Wrong Whey: 6 Reasons to Skip the Scoop of Whey Protein

Protein, Nutrition

“Do you want to add a scoop of protein to that smoothie?” You hear this as you order your favorite smoothie but wait a second! While it sounds like a healthy addition, it might be a waste of money and could end up harming your health. If you aren’t careful, you could be adding an industrial waste product to your delicious, organic smoothie. Some of the most popular protein powders out there today are whey protein powders. But many of those whey protein powders are crap. Don’t automatically add it to your smoothie without knowing the source, the full list of ingredients, and your current food allergies.

Most Whey Protein Powders are Crap: 6 Reasons to Skip the Scoop

Maybe you’ve used a protein calculator and are determined to reach your optimal protein intake levels. Wouldn’t taking a protein powder make that easier? Yes, but here’s what you should know about whey protein.

1 – Whey Protein Is an Overall Cheaper Protein Source

Did you know whey protein could be considered a waste product?! It’s true: whey protein is industrial run-off from the cheesemaking process. Forty or fifty years ago, whey was considered a major inconvenience because cheesemakers didn’t know how to dispose of it. You couldn’t flush the stuff because it would clog the sewers, so they used it as a cheap fertilizer instead of disposing of it. Now, we see it repackaged as a “super protein.” [1]

What becomes most common and available is usually the cheapest. As most people are aware, “cheapest” doesn’t mean best. It usually means it’s cheaply sourced and includes cheap ingredients, which brings us to our next reason to skip the scoop.

2 – Whey Proteins Often Include Toxic Sweeteners and Other Additives

If you look at the ingredients list on a whey protein canister, you’ll likely find sucralose and other artificial sweeteners. These ingredients can mess with how your body regulates itself by affecting your resting metabolic rate, gut environment, and blood glucose. This can lead to the wrong kind of weight gain and not the muscle mass you were looking for! Plus, they can be just plain bad for you. The sweetener, Aspartame, has also been linked to diabetes, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and cancer. [2] You may also find gluten, soy, dextrin, hydrogenated oils, and fillers that can all mess with your gut. Your gut controls up to 90% of your immune system, so if your gut isn’t healthy, it’s difficult for you to be healthy.

3 – Whey Protein Can Be Inflammatory for Some People

Whey is a dairy product that usually comes from cow’s milk. Because it’s designed for baby cows (calves), they’re the ones who do best on cow’s milk. Many patients at The Wellness Way test positive for allergies to cow’s milk. Individuals allergic to milk proteins (casein or whey) can experience an inflammatory response when consuming whey protein. This can lead to symptoms like hives, swelling, and digestive issues. Dairy products can also mess with the human gut microbiome, exacerbating chronic inflammation. [3] You can be experiencing symptoms of hidden inflammation and not even connect your symptoms to the whey you’re eating.

These symptoms may include:

  • Brain fog
  • Difficulty losing weight
  • Chronic aches and pains
  • Anxiety
  • Acne
  • Sinus issues
  • Headaches
  • Depression
  • Gastrointestinal issues

Allergies and gut dysbiosis can lead to all kinds of seemingly unrelated symptoms. For some people, these underlying issues show up as acne.

4 – Whey Can Lead to Acne

People will often ignore symptoms like chronic pains and mood disorders that are plaguing them, but as soon as the symptoms show up on their face, they certainly take notice! Whey protein is a high-glycemic food, and it can contribute to inflammation and acne. Some studies show that regular consumption of whey protein can lead to acne, and cessation of it will clear up the acne, even when medication doesn’t work. [4] Wow! What a novel idea to get rid of the cause of acne rather than resorting to medications!

5 – Whey Protein Doesn’t Have Other Body Building Components Like Collagen

Protein is protein for building muscle, but amino acids in protein only rebuild amino acid-based muscle and tissue. They don’t rebuild the ligaments and discs, which are crucial for a functioning body. If you choose a high-quality bone broth or collagen powder, you are going to get collagen and nutrients that will help repair those ligaments. Our diets are deficient in collagen because we don’t eat organ meats and bone broths like we did back in the day. Grandma would make chicken soup, and the whole chicken would go in the pot! Now, it’s just the chicken breast. Get some collagen back in your diet with a good organic bone broth or collagen powder.

6 – Varying Your Proteins is Important for a Healthy Diet

The crazy thing is that often, when people hear something is “good for you,” they go all in. That’s why we won’t tell you one type of protein is better than another. But others will. Some fitness gurus will tell you that whey protein powder is the best protein out there. They may recommend whey protein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It certainly makes it easier than trying to come up with something new for every meal, but if that food causes inflammation for you, you’re damaging yourself at every meal. It’s much better to incorporate different proteins and foods into your healthy diet.

There’s NO Magic Bullet Protein

Research on whey protein and inflammation shows mixed results, often depending on the individual’s health status and the type of whey protein used. While whey protein can be inflammatory for some people, particularly those with lactose intolerance or milk allergies, it offers potential anti-inflammatory benefits for others. There’s no magic bullet protein that works for everyone. If whey protein causes inflammation for you, consider plant-based protein powders, like high quality bone broth, hemp protein, chia seeds, flax seeds, organic meats, and others. That’s how you build a healthy body. The next time you have a smoothie, think twice about the protein powder you’re throwing in. Make sure it’s not only high quality but approved on your food allergy list. To get your food allergies tested, contact a Wellness Way clinic.
References
  1. Whey: generation, recovery, and use of a relevant by-product – ScienceDirect
  2. Aspartame: Decades of science point to serious health risks (usrtk.org)
  3. Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study – PubMed (nih.gov)
  4. Acne and whey protein supplementation among bodybuilders – PubMed (nih.gov)