Does It Matter If You Get Your Protein From Powder Or From Food?
Deciding whether you legit need protein powder is pretty simple. We just addressed the first question: how much protein you need. The second question is: How well is your diet meeting those needs?
Whether or not you need protein powder “really depends on what your diet consists of already,” Gonzalez says. Most people can indeed get enough protein, powder-free. “For the average healthy person who’s pretty athletic and eating a balanced, diverse diet, they’re probably getting enough protein from their food already,” Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., R.D.N., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences, tells SELF.
“It is absolutely possible to consume adequate protein from real food,” adds Linsenmeyer. “Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, soy products, nuts, seeds, whole grains—[they] all provide dietary protein.”
Real food also has a couple advantages over powder. It can certainly cost less, given some protein powders can cost you a pretty penny. (Though this depends on how much you spend on the food you eat in place of the powder, of course.)
The main benefit is what you automatically get alongside the protein. “The plus with foods is that you are able to consume a variety of other micronutrients and fiber from a full meal,” Yasi Ansari, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., National Media Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Assistant Director of Performance Nutrition for UC Berkeley Athletics, tells SELF. This is especially important if you’re drinking a high-protein, low-everything-else shake to replace a well-rounded meal that would normally fuel your body with carbs and fat along with that protein. “I have found people will rely more on these shakes, rather than taking the time to prepare and meal plan for a balanced diet,” Ansari says. (Although, to be fair, you can certainly mix in real foods—berries, peanut butter, spinach, flax seed, yogurt—to your smoothie and get the best of both worlds.)
Now, let’s say you’re finding it hard to get enough protein from food. That’s where protein powder can really come in handy. “If you’re not getting enough protein already, a protein supplement can be beneficial,” Gonzalez says. “Protein powders can be a great way to add more protein into the diet if you can’t meet those needs through just food,” Ansari agrees.
People who are more likely to struggle with getting enough protein through food alone include competitive athletes, older adults, people recovering from surgery or illness, and people on vegan diets, Ansari says. “Most vegans can do fine with proper meal planning,” Kitchin adds. But if you are a vegan athlete and struggling with getting enough [protein], then something like a soy protein powder can help [you] meet that.”
As for the vast majority of us, who probably don’t need protein powder, strictly nutritionally speaking? Well, given we’re not robots, there’s a lot of other factors that go into our food choices besides our dietary needs. And when you take those into account, there’s a decent chance that protein powder is a pretty sensible choice for you.
Mainly, you can’t overstate the convenience factor of the chuggable, portable, lightweight, takes-two-seconds-to-make shake. “Protein powders are great for convenience,” says Ansari, which is why she has no objections to her busy student athletes who are running from training to class using protein powder. Basically, protein powder is the lowest-effort, highest-efficiency way to be sure you’re getting enough protein with a single scoop. (BTW, if you really want to be efficient AF here, consider opting for whey protein powder. According to the ISSN, research shows that whey has a slight edge on the other types when it comes to that MPS response, likely due to its “optimal amino acid profile,” Gonzalez explains—though it may not make a noticeable difference for most people, Kitchin says.)
When you consume your protein actually matters.
If you’re someone who drinks protein shakes in order to get enough protein to maximize your gym gains, you probably chug one right after your workouts. And while that’s not a bad idea, there’s an even more important rule when it comes to timing your protein intake: It’s crucial to space out your protein intake throughout the day.
“Protein is vital after a workout,” Ansari says. “But it is important for people to know that more [all at once] is not necessarily better.”
The amount of protein your muscles can absorb after working out varies, depending on factors like how much you exercised and your body composition, Ansari says. The Academy/DC/ACSM all recommend consuming 15 to 25 grams of protein (or 0.25 to 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight) within two hours after your workout to maximize MPS, while the ISSN recommends getting 20 to 40 grams (or 0.25 grams per kilogram of body weight).
If you’re looking for an easy-to-remember rule, aim for something in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 grams of protein after a workout. (Or if you want to be more precise, about it, 11% to 14% of your body weight in pounds.) So in terms of food, that could be a 7-ounce container of 2% fat plain Greek yogurt (20 grams) of protein; a 4-ounce chicken breast (27 g); or a scoop of protein powder. (The amount varies depending on the product, but many contain 20 to 25 grams or so per serving, like this whey variety and this soy one.)
Now, if you’re trying to help your sore muscles soak up as much protein as they can, then experts also recommend getting about that same amount of protein every few hours on top of your postgym hit (every three to five hours, per the Academy/DC/ACSM; every three hours or so, per the ISSN). “Consuming adequate protein throughout the day, not just after a workout, is essential to optimizing [MPS],” Linsenmeyer explains. “In other words, muscle protein synthesis is greater when you consume adequate protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” as opposed to, say, two low-protein meals and then a 50-gram protein shake after exercising.
Here’s why: Your muscles will actually continue to be extra thirsty for protein for at least the next 24 hours after you work them out, Gonzalez explains. But unfortunately, when you eat more protein than your body can use in one sitting, it doesn’t just save that protein for later. “We don’t have a storage form of protein that we can pull from,” Kitchin says. Whatever protein is left over will get broken down and most likely get stored as fat, Kitchin says (or used for energy, in the unlikely case your body isn’t getting enough energy from carbs and fat, its preferred sources of fuel, the Merck Manual explains).
