whey protein shakes

[peterc]

hi all,
I have noticed that many of you serious about gaining muscle or mass use whey protein. I have looked at a few products at local stores but am scared about the cholesterol content being too high.
I have a history of high cholesterol and want to keep it an historic rather than current event.
are there lower cholesterol powders/suppliments??
what is the relationship of cholesterol to the whey protein?? catalyst??

your comments and recommendations please

 

[Key Of David]

hi all,
I have noticed that many of you serious about gaining muscle or mass use whey protein. I have looked at a few products at local stores but am scared about the cholesterol content being too high.
I have a history of high cholesterol and want to keep it an historic rather than current event.
are there lower cholesterol powders/suppliments??
what is the relationship of cholesterol to the whey protein?? catalyst??

your comments and recommendations please

I can't give you an "expert" opinion like catalyst...but I can tell you the best bang for the buck whey protein is Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Protein. It has 23g of protein per serving (a small included scoop) and the cholesterol is 10 mg per serving, or 3% of the RDA. Its delicious mixed with skim milk and so so with water....which I usually use about 8 oz. with the powder to make a shake. Fat is 1g and saturated fat is .5g and carbs are a whopping 2g. You may want to check them out. Whey is instantly absorbed by your body and in effect has a high biological value. I highly recommend it. God Bless!!

 

[hischildsindik]

I can't give you an "expert" opinion like catalyst...but I can tell you the best bang for the buck whey protein is Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Protein. It has 23g of protein per serving (a small included scoop) and the cholesterol is 10 mg per serving, or 3% of the RDA. Its delicious mixed with skim milk and so so with water....which I usually use about 8 oz. with the powder to make a shake. Fat is 1g and saturated fat is .5g and carbs are a whopping 2g. You may want to check them out. Whey is instantly absorbed by your body and in effect has a high biological value. I highly recommend it. God Bless!!

I too recommend ON's 100% Whey Protein. It is good as well if you mix it in the blender (double chocolate) with milk (I use soy) and some ice and blend until smooth. It's delicious!

 

[retooferab]

ON for me too!

I just mix with water in a "shaker cup" and it tastes fine! Not like a hot fudge sundae or anything, but pretty good for a proteine drink.

 

[2Bhumble]

My local Christian-run vitamin store quit selling Optimum Nutrition whey and substituted it for IronTek. IronTek isn't that great. OK, I got an 86 serving tub of vanilla for 27 bucks (22 g of protein per serving). It does NOT dissolve with a spoon so I have to throw it in the blender then put it in the fridge for 30+ minutes to wait for all the foamy bubbles to pop. Me no like froth. I guess it tastes OK with a banana and peanut butter added. It also has 45mg of cholesterol which I guess isn't as bad as an egg yolk (215mg). Isn't dietary cholesterol a whole different thing than what your body produces? I know tuna has a lot of cholsesterol as well. I eat tons of eggs and some tuna and my last cholesterol reading was in the mid-100s. Genetics? I'm really thinking this may be my last tub of protein as I'm cheap and I really think weights, cardio, healthy table food, water and sleep are all one needs for good body composition. Just my 2 cents (told you I wuz cheap )

 

[peterc]

Thanks all for your help and suggestions...I think I will do a nutritional review to see where my protein and cholesterol are now and then see how to proceed.
GBY

 

[catalyst]

You have gotten some very good replies so far. One thing that I would like to point out is that in addition to its high bioavailability, whey protein is digested incredibly fast. This makes it ideal to consume post workout, but otherwise it is hard to get the full effect of it unless you do something to delay gastric emptying, such as consuming it with casein (milk protein). This is actually an excellent combination, as casein clots slightly in the stomach, which will slow down the absoprtion of the whey.

And whey is not particularly high in cholesterol.

 

[peterc]

Hey all:
thanks again for you suggestions and tips
Based on your recommendations i just looked at ON offerings. I chose ON's Any Whey.
It has no Cholesterol and only 1 gram carbohydrate and one scoop offers 17 grams of protein....just what i was looking for.

 

[2Bhumble]

I chose ON's Any Whey.

Catchy name.

My health food store said No Whey to O.N.

I'll have to look for Any Whey elsewhere. Thanks sharing info on your find!

 

[peterc]

2B
try going to ON's website www.optimumnutrition.com.
they quickly sent me a very well done catalog. I have never seen a company give so many pages to nutritional info as they have.
i also got a comp copy of american hardline mag. I did not buy online but got the any whey at my local GNC store. it was cheaper.

 

[Bear]

One thing that I would like to point out is that in addition to its high bioavailability, whey protein is digested incredibly fast. This makes it ideal to consume post workout, but otherwise it is hard to get the full effect of it unless you do something to delay gastric emptying...

I limit my dairy products when cutting (reducing body fat %), but a few tablespoons of heavy whipping cream will also slow down digestion without the carbs associated with milk

 

[catalyst]

Or, of course, this could also be a good time for an EFA supplement.

Or a fiber supplement.

 

[Bear]

Or, of course, this could also be a good time for an EFA supplement.

Or a fiber supplement.

Yah yah

 

[EPU]

First, total cholesterol levels are not the end all be all of one's heart health. In fact, total cholesterol level (unless it's in the >300 range) really does not yield much information. Of more importance are HDL, LDL, triglyceride levels and total cholesterol/HDL ratio.

Whey protein will not raise your cholesterol levels. However, whey protein is not the best protein species to consume on a regular basis. A few years ago, whey protein was the "big thing" in the bodybuilding and fitness world. As research has clearly shown, whey protein is digested into amino acids too quickly for sustained protein needs. Therefore, whey protein has now been relegated to a post-training meal.

A better protein species to consume if one is interested in gaining lean muscle mass is mixed protein source like casein plus egg plus whey. If you truly enjoy the taste of a whey protein drink, add egg protein powder to the mix. This combination will greatly increase the protein content of the drink without adding fat and only minimal carbs. Contrary to popular opinion, an egg white does have 1g of carbohydrate.

 

[retooferab]

Wow! The knowledge continues to pour in! Thanks, EPU!! Any good value recommendations on a mixed proteine powder? Or an "egg" protein for that matter?

 

[EPU]

There are several good, reputable companies that produce mixed protein powders. I'm partial to beverly international, but others include Labrada, Twinlab, Prolab and Met-rx, ISS and optimum. A good site which categorizes its proteins is netrition.com.

 

[retooferab]

Thanks! Here, have some blessings for being so helpful!

BTW, are you a member over in God'sBods yet? Pleae join us! --> http://christianforums.com/t88382

 

[Seth4Christ]

I use ON Whey as well.. a good website to buy that from online for a cheap price is bulknutrition.com. Thats usually where I order my 10lb bags from.

(sorry, can't post a direct link cause I don't have enough posts. )

 

[peterc]

Thanks Catalyst & Bear...I hope you're proud, i've been taking a fiber suppliment all along..

EPU..thanks also. I originally chose to steer clear of protein suppliments because of what i consider high levels of cholesterol in the mix... some cases whey proteins have 65mgs per serving. I'm told that one does not need to ingest any cholesterol because the body produces enough on it's own.

plus my cholesterol and triglycerides were too high for a guy my age (>240) at one point and I have made a good effort to lower them (<190). i do not think it wise to increase my chlesterol consumption to suppliment proteins. my doc,who i trust,was concerned given my moms heart problems...
I think I'm on a logical path.
I will look into your suggestions after i consume this tub of Any Whey.

perhaps you can answer my question from the original post...why then is there so much cholesterol in many of these "nutritional" drinks...does it have a function or is it that there really not so healthy after-all??
ON's Opti-pro meal=65mgs ch per 73g serving??? for instance.

 

[retooferab]

Hmmm... the mixed protein Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex is almost twice as expensive per gram of protein as Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey... is it worth it? Would half as much provide greater benefit? Or would the same amount provide significant gains over the 100% whey?