Whey Protein Without Sucralose: Sweetened and Unsweetened

There are lots of people who don’t want to take sucralose. While there have been many studies that suggest the artificial sugar is not unhealthy, there are still those within the medical community (plus tons in the alternative healthy arena) that advise against taking sucralose. For bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness models who are taking whey protein shakes this is a somewhat serious issue.

Men and Women who are looking to put on muscle need to have adequate protein intake. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for them to have three whey protein shakes a day. That ends up being a decent amount of sucralose. So health conscious people who wouldn’t drink diet sodas or diet lemonades (because of the artificial sweeteners) don’t tend to think about their whey protein as being a source of artificial sweeteners. Now, luckily you don’t have to worry about aspartame or saccharin, which are the two artificial sweeteners that get the most negative connotation. The main one is sucralose. This one has basically been called safe by the scientific community at large, but if you are serious about the potential side effects (headache, liver issues) then you might want to consider an alternative.

Whey Protein With Sweeteners Besides Sucralose

Stevia : A Natural Plant Based Sweetener

 If you don’t like the idea of a plain whey, then you have two options. The first is a real sugar (often coconut sugar) and the other is stevia. The plain coconut sugar is a popular choice for people who want something a bit sweet, and don’t mind a touch of sugar. Stevia, on the other hand, is a natural sweetener for people who want something sweetener than regular sugar can make a whey shake. The problem with using coconut sugar (or cane sugar, if you find a brand that uses it) is that actual sugar is high in calories, so if you add too much, then your whey shakes will be too high in calories. So the whey protein that is made using coconut sugar tends to be a bit bland. Not unpleasant tasting, but it’s not going to match the Optimum Nutrition Whey that tastes super great, like a milkshake!

Stevia is a plant and a natural sweetener alternative to things like sucralose and aspartame.

Whey Protein With Coconut Sugar

Another alternative to sucralose is coconut sugar. One of the most popular natural whey brands (they make a really poplar line of only whey–Naked Whey) uses just coconut sugar to sweeten the whey. What you should understand is that these whey  shakes won’t taste as sweet and good as your regular Optimum Nutrition shakes will. They just won’. But if you are comfortable with a less sweet shake, then this is not a bad choice. Also, you can order samples to see how they taste so you’re not stuck with a big tub of the whey and wondering what to do with it.  Naked Whey has a few options using just coconut sugar and either cocoa powder, dried strawberries or vanilla.

Naked Whey Sample Pack

This pack includes both the classic naked whey (which has not sweeteners) as well as the “less naked” whey proteins which has coconut sugar plus something like vanilla, strawberries, or cocoa.

This sample pack is a great way to get a chance to see what the different flavors taste like. If you’ve only had whey shakes that were sweetened with sucralose before, then you should try a small sampling before you jump in and get yourself a big tub.

Oragain Grass Fed Whey

Tastes amazing. Blends really easy. Fantastic taste. New Zealand sourced. Probably my favorite of all of the flavored whey protein powders. You can mix it into something like Naked Whey if you don’t like the taste of plain whey.

Whey Protein With Cane Sugar

Really nice whey powder here. Humanely treated cows (for people who are concerned about animal welfare) organic sugar, organic cacao, and Himalayan salt.

When Is Unflavored, Unsweetened Whey Acceptable?

If you’re only mixing your whey with water, then you want some sort of flavoring. Either the natural Stevia, or the organic coconut, or organic cane sugar.

Plain whey, is great for smoothies. If you are making blended smoothie then you can definitely add some unflavored whey. For instance, a big blueberry smoothie with some plain Naked Whey is going to be really tasty. The blueberries are the dominant flavor and it will taste great.