7 Advantages of Unflavored, Flavorless, Plain Whey Protein Powder
Searching for a new whey protein powder can be both challenging and overwhelming nowadays due to the large selection available to us. Aside from selecting a trusted brand, what flavor do you get? Should you get chocolate? Vanilla? Strawberry? What if it's too sweet? What other ingredients does it contain? Yes, I know, it's tough, we've been there.
This decision overload has opened up the doors to a new more versatile option that can not only save you time but save you money - unflavored whey protein powder
Unflavored or flavorless whey protein powder has grown in popularity over the last few years and we are not surprised. We're all unique in our own way. We all have different goals, health standards, taste, allergies but we're all looking for the same thing - a great protein supplement.
Before we get into the advantages, what does unflavored whey or flavorless whey taste like?
We focus on whey because unflavored whey is by far the best tasting. Other types of unflavored protein powders are not very good at all. The reason whey tastes best is because it’s derived from milk. Other types of flavorless or plain powders, like plant based powders are not even worth comparing. Nothing against them, they just don’t taste good.
The terms unflavored, flavorless, plain and tasteless to describe protein powder are used interchangeably, they basically mean the same thing, no flavor is added. It's important to note that this doesn't mean it tastes like nothing.
Since whey is derived from milk, the natural flavor and smell of unflavored whey protein is best described as light powdered milk. When you drink it plain in water it tastes like watered down milk or powdered milk. The great thing about its light plain flavor is it can easily be masked by anything you add to it - Making unflavored whey the most versatile option available.
Lets get to it. Here are the reasons why unflavored, flavorless, plain protein powder is the way to go:
1. You Won't Consume Unwanted Ingredients
When flavors are added to protein powder they usually come with low quality ingredients like: natural flavors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, sucralose, additives and so on. Finding a quality flavored protein powder without unwanted ingredients can be difficult.
A high quality flavorless protein powder that dissolves well on the other hand will contain only 2 ingredients. It should be made and sourced in the USA as well. You’ll no longer have to worry about consuming unnecessary ingredients with a good brand.
Make sure the unflavored brand you pick is reputable. Some brands focus heavily on profits, which can lead to lower quality protein powder, lower protein per serving, GMO's or fillers. Not all unflavored protein powders are made equal but there are a few good options out there.
2. You can customize to your specific goals
Each one of us has different goals, dietary requirements, calorie requirements, carb requirements, etc. For example, if you’re on a low carb diet, you might want a low carb whey protein with no added sugar. If you’re cutting weight, you’ll look for a protein with low calories. If you need meal replacement shakes, you might want to whey protein powder to help thicken your shakes to make them more filling, while retaining low calories. If you subscribe to 1 cheat day a week, you might want a delicious chocolate peanut butter banana shake on your cheat day.
A flavorless or plain protein powder can be used to adapt to any one of those scenarios and much more. You don’t have to buy various types of protein every time you want to change things up.
3. You Won't Be Limited to a Single Flavor
Instead of having to decide between chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or whatever other flavors out there, why not have them all? You see, with unflavored whey protein powder you can easily create a chocolate flavor by adding cacao powder or chocolate syrup, create a vanilla flavor by adding vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract, create a strawberry flavor by adding strawberry powder or simply blend fresh strawberries into your shake, or you can create more creative flavors like a sweet chocolate peanut/almond butter banana smoothie by adding chocolate syrup, peanut or almond butter, and half a banana in a blender (delicious).
Other than simple flavors you can get creative and make an endless number of other flavors like: strawberry banana, mocha, vanilla latte, snickerdoodle, oatmeal cookie, cookies and cream, fruit punch, vanilla coffee bean, pumpkin spice, oatmeal chocolate, pina colada, you name it! You can literally have a different flavor every day of the week!
4. You Can Sweeten to YOUR Taste and Flavor
A common problem with flavored protein powder is most are just too sweet. The opposite is also true. You'll find some natural protein powders that are just not sweet enough. It's understandable, everyone has unique taste and companies have to come up with a one-size-fits-all sweetness level. But not all of us like our protein powder that sweet or the same sweetness every day.
Another common issue is the type of sweetener used in flavored protein powder. Some of the healthier brands offer products sweetened with stevia but many of us don't like the taste of stevia. With unflavored whey you can sweeten it with whatever you like: cane sugar, stevia, monk fruit, honey, syrup, coconut sugar, agave and so on.
No more guessing whether you’ll like how sweet a protein powder is or not. You can come up with easy ways to sweeten your protein powder with liquid sweeteners. There are many to choose from.
5. You Can Add It to Food
This is a great example of versatility. Drinking whey protein powder isn't the only way to consume it. There are 3 things that make flavorless plain whey ideal for baking and cooking:
- It has a natural milky taste which goes well with many foods.
- The taste is light so it can be masked easily.
- Whey is very stable in heat so cooking or baking with it doesn’t denature it’s protein content as much as other protein powders.
With that said, you have many options for adding protein to your food. Out of the box simple examples include: oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, dips, sauces, soups, pudding, etc. Baking examples are: breads, cookies, pancakes, waffles, crepes, protein bars and so much more. Your imagination is the limit.
Pro Tip: When adding protein to the simple examples above, premix the protein powder in a shaker cup with a little water, milk, or liquid of your choice. Then, pour the liquid whey mixture into your food. Don’t add powder directly into your food. It’s made to dissolve in liquid.
6. You Can Use It as Coffee Creamer
Oh yes, you can add protein to your coffee. Since unflavored whey protein powder (whey protein specifically) tastes like light powdered milk, it makes a great coffee creamer. You can make plain high protein coffee creamer or flavored high protein coffee creamer.
Just like the pro tip in the last step, don’t add powder directly into your coffee. Although coffee is a liquid, it’s usually very hot. When you add whey protein to very hot coffee it clumps up. It’s natural. Eggs for instance, are in liquid form when cool but the protein in eggs turns into solid form when enough heat is applied. The same happens to protein molecules in whey protein.
You’ll want to premix some water or some type of milk with protein powder in a shaker cup. Once it’s in liquid form and your coffee cools slightly, you pour and mix it in little by little. Now, you have protein coffee!
Pro Tip: You can make mocha, vanilla bean, or other flavored coffee creamers and keep them in a bottle premixed ready to add to your coffee.
7. You Can Save Money
Whaaat? Yes, you can save money by going unflavored. For starters, like we mentioned in reason #1 going with unflavored whey is like having EVERY flavor. This can save you not only from deciding on a new flavor every time you run out but what if you choose a flavor and you don't like it? What if you get tired of the flavor you have and want to try a new one? You might end up buying a couple different flavors and that can get pricey real fast.
Some of our goals require a high protein intake to accomplish. You might need various high protein snacks but nowadays, protein snacks and meat are going up in price quite fast.
Instead, you have an alternative way to add protein to your day by either adding unflavored protein powder to your oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, coffee, dips, sauces, etc. Or by finding easy to prepare recipes online to make them yourself at home. Protein bars, protein oatmeal cookies, protein keto bread, protein keto cookies, protein pancakes, protein waffles are all examples of high protein snacks/meals you can add to your homemade protein arsenal.
Conclusion
It's clear that unflavored whey has some enticing advantages. In the end, it's up to your preference and needs. If you only like one flavor and like the convenience of having it pre-flavored then by all means go for your favorite flavor protein powder.
If you want to take control of what you put in your body, want flavor variety, want a specific level of sweetness or specific sweetener, then it’s clear that unflavored whey protein powder is the way to go.