I’m in the process of starting to work out again, and I had bought a tub of Optimum Nutrition chocolate, as in the past I remember not minding the taste.
I am not sure what has happened since I last worked out (yeah it’s been years), but the ON protein tastes *terrible* now. I have read that sucralose is to blame, but honestly I’m not sure.
That said, I’m looking for a new protein powder that I can stomach and tastes good. Even at the best ON ever tasted, I didn’t love it, but I could stomach it for the protein benefit. Also, I am doing intermittent fasting (usually 16:8), so any suggestions around when to intake protein etc is always helpful as I’m very far removed from that knowledge.
Appreciate any help, and thanks!
No ideas as to when, cause I usually use it as a meal replacement when I’m running short on time, but vega protein and greens vanilla is my favorite. I add in peanut butter powder and a banana.
I’m lactose intolerant and it’s vegan so no whey.
I use Vital Proteins (Chocolate and Unflavored). They are often on sale at Costco. I do 16:8; usually run in a fasted state. When it’s time to break my fast, I either have a chocolate shake with the Vital Proteins, 1% milk and a scoop of sugar free Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Vanilla powder (yum—not that healthy, but yum). Or I use Unflavored and mix it with the same Vanilla powder, milk and either frozen mixed tropical fruit or frozen mixed berries. Vital Proteins also makes a Matcha flavor, which I mix with ice and coconut milk.
>Best tasting protein powder?
This is going to be very subjective, but there’s so many on the market these days so you’re bound to like one of them. So depends on what exact flavor you’re looking for, or trying to avoid, and what exactly you want your protein powder for. Some are formulated for different goals and purposes.
If you want something like Optimum Nutrition but different Iso 100 is probably going to be stocked in the same places and typically goes really sweet flavored, like Fruity Pebbles even. A lot of the egg white protein powders will come in similarly leaner with focus on protein per calories and I’ve found most I tried pretty mellow. My SO really likes the Orgain chocolate one, which is a pea protein.
>And when to take?
Basically whenever, most of the timing stuff is fitness industry noise and/or maximising the last few percentages. For most everyone just trying to be healthier, working out consistently and hitting your daily protein goal is most of what matters.
I will say that depending on the source, sometimes a protein shake can be a little rough digestively on a fasted empty stomach. So you may want to experiment with having it with a meal or its timing with regards to that.
Did you get the naturally flavored chocolate or the standard chocolate I found the naturally flavored to be 100x better than the standard.
PEScience is excellent and also great for protein pancakes and baking. Ghost is my other favorite and comes in ‘junk food’ flavors like Nutter Butter, Fruity Cereal Milk etc. Both of these are on the sweet side.
Best tasting is probably Quest but it also has a lot of other garbage in it. IMO many chocolates tend to have a gritty taste and texture to them. My favorite overall is probably Puori short ingredient list so it’s “cleaner” than other options but, you typically have to order online. Sometimes they have odd flavors like black currant.