[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.

My gym trainer has recommended Whey Protein to me. Ran it by my doctor and he too has suggested the same. I gym 6 days a week and am a pure vegetarian.

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 ).

[ece2k2]

Great thread and I am sure the discussion would be super helpful for all the fitness focussed folks around.

Have tried Myprotein (through the brand app) and The Whole Truth (TWT) from Amazon. Myprotein’s whey isolate is imported from UK and its concentrate is manufactured by a third party company in India. Came across reports that lead content is high in Myprotein which is kind of concerning. TWT used to clearly label the source of protein earlier, but have removed that label in its newer batch. Looks like it is likely going to be a hit or a miss in terms of whey quality purchased in India.

Thinking of stocking up on whey during my next trip to Europe as the quality of whey in Europe is supposedly a lot more regulated.

My personal advice is to stick to Unflavoured ones and add your own flavouring (cocoa, etc) to minimize any health risk from the additives used in the flavoured varieties. Personally I don’t mind drinking unflavoured whey concentrate just mixed with water �� as I like the taste.

[Maverick5490]

Originally Posted by GTO

My gym trainer has recommended Whey Protein to me. Ran it by my doctor and he too has suggested the same. I gym 6 days a week and am a pure vegetarian.

I was also in a similar situation and have been using Whey Protein for the past 8 Months and it is definitely a must have. Have been using Avvatar Whey Protein (ISORICH) which is part of the 'Parag Milk Foods' group, pure vegetarian and straight from the factory. You can order it from their own website, packaging is secure and delivered in 4-5 days. Would recommend their chocolate flavors, one scoop with cold water (300 ml) post workouts.

https://www.avvatarindia.com/

Other brands tried:

1) Optimum Nutrition: Very Good, but slightly expensive
2) The Whole truth: Expensive and somehow did not find it to be as effective.

[Eco_boost]

Personally, I have tried 2 brands.
1 - Muscle Blaze, is a bit more economical, And easily available online. However, it caused me slight stomach discomforts, hence stopped.

2- My sister was advised to use ON (Optimum Nutrition) protein powder by her dietician. I ended up trying it too, and it’s way better than muscleblaze. Didn’t feel heavy, but is more expensive too. You can directly buy it from their website.

I have also extensively consumed Raw Presserys protein drinks when I need some protein on the go. Lately, even Amul has come up with a range of protein drinks. Extremely economical and available for purchase from their own website.

[Eddy]

"TheLiverDoc" on Twitter is a very polarising figure when it comes to medical advice. Here is his report on the protein supplements available in India.

https://x.com/theliverdr/status/1629670100595888128

[nicodash]

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.

Some of the key factors to evaluate before picking whey protein are:

1. Cost
2. Protein percentage (should match label, mislabeling is common)
3. Ingredients (other than whey, what else is there like sweetener, flavor etc)
4. Taste
5. Mixability (should mix easily, no lumps)

Some of the things you want to avoid in whey protein:

1. Steroids or other dubious additions
2. Presence of heavy metals
3. Insecticides, Pesticides

There's a youtuber named Arpit Mangal who runs Trustified, a certification program for whey protein and multivitamins. He does extensive testing for each product. There are some other influencers also who have done testing for different protein brands in India.

Based on my own research, brand reputation, amazon reviews, Trustified testing and my own experience, I have found these 2 to offer the best combination of quality, cost and taste:

1. GNC 100% Whey: This one costs around 4500 for 1.8 KG box. Their taste is the best I have had among 5-6 brands that I have tried. You can buy it from Amazon or their website.

2. Muscle Nectar 100% Whey: This one costs around 3700-3800 for 2 KG Pouch. The quality is same as GNC, but the taste is just slightly less good. Buy it from their website and use the code 'trustified' for 5% discount. This is the one that I am taking these days.

Avvatar (trustified certified) and Amul are also good brands that you can try, but Amul's taste is not good.

How to consume whey:
You can mix it in water, or curd. I mix 100-150 grams of curd with 1 scoop of vanilla/kulfi flavor whey and 1-2 guavas/apples chopped finely. It becomes a really tasty fruit-yogurt bowl breakfast.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Trustified in any way. But I found their website/youtube channel to be a good resource so shared it here.

[Small Bot]

I could recall this post from last year. It was quite informative. It also lists which proteins contain misleading labels and which contain more toxins than they advertise.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post5505078 (Bodybuilding - Exercises and Supplements)

Personally, I like One Science, but only after workouts. And I buy from their website directly, as Amazon sellers cannot be trusted always.

Did not like the taste of Origin. The Whole Truth whey protein (concentrate, not isolate) was okayish, but spoils easily in its packaging and is somewhat pricey.

[RM Motorsports]

I too workout 5-6 days a week since past 15 years. I am also a vegetarian but i eat eggs once a while which hardly helps with protein intake.

Around six years back i started having supplements, basically whey protein from Optimum Nutrition. After a month or two i noticed I had often stomach upsets and heat boils on the back. I checked with the doctor he suggested to stop whey protein.

Reasons:

1. I am lactose intolerant and casein was causing stomach upset.

2. heat boils due to high whey concentrate. Body was not able to absorb all the protein intake compared to workout intensity.

Doctor suggested these high concentrate whey powders are for professionals and athletes who need constant source of proteins, not for someone like me who workout just to stay fit and in good shape.

Hence I have shifted to plant protein from Optimum Nutrition and very happy with the results. Plant protein is just a blend of pea and rice, so easy to digest too.

You can buy it from their official website. They sell on Amazon too but with fear of being fake i purchase from official site.

McLAREN Racing announces Optimum Nutrition as Official Sports Nutrition Partner of the McLAREN Formula 1 Team. So surely it has to be a TOP BRAND.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM6KKOPpzcw

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/partn...ormula-1-team/

https://www.optimumnutrition.com/en-us/mclaren

[deathwalkr]

I get Whole truth's Unflavoured 30g Pure Whey Protein Isolate powder.

Blend it with their peanut butter or with apples/bananas.

Think there's already good discussions over in the supplements thread?

[mayankk]

I've been using this exclusively for about 2 years now.
Easy absorbability. And tastes fine too.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[NPV]

I tried this last year (a friend carried it from the US), makes for one of the best meal replacement beverages.
GETHLTH

This one is formulated by Dr Benjamin Bikman (also co founder of the company) who is an authority on Insulin Resistance and books like Why we get Sick.

[PreludeSH]

Amul sells whey protein that is unflavoured. If you believe them, it should be good to have. I had problems with whey and plant protein, they caused some issues with digestion. Now back to having 4 eggs (1 yellow) everyday. Need to try whey isolate and see how it feels.

[roy_libran]

ON/ISOPURE/Muscleblaze/AMUL are the ones I cycle between for many years now - I am a 'pure' non-veggie btw and past my mid forties.

I keep changing between these brands, and keep cycling on cycling off whey, and have never had any problems (yet).

The link shared a few posts back by Eddy has a good comparison of the various proteins in the market made by Dr. Phillips, and is definitely good to go through.

[PatienceWins]

1. Optimum nutrition (ON) whey is good and supposed to be reliable, though a little expensive compared to others.

2. Mostly buy from Tata 1mg app. Amazon supposedly has a lot of fakes; as per reviews.

3. Switched to 100% whey isolate from whey concentrate because of stomach issues - bloating, stomach pain and gas. Feel much better now. Lactose intolerance seems to be the issue with whey concentrate.

Also, taking the supplement earlier in the day (morning or evening) helps with digestion; do not take in the night if you have digestion issues.

[sachinayak]

I currently use a mix of Whey Protein and Plant Protein (Pea).

For this I use
https://nutrabox.in/products/best-raw-whey-protein
https://originnutrition.in/product/o...rotein-powder/

Plant protein is good for those who are lactose intolerant (from what I read on social media - a majority of south and east indians are lactoce intolerant). However what I also read is that plant protein is not absorbed as easily (or effectively) as whey protein. I thus take 1 scoop of each (instead of the recommended 2 scoops). One is a fast release and another a slow/gradual release, so hoping (logically) that a combination would work better than individual.

I have been working hard on reversing my insulin resistance and pay very close attention to ingredients. Most flavoured versions including those which claim "No added sugar" have artificial sweeteners e.g. maltodextrin, sucralose, maltitol etc. I try best to avoid processed food (ironically any supplement is going to be processed) and now prefer the unflavoured versions. I add a banana or a couple of soaked dates with some unsweetened cocoa powder and/or cinnamon powder to make a delicious drink. While fruits/dry-fruits too have high sugar content, they are also abundant on fiber. So hopefully lesser of the evils.