NOW FoodsSports Nutrition, Whey Protein Isolate, 25 g With BCAAs, Unflavored Powder, 5-Pound

I ONLY buy all-natural protein (NO Aspartame/Acesulfame-k/Sucralose, NO chemicals or artificial colors/flavors/colors)! And anyone consuming protein is presumed to be inherently health-conscience, so why would anyone consider ANY protein powder with this crap in it? That is beyond me. There are 1,000 flavors (double-chocolate chip cookie dough, triple espresso fudge cake, cake batter, blue lemon truffle punch, etc...) I mean seriously? Are there millions of morbidly obese body builders out there who need their protein shake to taste like their favorite candy-bars and screw their health in the process?? Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox, but for the rest of you who don't want cancer or brain-tumors and actually care about what they shove into their bodies, then look no further than this protein powder! Ok, I've spent many days doing the research to see if I can de-throne my current protein king powder ("Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Natural Whey Protein Powder") which I absolutely love! But wanted to see if there was something better or just as good for cheaper. Enter this product. Now, this review is to compare these two highly rated kings! These 2 powders are the best of the best when it comes to All Natural. To help with the analysis, please refer to the attached diagram. So, the bottom line is that for $1.00... NOW=39g protein, ON=30.9g protein. So, with NOW, you get 26% more protein for the same buck! Hows that for a "dollar menu" analysis. They are both highly rated and are both EXCELLENT choices... however, the difference is the ON has sugar (yes, natural sugar!) and has natural flavoring, so of course humans like sweet things so it gets the edge on taste (10/10 in my book... I literally love it just as much as a milkshake and it isn't that sweet, just enough to be lightly evident but not unhealthy). Now, the reviews for this NOW said it tasted horrible and bitter and I was really afraid to buy it but due to the $ per gram of protein and appearing an even healthier choice compared to the ON, I thought I'd try it. Let me tell you, it is totally awesome! Now, not as awesome as the sugar sweetened ON, but for having nothing in it but 100% protein (no sweetner/flavors) it is totally OK!!! Now... let me preface these "taste" statements with one thing... I ALWAYS use milk in my protein shakes (16 oz milk - fat-free / 1% / 2% / whole) with 2 scoops protein, blend 20-seconds, drink. I thought I'd have to mix half/half of NOW/ON but I really don't. The NOW tastes just neutral, like I'm just drinking milk (which I love) but the same or even a little better than just plain milk. Now, given that NOW has no sugar/flavoring, it is a "more" natural choice compared to the ON.. and on top of that, has 26% more protein per $1.00 spent... I'm totally sold! If I'm in the mood I can flavor it with vanilla, honey, chocolate, peanut butter, bananna. Or, it tastes neutral enough to where I don't feel I have to drown the flavor out with any of those things... because at least with milk, it tastes great just by itself!! Plus, the NOW has the added benefit of being flavor-neutral for usage in recipes (w/o inadvertantly adding sweet/flavored(vanilla/chocolate) flavor to your favorite recipes. Another fringe benefit worth noting is that the NOW is still a 5.0 lb jug. It is not trying to sneakily down-size to 4.8lb (like the ON)... this is how manufacturers do it slowly so you're still paying the same $50/tub but the tub is now a wee-bit smaller... evil, evil, I say. Anyway, both of these are my absolute favorite proteins, but taking a deep-dive into the nitty gritty details... there has emerged one-clear winner to rule all of the natural proteins out there (IMHO). Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you (I took out 3 hours on my day off to put this review together for you!). Let me know if this was helpful to you or if you have any questions. thanks!

There are two major proteins in the supplement world; *Whey* and *Casein*.We will talk about whey.Whey protein comes in 4 major forms: concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate and native whey.*Concentrates*: The lowest quality of all the whey protein forms. Around 30%-90% protein by weight, but generally 80%+. Concentrates have a significant amount of fat, cholesterol and carbs in the form of lactose. Most protein blends have a significant amount of concentrate and it’s fairly cheap. Whey concentrates are typically more complete and generally has more bioactive components.*Isolates*: Isolates are processed to remove the fat and lactose. Around 90%+ protein by weight. The purest protein source. While highly pure, many of the bioactive components are broken down during processing. Very high quality. Perfect for lactose intolerant individuals as there is no lactose. More expensive. Also perfect for those who want strictly protein and not additional carbs.*Hydrolysates*: Predigested (long chains of amino acids that are broken down into single aminos). Because of this process, it is assumed that digestion would be absorbed quicker. Mainly in bodybuilding supplements for this reason. However some studies have shown that because protein is already quickly absorbed in its original form, predigested hydrolysates does not necessarily lead to faster absorption. (Power O, Hallihan A, Jakeman P. Human insulinotropic response to oral ingestion of native and hydrolyzed whey protein. Amino Acids. 2009.)*Native Whey*: Considered the purest form of whey. Native whey is extracted from skim milk and is not a byproduct of cheese production.I used to add whey concentrate based protein powder to my shakes as my morning and evening protein shakes and always ended up with terrible gas! And sometimes I had to take the browns to the superbowl too early in the season. Little did I know that being lactose intolerant was the cause for the whey not cool bodily affects.First, I started to take lactase to combat this, but soon discovered protein isolate. What a godsend. I enjoy NOW Foods Whey Protein Isolate because not only are they lactose free, they are unflavored as well. Which means I can throw a scoop into my favorite drink without affecting the flavor.Another reason why I trust this product is because this protein was not part of the amino acid spiking scandal that many protein supplement companies were and still a part of. Many popular supplement companies have been adding taurine, glycine, glutamine and creatine to protein powders to raise the protein (dietary) levels of their protein powders even though they are not nearly as beneficial as real food based protein. This is allowed due to the FDA’s loose definition of protein. While legal, companies manipulate consumers by counting nitrogen based bonds from acids (glycine, glutamine, creatine, or in taurines case; an acid in the amino family) and add it to the ‘protein count’ thus effectively misleading consumers to think that the 24g of protein they see on the nutrition label is derived from whey, but in fact, 5g+ grams are from one of these acids, but still count as a ‘protein’ because they are a part of the amino family. All for the sake of trying to pinch a few pennies. There is a class action lawsuit against Body Fortress, GNC and a few others because of this. I hope you Google it for yourselves and educate yourselves.So people out there, remember, NEVER buy protein that has added one of these ingredients to its formula. Stay away from special “proprietary blends” of protein and always stick to the purest form (isolate that is unflavored, unsweetened, with nothing added, especially artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame and other unnecessary ingredients. If you want the cleanest, purest protein for your buck! Always check the labels for added ingredients!

This is an amazing protein isolate, and it’s actually my repeat purchase. It’s a very pure and easily digestible form of protein. The price is excellent, especially for such a large quantity. I always buy the unflavored version because it mixes easily into smoothies. Flavored proteins can sometimes be too sweet or hard to drink, but the unflavored one is the perfect solution for all kinds of shakes and recipes. Highly recommend this product — I will definitely keep buying it again and again!

This is my second bottle. Love this powder supplement, has almost zero taste which is amazing, as thick as you water it down to, no added sugars, just cleanness, pure protein, energy for your workout. Durability of the container is awesome, it makes me want to keep them and find some use later.