Why I Stopped Using Protein Powder
One year ago, I was basically drinking a protein shake every day (using protein powder of course). Now I do not. I have not for over 4 months. What happened? Well basically I felt like I did not really ‘need’ it. But for more details, here it is:
Backstory
I started doing protein shakes and stuff in Summer 2019. Basically in Spring 2019 I was starting to increase my mileage for running up to around 50 miles a week. I felt like my typical breakfast of cereal of PB&J may not be good enough for recovery.
So I decided to increase my intake of protein for recovery. I purchased one of those nice superhero protein shakers (smart shaker). I got the Captain Marvel one was it seemed nice and cool.
Then, it was protein powder. Seeing MusclePharm (MP) used by some friends, and it being on sale at Costco all the time, I decided to get a nice bag of it. Basically it is the cookies n cream one, and it seemed to have taste really good when I tried it in the past.
So I started using this almost every morning. Basically for medium-longish runs in the morning, I would drink one of these later to recover. I tried it with water at the beginning and it was fine.
But later in the school term in the Spring term, I used milk instead. It made it more thick, and it was nice to get in my milk every morning as well. The taste was super nice and I liked the protein recovery gains! Basically the breakfast is 1.5–2 PB&Js with ~400ml of protein shake (so a bit over one scoop) and 1–2 fruits. Though sometimes less protein shake if the exercise was a small one.
I ended up getting another bag for Fall 2019 in Austin. So I basically drank this every morning post-run as well. Goes well for breakfast and all. Same breakfast basically. I also tried some Optimum Whey (Chocolate) and that seemed very nice and tasty and protein as well.
Winter 2020 was the same thing pretty much, since I got an extra bag in the past. This was basically the cheapest thing in Costco and it seemed to work well.
Downhill
In Spring/Summer 2020, I started doing more nutritious practices. I realized before that MP Whey is not the best, but it was good enough. But now, I had like half a bag of that left, and still the Spring/Summer to go, full of exercise.
I started using protein powder in making overnight oats, something that I had quite frequently during April/May 2020. However, it did not go too well with it. In addition to random berries and other seeds and stuff, my body felt well, but not that good overall.
Now around the same time, I started making a lot more smoothies and shakes with the nutribullet. However I got so many stomach aches over this time and did not digest this stuff too well. I suspect this is because of combining the protein powder with other nutrients and stuff. Maybe too much nutrients into the body at the same time makes it hard to digest?
I also purchased a new protein powder over this time, the Vega one.
It was much better than the MP one, since they didn’t really add any sugar and did not have too much artificial stuff, nor did they add in their own protein sources. It was also more plant based so maybe it was easier to digest.
I used it a bit in the overnight oats, which went pretty well.
However, outside of the overnight oats, it did not taste the best. Since they did not put too much additives and bad stuff in it, it kind of had the ‘bad’ protein taste. I also made a lot more oatmeal over the summer, especially during June and July, where I would add a bunch of seeds and berries to replace the protein and such (from the overnight oats). It was pretty nice.
I also toned down exercising a bunch around July, and when I started ramping up exercise again, I just got most of my protein through Greek yogurt and other nuts/seeds and stuff. I do not think it is as much protein as the protein shake days, but it is fine.
Currently, I exercise almost as much as I did when I was in the prime of the protein shake drinking days. I run a bit less, but I do other exercise and active stuff more. Overall, I feel like my two peanut butter hemp seed toast + yogurt/granola/berry mixture is very nutritious for breakfast, and helps me recover well. There is a great mix of proteins, fats, and carbs to keep me fueled after breakfast! I mentioned more of my typical breakfast now in this post.
Overall, I feel like I do not need protein powder anymore. I do not do a huge amount of strength work, and when I do, energy bars or simpler foods seem to do the trick. Overall, I think until I am up to like 90 miles per week or super intense exercise that really really really requires protein recovery (like a lotttt of it), I am fine with what I have. I am happy with the last 1.5 years with protein shakes and whatnot. But now I am in a new stage of life, where protein shakes are not really needed. I still have like half the jug of Vega protein left, so if needed, I will use that!