# Whey protein powder: Which aisle can I find it?



## anticuchos

Which aisle can I find whey protein powder in the supermarket?


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## Andy M.

Ask the store manager or the service desk.


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## marmalady

I would try a health food store for a better selection and more quality products; the regular grocery stores are just going to carry the things they can order from their suppliers, mostly big commercial brands.  GNC, I think, has some good varieties.


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## kyles

Look on the internet, you can normally get a better price on line (if you are in the States particularly) you don't normally find it in the supermarket, not in my supermarket anyway!


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## bluespanishsky

marmalady said:
			
		

> I would try a health food store for a better selection and more quality products; the regular grocery stores are just going to carry the things they can order from their suppliers, mostly big commercial brands. GNC, I think, has some good varieties.


 
yes definitely try a health store or ordering it online.  are you looking for a specific brand? i've been a  big fan of designer whey protin for about 8 years now. it is really good stuff.


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## amber

In my grocery store it's in the organic/natural foods aisle.


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## mudbug

I'm sorry, it just sounds nasty.  What is used for?


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## kyles

Body builders and regular exercisers use it to boost up their protein intake. Its also helpful for ill people who may have difficulty eating eggs, chicken, meat etc. It almost always comes flavoured like chocolate, strawberry or vanilla. You can mix it into smoothies with milk, water and add stuff like fruit. You can make it into bars (the protein bars you buy are very expensive) or you can even bake it muffins (which is controversial as some people say heating it destroys the protein content and others say in baking like muffins its fine). I don't use it myself at this stage, but I am about to take up running, so I will need to up my protein intake a bit, then I might start. Problem is, that it adds calories, so it means chopping calories off from somewhere else!


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## Rebam98

They are near vitamins and other "health supplements" in my supermarket.

I put it in my smoothies and put it in my oatmeal too before heating it up.  Does heating it up in the microwave ruin the protein?


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## Zereh

Normal people use it too! I use a protein powder called NRG, which has  balanced amino acids for a complete protein.

I have a really, really hard time eating in the morning. I found that if I make myself a "smoothie" (NRG, papaya juice, a tablespoon or so of flaxseed oil, a dash of honey, frozen berries and / or fruit, depending on my mood) then I am much better about starting out the day with something other than my beloved coffee. 

I buy mine at our local co-op, but I know that the better grocery stores which have heath-food aisles usually carry a couple brands of protein powder as well.


Z


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## kyles

I finally bought some, I got Body Fortress Designer Whey Protein. It was half price at our local Health Food Store. Apparently some friends in the states said you can get the same one in Walmart, for half the price again that I paid for it, dang customs duty!!!

I've been using it post work out with skim milk and a banana whizzed up in the blender. I got the chocolate one, and it's really good!


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## Caine

Zereh said:
			
		

> Normal people use it too! Z


 
Define normal!

I bought a HUGE container of "Bavarian Chocolate" whey protein at Costco. I bought two smaller containers of vanilla whey powder (buy one, get one free) at Vitamin World.


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## nvnvgirl

Rebam98 said:
			
		

> They are near vitamins and other "health supplements" in my supermarket.
> 
> I put it in my smoothies and put it in my oatmeal too before heating it up. Does heating it up in the microwave ruin the protein?


 
I wanted to answer this and a couple of other questions on whey protein or protein powders in general.

Yes, heating denatures whey protein. If you're going to put it into oatmeal, add it after you've cooked it...whey protein powder dissolves pretty readily after being stirred or shaken. I have to say though, that I have seen a few recipes out there for protein pancakes and those are cooked with the powder in them, so .....

For the person who is going to start running, if you're that concerned about calories, there are a lot of whey proteins out there that are low carb and lower calories than others. Look for them. Also, if you mix it with water instead of any type of milk, it will cut the calories in the drink a lot. However, if you're going to be running, you'll probably be burning a LOT of calories, so I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, if you're worried about the calories in a whey shake, you're probably not eating enough (5-6 small meals a day) to begin with. 

Also, when you go to buy a whey protein (or any type of protein supplement)....Whey is just supposed to be one of the most bioavailable preparations of protein, which is why it's recommended more often than other types...also, it's a little more expensive. Whey Isolate is supposed to be the best of the best, as opposed to the powders made from Whey concentrates and isolate....but, I think that unless you're a competitive bodybuilder or fitness or physique athlete, it's not going to make a bit of difference. Anyhow, what I started to say, was when you are looking at different brands of protein, to determine the quality of protein compared to "other ingredients" , look at the amount of protein in each serving (mine says "26g"), and divide that by the amount of each serving size (mine says 32 g") and then multiply by 100 to get the % of protein in each serving. You should be getting a number of at least 75%...otherwise, don't bother with it.


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## Silver

nvnvgirl said:
			
		

> ...look at the amount of protein in each serving (mine says "26g"), and divide that by the amount of each serving size (mine says 32 g") and then multiply by 100 to get the % of protein in each serving. You should be getting a number of at least 75%...otherwise, don't bother with it.



I think this is one of the key features of _most_ of the isolates - higher percentage of protein per serving because there is less of anything else (carbs/fat).

Also, there is substantial research (which I can dig up later if anyone REALLY wants it) to show that while cooking/baking with whey will denature the protein, it does not affect much in terms of its usefulness.  Depending on method, some of it may become slightly less bioavailable but if I remember the research that I read (which of course can be contradicted by any number of opposing studies), it basically simply alters the composition of the protein, but its still protein and your body will still use it.

In other words, if baking with it helps you get it in, then bake with it.  It's better than not getting it at all.


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