Ingredient Review - Three Whey Proteins

There are so many whey protein products on the market, you could spend your entire life researching and trying each product, eventually driving you bonkers. You'll get recommendations from each store, all the online reviews (even this one), recommendations from trainers, friends and strangers. Your choices will depend on what you're looking for in a whey protein supplement. Keep in mind this is not a meal replacement review, see my earlier blog on this topic.

I'm new to using supplements and will be the first to admit, I'm learning as I go. I decided to add whey to my diet simply for the fact I wasn't getting enough protein daily for my fitness goals. I lift 4 times a week (yes, right  beside the guys), run 5-6 times a week, and other activities. If you lift, the recommendation is 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. That can be hard to do eating only whole foods, it was for me. Whey protein shakes are a quick, easy way (no pun intended) to increase your daily protein intake. They can be mixed with water, milk, coconut water, etc. You can throw it in a blender and add yogurt, fruit, peanut butter, etc. for more of a smoothie concoction.

There are three types of whey protein:
Whey Concentrate
Whey Isolate
Whey Hydrolysate

Each has it's pros and cons which I won't go into here. The deciding factors on which product I use/try are: 1) zero artificial sweeteners and other processed artificial crap 2) taste/consistency when mixed w/water 3) cost 4) no adverse physical reactions. I've used all three products below personally. From strictly and ingredients perspective Legion Supplements Brand is a solid choice.

If there are products you've tried, let me know your thoughts.

	GNC Brand - Natural	True Athlete- Natural	Legion Brand - Natural
Flavor	Chocolate	Chocolate	Chocolate
Cost (2 lbs)	$39.99	$33.99	$37.97
Buy Again	No	Yes	Yes
Serving	1 scoop/38.2 g	2 scoops/30 g	1 scoop/31.6 g
Protein	24 g	20 g	26 g
Calories	150	110	102
Total Fat	2.5 g	1.5 g	.41 g
Saturated	1 g	1 g	.12 g
Trans Fat	0 g	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	60 mg	65 mg	.5 mg
Sodium	95 mg	120 mg	46.8 mg
Potassium	290 mg	0 mg	0 mg
Total Carbs	8 g	4 g	1.4 g
Fiber	1 g	1 g	0 g
Sugars	3 g	1 g	.2 g
Vitamin A	0%	0%	0%
Vitamin C	0%	0%	0%
Calcium	15%	12%	13%
Iron	6%	5%	2%
L-leucine	0%	0%	4 g
Ingredients	Protein blend (whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate), Cocoa powder, Natural flavors, Cane sugar, Cellulose gum, Lecithin, Xanthun gum, Stevia extract, Sodium chloride	Whey protein concentrate, Cocoa powder, Natural flavor, Inulin, Xanthan gum, salt, Reb A (Stevia extract), Bacillus coagulans, lactase digestive enzyme, papain, bromelian	Whey protein isolate, L-leucine, Cocoa, Natural chocolate flavoring, Xanthan gum, Stevia extract