
The same was prescribed to my father by the doctor post-op. He takes that regularly, mostly with milk. Previously the doctor did not mention any brand, so we got one plant-based for him. Soon after that, the big news came out about substandard products. In that news, one interesting fact was that milk-based proteins performed better than plant-based proteins regarding accuracy and quality. So we plan to switch to milk-based whey for him. On our last visit, the doctor prescribed him a brand which we did get, but we haven't started with that one yet. Unfortunately, I don't remember the names of either, but I can check if you want. He also started eggs after that, whereas he was a vegetarian before.

[Rohit_Quad]

This is what i have settled for after trying at-least 15 different brands of Whey. Been using this for the last year or so. The isolate 'plus' variant, I feel is the one to go for.
https://www.amazon.in/NAKPRO-Platinu...s%2C197&sr=8-8
Reason - It is an Isolate with very good protein content and also has some digestive enzymes added. Both these factors help me not get any bloating feeling not stomach issues. Also tastes fine. Protein lab re-test video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYAIN-5Fzmg