Whey, Soy, or Vegetable Protein Powder For Smoothies

If you’re looking to boost the muscle building power of your post-workout smoothie, then you should definitely add protein powder. The big question is what type of protein powder you are going to add to the smoothie. We’re not talking about adding protein in the form of seeds (hemp) or oats, even these are both viable and healthy. No, for this article we are specifically talking about protein powders. There are a few advantages to using protein powders. First, they are quick and easy. They blend up super fast into the smoothie and don’t mess up the consistency of your smoothie.

Here’s my pick for the best Whey Protein Powder

And here’s my pick for the best Vegan Protein Powder

Secondly, they have lots of protein. A single scoop of protein powder will give you anywhere from 26-30 grams of protein. That’s really all you need (or can handle). There is a big debate as to how much protein the human body can process at one sitting, but if you stick with a single scoop, you are going to do fine. It’s not too much that it won’t get digested and used by the muscles, and its’ not too little that it won’t do any benefit. But you do get a huge amount of easy to digest protein that is blended right into the smoothie. Some people like to mix protein in their juices, but I think that a smoothie is actually better.

What Type Of Protein Powder For Smoothies Are Best?

The next thing to decide on is what type of protein powder you are going to use. You have three options, and they are as follows: Soy, Whey and Vegetable. There’s also casein, but this is better suited for nightie, right before you go to sleep because it is a slow acting protein and therefor it’s not suited for when you workout. Instead, you are going to want one of the proteins that are ready right away for your muscles.

Right off the bat I’m going to tell you to avoid Soy protein. That’s because there is some discussions about how healthy it is. Some studies have linked heavy soy usage to health problems because of the phytoestrogens. The main type of person who looks for soy protein are people who don’t like whey because they have problems with milk. Whey is derived from milk. It’s the protein part of milk. They remove all the fat and sugars (lactose) and then you’re left with protein.

Whey and Vegetable Protein Powders

I would say that the two types of protein you should stick with are whey and vegetable. Honestly, whey blends up better in liquids. However, that’s mostly an issue when you’re dealing with water, milk, or juice. When you are making a smoothie, then it’s not as crucial an issue. There are a few things to notice about whey and vegetable protein, so here’s a quick primer to see how they work with smoothies.

Whey Protein In Smoothies

Whey blends up the best, the only issue is that you need to get the right kind of whey. Most whey protein powders are sold for bodybuilders who mix them in a shaker cup after a workout. They are normally flavored chocolate, with some less common flavors being vanilla and strawberry. Now, the thing about this is that these flavors don’t mix well with smoothies which tend to be made either with fruit or vegetables. Luckily, though, there are other flavors you can get.

ON nutrition, for instance does make some berry flavors. These would work well with something like a blueberry smoothie or a strawberry smoothie. Of course,  you could also choose a plain whey. ON doesn’t sell plain whey though, so you should look for a brand like Naked Whey. This is a really popular whey with the health conscious workout population because it’s got zero additives.  Another advantage to some of the clean wheys is that they don’t use milk from cows that were fed any sort of bovine growth hormone. So, if you’re someone who buys organic fruit and veggies, and organic coconut water, to blend up, then it might be worth it to invest in a clean whey. A clean, unflavored whey is my suggestion. It won’t alter the flavor of your smoothie so you can enjoy your smoothie with extra protein without having to deal with an unpleasant taste.

Vegetable Protein For Smoothies

Vegetable protein is often made from pea protein, oat protein, or some other non-dairy source. These proteins are popular with vegans, of course, but they are also popular with people who want to boost their vegetable intake. A brand like Vega, for instance, is very popular. They make a tart chocolate protein powder.

Of course, if you don’t want to have a flavor, for instance if you’re making a green smoothie and don’t think that a tart cherry chocolate flavor would work well (and honestly it doesn’t sound to good with a kale smoothie) then you can get a Naked brands vegetable protein. These are similar to the naked whey, except they are made from a pure vegetable source.

I have a good write up about natural whey proteins that are made without sucralose here.