I compare the price per protein of 3 leading sources of protein and tell you which is BEST.

You already know that you need lots of protein so your muscles can repair themselves after grueling workouts. As I have stated in the Gain 10 lbs plan on this site, you’ll need 1.5 – 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. And if your mission is to Lose 10 lbs in 30 days, then you still need lots of protein: 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.

Now, how do you go about doing that? Most of your protein should come from real, whole foods like chicken breast meat, tuna, lean steak, even hamburger (but it has to be the 96% lean type).

 

 

Really, most meats will cut it. What you have to look out for is how much fat they’re putting into your body and how it’s cooked. Obviously, never eat fried foods. I say “never” like I’ve mentioned before on this site. Make “never” your goal, and if you mess up, it’ll be minimal. Give yourself a pass by saying “rarely” and you’ll be eating fries every week!

So where do the other servings of protein come from? That’s where snacks and convenient supplements come in. Whey protein is the most popular form of protein because it is the most convenient. You don’t need to refrigerate it, can easily mix it with water, and you can take it anywhere. There’s also cottage cheese and yogurt which are great and cheaper, but you need a fridge.

So here’s my price-per-gram breakdown of protein sources and my take on their pros and cons.
(all prices taken from bodybuilding.com for the sake of consistency)

First, we have
Muscle Milk by Cytosport.
4.94 lb. $52.99
Serving Size: 2 scoops (70g)
Servings per container: 16

Protein per serving: 32g
1 scoop = 35g total, 16g pro
2.19 protein-to-total scoop ratio

$52.99 / 16 servings = $3.31 per serving or per 32g pro

$3.31 / 32=

$0.10 per g pro

I’ll break it down. Muscle Milk’s serving size is two scoops. You get 32 grams of protein per those two scoops or per 70 grams of product. That means that for 70 grams of Muscle Milk, 32g of it is protein.

That’s a 2.19 protein-to-total scoop ratio, meaning that for every gram of protein, 2.19 grams are something else. (32 x 2.19 = 70) 2 to 1 would mean that half of the total scoop is protein. 1 to 1 would mean that all of it is protein.

Muscle Milk breaks down to 10¢ per gram of protein. Now, of course, you don’t only get protein with Muscle Milk. You get 20 vitamins and minerals and 19g carbs. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time drinking two scoops. Even if I do drink them, I usually feel grossed out afterward. The most I usually do is 1.5 scoops but normally just 1.

If you were to do only one scoop you’d get only 16g protein. Since protein is what you want most of, I don’t think it’s enough protein per scoop. But that’s just my opinion.

 

Next, is
Gold Standard Whey.

5 lb $52.99
Serving Size: 1 scoop (31g)
Servings per container: 74

Protein per serving: 24g
1 scoop = 31g total, 24g pro
1.29 protein-to-total scoop ratio

$52.99 / 74 servings = $.72 per serving or  per 24g pro

.72 / 24=

$.03 per g pro

So, we’re down to 3¢ per gram of protein with Gold Standard Whey. And take a look at that ratio. Only .29 difference. For every gram of protein, 1.29 is “other”. You’re consuming 31g of product to get 24g pro.

Now it doesn’t have the vitamins that Muscle Milk has, but I don’t see that as a problem because you’re consuming this for its protein and you should be taking a mulit-vitamin daily so you get greater amounts of each of those and many other vitamins and minerals.

 

 

Third, is a very popular protein supplement from Gasapri Nutrition, MYOFUSION.

5 lb $52.9
Serving Size: 1 scoop (36g)
Servings per container: 63

Protein per serving: 25g
1 scoop = 36g total, 25g pro
1.44 protein-to-total scoop ratio

$52.99 / 63 servings = $.84 per serving or  per 25g pro

.84 / 25=

$.03 per g pro (0.033)

Aha! A strong contender to the crowd favorite! Pretty much the same cost as Gold Standard, but the scoop is a little bigger (36g vs 31g).

Despite the fact that you have to consume more product to get the same amount of protein as Gold Standard, the main thing to look at is the cost per gram of protein being virtually the same. You can sort of look at it as Gaspari Nutrition is giving you the extra product besides the protein for free since you are buying this for its protein.

 

Fourth on the list is not a protein shake at all.
Chobani 0% Greek Vanilla Yogurt.
32 oz $5.99 (Target)
Serving size: 8oz (227g)
Servings per container: 4

Protein per serving: 22g
1 serving=227g yogurt, 22g pro
A WHOPPING 10.32 ratio!

$5.99 / 4 servings = $1.50/serving or
per 22g pro.

1.50 / 22=
$0.07 per g pro

Now, of course, you are getting probiotics and other stuff in greek yogurt. But did you see that ratio? 10.32! So for every gram of protein, you have to eat 10.32 times more of other stuff. And let me tell you; I will not eat a whole serving of that anymore. Tried eating 8 oz of yogurt and it was too much to only get 22g protein.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Chobani yogurt and usually eat a small container or around 6 tablespoons every morning. But when you look at that ratio, combined with the cost of more than twice the amount of Gold Standard Whey, I wouldn’t use this as my main source of protein. Not cost effective and not very efficient if that’s all you’re eating between meals.

And I wouldn’t remove Muscle Milk from my shopping list either. I like the taste of it and it seems richer to me. Besides, it’s good to mix your supplements up, if not for nutritional purposes, then for variety.

But my #1 choice, if you haven’t figured it out yet, is Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey. I didn’t even mention that it includes 4 grams of glutamine and 5 grams of the ever-important Branched Chain Amino Acids, BCAA’s. So easy to drink since you only need 4-6 oz water to get 24g protein or 36g protein if you’re having a scoop and a half.

I would definitely use the MYOFUSION for variety, though. In fact, that will be my next purchase after I run out of my current GS WHEY. I hear it has a damn good taste, too!

I don’t even bother mixing in bananas, berries or other stuff like people do in those “Bullet” mini blenders. I feel that if you’re serious about your fitness and nutrition, you don’t need your nutritional shakes to taste like desert. C’mon people, we’re not babies. Whip cream on everything? Just drink the damn protein shake; it’s already chocolate flavored, you big ninny! Haha, just busting balls.

But seriously, cut that out! You’re only making it unsustainable to consume enough protein every day if you have to buy fruits, wash them, chop them, blend them, then – – (pause to take a breath) wash all of those blender parts and clean up the mess you made. How long did that take? Now do it again later that day.

In contrast, I make my protein shakes by simply filling my shaker cup with water and adding the whey. Takes around a minute including travel time to the kitchen. Washing the cup is a breeze.

Besides, why would you want to eat so much fruit?! You’re in danger of adding a ton of sugar to your daily calories. Bye bye, abs. But if you’re controlling the amount of fruit you’re eating per day, you can just eat the damn fruit itself alongside your shake without going through the trouble of blending it into Super Delicious Tastes Better Than Your Momma’s Milk Shake. Remember:

CONSISTENCY TRUMPS INTENSITY

 

Be consistent, friends.