for the love of nums
Let’s start at the beginning. I’m less than seven months away from being a bonafide 40-year-old. And of course, I’ve always heard the warnings: “Just wait until you turn 40! You won’t be able to (insert everything fun here – have dessert, eat bread, go braless, etc) like you can now.” But I’ve always refused to accept that, as if now that I’m approaching this arbitrary number, I’m supposed to resign myself to being somehow deficient or less than the 20s or 30s version of me. I want to blow my own mind in my 40s with how strong and confident and healthy I am.
So when I started noticing that I’d gained a few pounds a couple/few months ago, I paused and observed to try to figure out the culprit. I’m 5-foot-three-and-a-half inches tall (Yes, I actually take the time to acknowledge that extra half inch.), so a 5-pound weight gain is more noticeable on me than it might be on a taller woman. It wasn’t anything crazy, and I don’t even own a scale, so I don’t know the exact number, but I noticed that whenever I actually deigned to wear something other than workout clothes (You know – real pants, with zippers and buttons and zero stretch. Real pants don’t play; they don’t care about your feelings.), things were feeling a bit tight around the midsection.
I like to stay on top of my health wherever I can possibly help it. There will always be factors and things that are out of our control, but I always do what is within my control to care for my body. Every few years, for whatever reason, I may notice a few extra pounds on my frame. I don’t like that, and that’s ok. There’s this ironic tendency I see within the health + wellness space right now to, in the name of body positivity, shame people who like to keep an eye on their waistline or weight, and I’m not into it. I’m not obsessive, but I know what feels best to me, mentally and physically, it’s my body and therefore my business, so I do what I need to do for myself. I want everyone to do that, whatever that means for them individually, without feeling shamed or judged, and I expect to be afforded the same respect.
So when I notice something I don’t love happening, I figure it out – sometimes on my own, sometimes with holistic help – and adjust accordingly. I know how much harder it is to lose 20 pounds (like I did post-pregnancies) than five, so as soon as I realize something’s off, I tend to work quickly to get back to where my body feels best. No extremes or punishing myself or my body; just listening extra intently to what it’s trying to tell me and making little tweaks to the diet or workout routine, or a little extra supplementation. There’s no doubt that needs change as we age, and what worked for me in my 20s stopped working as well in my 30s, and that’s ok. In fact, with everything I learn through each small recalibration, I actually end up happier and happier with my body and what it can do and how it looks. So I’m approaching this current adjustment with optimism that it will follow the same trend.
So first thing’s first: I try to identify a root cause. I’ve been very consistent with my workouts, my periods are like clockwork, I don’t have any fatigue, and I’m getting 8-9 hours of quality sleep, so the first thing I looked at was my diet. I cook most of my meals at home, and I take what I feel is a healthy, but balanced approach to food, so this part was a little frustrating for me. I started writing down what I was eating each day (I used a fitbook.) so I could gain a better understanding of any gaps that needed filling in. Through my research and food-logging, I quickly surmised that I wasn’t eating enough protein. And since I’d just added weight-lifting into my exercise routine, protein was more crucial than ever if I wanted to build more muscle.
Pause. Why is building muscle so important? Well, it’s not just about looks, y’all. As we age, we lose muscle mass, so weight-training becomes even more important if we want to stay healthy and vital throughout our lives. Retaining adequate muscle mass obviously makes you stronger and boosts your metabolism, but aside from that, it’s good for your bone density (less likely to break a bone if you take a little spill), reduces your risk of injury (thanks to subsequently increased tendon thickness and healthier joints), and even improves circulation throughout your body (which means oxygen is delivered more effectively and waste is excreted more efficiently). These things become even more important as we get older and don’t bounce back as quickly or easily from illness or injury. How many times have you heard someone talk about how vibrant and full of life their grandparent was “before the (insert injury here)”? By building more muscle, we are setting ourselves up for fewer injuries, better health and increased longevity. And yes, we’ll look good while doing it, too. Added bonus.
After consulting with a health coach, I set a goal for myself of consuming 115-125g of protein per day, which, to be honest, I found difficult to adjust to. High-protein foods are really filling, and I often physically could not make myself eat enough throughout the day to hit my goal. I knew I needed to find a protein powder that would help me get there. The problem? I hate protein powder. It tastes gross and chalky and fake and weird. I don’t do protein powders or protein bars or protein cookies. Historically, they’ve all been funky to me. But I was a girl on a mission, so I set out to find a high-quality protein powder that I could actually stomach that would help me get to where I wanted to be.
Turns out, there are a LOT of protein powders out there. Whey proteins, beef proteins, pea proteins, collagen proteins, soy proteins, cricket proteins. And they’re all expensive. And many of them are filled with crap ingredients. So I turned to the ‘gram for advice and got a slew of recommendations.
First, let’s talk about what I didn’t want – artificial sweeteners or questionable ingredients. That alone weeded out a bunch.
What I did want: a palatable whey or beef protein powder that is preferably from grass-fed cows and free from funkiness in the form of weird additives. Why whey or beef?
Let’s break down what protein is and how it works. Proteins are comprised of amino acids, which, among other things, help with cell and antibody formation, tissue repair and oxygen delivery throughout the body. To form a complete protein, 20 different amino acids bond together in a chain. Thankfully, eleven of those amino acids are produced by our own magical bodies. The other nine, however, which are called “essential amino acids,” (EAAs) we must get from the food we eat. You might also hear people talking about BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), which are three particular EAAs that do not go through the normal digestion/excretion process. Why does that matter, muscle-wise? Well, only 10% of the protein we ingest is actually allocated for muscle growth and repair. Half of it gets directed straight to your liver (through which most things are filtered before circulating through the rest of your body) or gut, and the other 40% goes toward energy and neurotransmitter production. BCAAs have a specific structure that only allows them to be metabolized in the muscles, which is why so many athletes choose to supplement with them.
There are many foods that contain some or all of the EAAs, but plant-based protein sources (other than soybeans) don’t contain enough of them to be considered “complete.” Therefore, with plant-based proteins, you have to combine several different foods to fill in the EAA gaps. Soy protein was a no for me because much of what makes whole soybeans nourishing is stripped away in the process of isolating the protein, most soy produced in the US is genetically modified and heavily sprayed, and I don’t exactly love the phytoestrogen content when we’re talkin’ about something I’ll be consuming on a daily basis.
What foods contain all of the EAAs in the necessary amounts for crucial bodily functions, thus making them “complete?” Animal proteins, such as meat, eggs and dairy (although collagen, while animal-based, is actually not a traditional, dietary protein – the kind that balances your blood sugar and keeps you feeling full – and is deficient in a couple EAAs, and therefore is considered incomplete; still has tons of benefits, but isn’t going to be the best option for muscle-building). Given that the muscles of both animals and humans share the same building blocks, it makes sense that meat is a very efficient source of dietary protein for us. And since my goal is to build more muscle, consuming as much complete protein as possible has been my focus.
Once I knew more about what I was looking for and had sorted through all the recommendations and research, I was then able to narrow down my protein-powder candidates to four finalists. But how would I choose?? What if I chose one, but it tasted horrible and further deterred me from pursuing my protein goals? Like I said, these powders weren’t cheap. I’d be supremely annoyed if I spent that much on something that I couldn’t even stomach. But then I figured that I probably wasn’t the only person in this particular boat, so maybe I should just bite the bullet and try them all for the greater good. Then I can report back and help others make an informed decision. Which is what has led us here. To the moment of truth. My honest review of each of the four protein powders on which I decided to take a chance. *I’d like to note that I bought all of the products I’m about to mention, and am not sponsored by any of them.*
ACTIVE STACKS $57.90/28-serving tub
Beef Protein Isolate
22g protein per serving
Chocolate flavor, sweetened with stevia
I almost didn’t buy this brand, because, to be honest, there’s not as much in-depth information available regarding their sourcing, but I did otherwise like the ingredients as compared to most protein powders I was finding, and it was recommended by many of y’all, so I decided to give it a whirl. Because it’s made from beef protein, it naturally contains collagen, which I liked, and it’ll most likely be much easier for people with lactose sensitivity or intolerance to digest, although I have no problems with dairy. But the flip-side of beef-based protein is that it also has a stronger, more distinct aftertaste that might be a bit off-putting to some. Taste-wise, this was my least favorite of the four.
OVERALL RATING: 6/10 (might be higher if I knew more about their ingredient-sourcing)
BE WELL BY KELLY $59.99/30-serving bag
Grass-fed Beef Protein Isolate
23g protein per serving
Vanilla flavor, sweetened with monk fruit extract
This was probably the most recommended protein powder y’all mentioned, which I completely understand because it’s the brainchild of Kelly LeVeque, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a couple times, and not only is she a wealth of nutrition knowledge, she is truly as delightful in person as she seems online. I also trust her sourcing wholeheartedly, so buying this one was a n0-brainer for me. Again, because it’s beef protein, it has naturally occurring collagen in it, which is an added bonus, but I was also wary of what it would taste like. I don’t know if it’s because I chose vanilla instead of chocolate, like I did with the Active Stacks, but this one tasted better to me. Not as sweet. It’s expensive, but very high-quality, which I’m always willing to pay a little more for, and it has the highest amount of protein per serving of the four I tried.
OVERALL RATING: 8.5/10 (Taste-wise, I just personally tend to like whey protein better, but if you’re sensitive to dairy, this is 100% the protein I’d opt for.)
BAD ATHLETICS Normally $60, Currently $48/30-serving tub
Grass-fed Whey Protein
20g protein per serving
Coconut flavor, sweetened with stevia
Their normal retail price is the most expensive of the four I tried, but I’m always willing to pay more for exceptional quality, and taste-wise, this one was my absolute favorite, hands down. I also found that they had more flavors and other supplements from which to choose than most, and I love that it’s grass-fed and more geared toward women, which seems difficult to come by in this particular category. It did have sliiiightly less protein per serving than the other options I tried, but since I shoot for at least 30g of protein with each meal, I tend to have a boiled egg or two with my shake anyway, so that wasn’t a big issue for me. A big pro for this brand: you can buy smaller tubs containing a week’s worth of powder, so you can decide whether or not you like it before committing to a larger, more expensive tub. Also, right now, they’re running a sale, which means a tub that’s normally $60 is now $48, so if this one’s your choice, it’s a good time to stock up. I even filled out a form on their website so I could snag y’all a discount code (the code is “katy” – groundbreaking, I know). I must really love you. To be honest, I’m not even sure how much the discount is, but I figured every little bit helps, right??
OVERALL RATING: 9/10
JOCKO MOLK $44.95/31-serving tub
Grass-fed Whey Concentrate + Whey Isolate Protein, plus Egg Albumin + Micellar Casein
22g protein per serving
Vanilla flavor, sweetened with monk fruit extract
The stand-out feature of this particular powder is that it is comprised of four different types of protein (as listed above), which makes it what they call a “time-release” blend, as whey concentrate and whey isolate are digested quickly, as opposed to egg and casein, which digest more slowly – the idea being that that protein is there for hours to come for muscle recovery and growth. Another unique component of this one: it contains added probiotics for gut health, as well as digestive enzymes to keep everything running smoothly, if you know what I’m sayin’, so it could be a good option for people with sensitive stomachs who can’t tolerate most protein powders. They’re also big on everything being made in the USA, which I love. Taste-wise, they aren’t too far behind Bad Athletics for me, but I’m a sucker for coconut, so maybe if MOLK had a coconut flavor, I’d love it just as much. Will add to their suggestion box. Another checkmark in the pro-column: they do sample-sizes as well, so you can purchase an All Flavors Bundle Pack for $9.99 to sample all the flavors before committing to one big tub.
OVERALL RATING: All things considered, 9.5/10
It also needs to be said that I keep it pretty simple with protein powders. When I first started this little experiment, I was mixing in all kinds of calorie-dense additions – nut butters, frozen fruits, coconut oil, seeds – that were not only making it so filling that it was much harder for me to choke down the entire shake, it was also making the calories in said shake add up very quickly. Not helpful when one of my goals is to lose a few pounds of fat, you know? Especially when my daily protein shakes were not intended to act as meal replacements. Maybe that works for some, but it wasn’t working for me, so after speaking with that health coach (Dr. Rimka – love her), I adjusted and simplified my daily shake by just using protein powder, creatine (a supplement she also recommended I try, given my goal to build more muscle), unsweetened coconut milk, or a combo of grass-fed whole milk and water, plus a few ice cubes to keep it frosty, just the way mama likes it. That made a big difference. I can stomach the entire shake now, and I’m definitely noticing a bit more muscle definition already. Hooray.
I hope this helps y’all in your own protein-powder quests! I’ll keep you posted on how things are going with my own progress toward my goals.