A Dad’s Guide to the Best Whey Protein Powder: Read Before You Buy
Life changes after parenthood – that's something we all probably know from the jump. However, the extent of that change can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.
From sleep schedules to household routines, bringing a baby into the world will turn your life upside down. And while all eyes are typically on mothers and how they make the most adjustments after parenthood (no objections there), dads go through their fair share of unwelcome change.
If you're a dad, it's probably no secret to you now that having kids will almost certainly limit your time for self-care and fitness. Fortunately, a good whey protein powder can help offset the physical changes and give you a better shot at achieving optimal fitness while you juggle daddy duties.
But which one is the best for dads, and how can you choose the right one for your needs? Here's a complete guide.
Dads and Whey Protein: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever
Most of us think that whey protein is something that's reserved mostly for gym buffs, but that isn't necessarily the case. A good whey protein concentrate can help you keep up with the ever changing needs of your body as you venture through fatherhood and beyond.
Your Body Loses Muscle as You Age
Muscle mass serves a bigger purpose than just aesthetics. Our muscles help burn energy, regulate blood sugar, and store carbohydrates and amino acids.
By the time you hit 30 years of age, you start to lose muscle mass at a rate of 8-10% annually in a natural process called sarcopenia. That's why people in old age tend to gain more fat and experience fluctuations in their blood glucose levels, among various other muscle loss-related concerns.
The good news is that protein can help maintain and even build muscle mass by providing your body the building blocks needed for the process. Generally, the minimum recommended daily allowance of protein for an average adult is 0.8g/kg/day.
But in order to build and grow more muscle, you'll actually need closer to 1.0-1.2g/kg/day, which isn't something you can typically achieve with a standard diet. Adding whey protein to your routine can bridge the gap without you having to overthink it.
Older Muscles Need More Protein
In your teens and twenties, you probably didn't have to put too much effort or thought into being fit and muscular – it just sort of happened. These days as a dad in your 30s (or over), it's just no longer as effortless as it used to be.
That's because aside from changes in your body and metabolic rate in general, your muscles also need more protein now than they did in the past. Younger muscles can grow with much less protein intake, but older, adult muscles need as much as 40g of high quality protein per meal to achieve synthesis.
So as you age, you'll need more and more protein to support healthy muscle growth, and because that much protein can be hard to achieve through your everyday diet, whey protein becomes a necessary addition.
A Whey Protein Buying Guide for Dads
With a market that's saturated with choices all advertising themselves as the best whey protein powder you can buy, shopping around can feel pretty overwhelming. So, how can you pick out the worthy choices from the ones that are all talk?
Protein Per Serving
This has to be one of the biggest considerations. Generally, a good whey protein powder should provide 20-25g of protein per serving. Anything more than that would be ideal for athletes or for adults that are larger than average. Anything less might be diluted with fillers.
Remember to check the protein content relative to the scoop size of each option. For instance, a whey protein powder that offers 25g of protein for a 30g scoop provides a better ratio than a product that serves 25g of protein for a 40g scoop.
Check the Protein Source
For a protein to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, it needs to be a complete protein. Whey is a complete protein, but some manufacturers add free-form amino acids into their blend, which can be labeled as proteins despite not being complete proteins.
For example, a product that contains:
● 18g whey protein
● 4g glycine
● 3g taurine
…can still be labeled as 25g of protein, despite the 7g coming from amino acids rather than a complete protein like whey. So to make sure you're getting the maximum amount, read the label and check to see if the protein per serving comes from whey protein or from ‘amino spiking.’
Third-Party Lab Certified
You'd be surprised how many products wiggle their way onto store shelves without actually living up to the claims that they make. One of the best ways to know that your whey protein powder actually walks the talk, it's important to check for third-party testing.
Reputable manufacturers will often send their products for testing so that third-party labs like NSF Certified or Informed Sport can check their formulation and certify that their label matches their product. This way, you can be sure that you're getting exactly the amount of protein specified on the packaging.
Flavor and Texture
The truth is that you probably won't find the drive to stick to a whey protein routine if it takes like a mouthful of dirt. Over the years, manufacturers have wrestled with the natural taste and texture of whey protein which tends to be painfully sand-forward.
The good news is that a good whey protein concentrate from reputable brands such as True North Protein have improved significantly on the flavor and texture of their powders, offering a more palatable experience that isn't just tolerable, but actually likeable.
Isolate vs Concentrate
To be frank, a high quality concentrate will achieve the same as a high quality isolate, given that you consume the same amount of protein per serving. The main difference is that concentrate goes through less processing, and thus retains more lactose than whey protein isolate. Generally, concentrates contain 70-80% protein, while isolates can have as much as 90%.
If you're prone to bloating, you have a sensitive tummy, and you're lactose intolerant, whey protein isolate might be a better fit (although it does come with a higher price tag.) But if you're on a tighter budget, you don't mind some dairy in your diet, and you want the best cost-to-quality ratio, a good whey protein concentrate should do you just fine.
A Better Whey to Keep and Build Muscle
We all love a dad bod, but that doesn't mean you should forgo your body's needs. As you move further into fatherhood, it becomes less about achieving a certain physique and more about supplying your body's requirements, preventing muscle loss, and staying strong and healthy to see your kids and grandkids grow up.
Fitting a high quality whey protein powder into your routine can help curb the risk of age-related muscle loss, which affects so much more than just appearances. That, coupled with healthy movement, sufficient resistance training, and a balanced lifestyle, can have you feeling fit and fine as you navigate parenthood and beyond.
