We’ve all been there at one point or another. You buy a new protein powder, stoked to give your palate some variety now that your old tub is finished. You have your first shake with a grin on your face, but as the minutes pass, you realize you feel like crap. Your stomach is bulging out, you feel like you need to pass some serious gas or run to the bathroom, and the thought of food grosses you out. Protein bloating may be more complex than you thought.
This is a fairly common reaction to protein powder, but it is not normal. Real, quality protein shouldn’t bloat you like that. You shouldn’t feel “gross” after slamming your protein shake. You shouldn’t dread your next shake; you should enjoy it.
So what causes these issues?
- Low grade protein powder – On first glance, it may seem like lactose intolerance is to blame. I have heard so many people say “I must be lactose intolerant because my protein shake wrecked me.” And for some, it might be true. But you’ll rapidly notice that you don’t respond this way to any other dairy products. Yogurt, for instance, has way more lactose than whey, but do you bloat up after eating that? The issue lies not in the dairy factors, but in the quality of the protein powder that you’re ingesting. As discussed in Lesson 1, most whey protein concentrate products try to drive down costs by simply listing “Whey Protein Concentrate” on the label. They don’t specify the protein content vs filler. For instance, many products with “Whey Protein Concentrate” could be using the low-grade WPC34…only 34% protein! The highest grade of Whey Protein Concentrate is WPC80, which is exactly what Select Protein uses and LISTS on the label.
If your protein company isn’t specifying the quality of their whey protein on the label, you need to demand that they do! If they keep getting away with it, the endless protein farts will continue for consumer after consumer.
- Lactose Intolerance – Most people with lactose intolerance know they have it based on their reactions to other dairy foods. They don’t “discover” it when they start consuming protein shakes…they have known for most of their life about their intolerance. If you fit in this category, you want to pick a protein with low lactose. Select has a minimal lactose content, and we offer samples to anyone who is sensitive to lactose to see how they feel with Select. Additionally we offer Select Vegan to service all of our lactose intolerance fans!
- Dairy Allergy – Like lactose intolerance, you’d know if you had this based on your reaction to other foods. If a high quality protein powder with low lactose content still gives you issues, then the culprit may not be lactose intolerance but rather a dairy allergy. For these people, a quality vegan protein such as pea protein would be optimal (though expensive). Indeed, vegetable protein like Select Vegan is preferred over soy protein based on recent data.
So it’s up to you to figure out which category you fall under. They are listed in order of how common they are. If you fall into problem #1 or #2, give Select Protein a whirl. Chances are, you’ll finally find a protein that sits well, is fully absorbed, and tastes phenomenal. Not to mention the highest grade whey protein and milk protein isolate on the market: a true protein blend. Providing accessibility to protein sensitive populations is just one more reason PEScience helps you #SelectTheBest.
