No Whey, No Problem: 5 Best Whey Protein Alternatives

I love whey, but whey doesn’t love me.

I worked in the supplement industry for most of my adult life, so naturally I’ve had my share of protein shakes. I would receive free products monthly and the R&D department would constantly be at my desk asking me to try new flavors.

It wasn’t unusual for me to have one or two whey protein shakes per day. I’d even mix it with my oats, make pancakes, etc.

The change in my tolerance for whey was gradual.  Ironically, the higher quality proteins like whey isolate and whey hydrolysate were the first to give me trouble.  Eventually, despite repeated attempts and experimentation, I had to come to grips with the fact that I couldn’t stomach any form of whey. 

The issue remains a mystery, as most dairy products are not an issue suffice for some minor bloating. I still regularly eat foods like cheese and greek yogurt. So whatever the cause may be, it’s likely not lactose. After all of the filtering and processing, whey is actually pretty low in lactose overall.

Anyone that’s serious about dieting and building lean muscle probably tracks their calorie and macronutrient intake to some degree.  The standard for protein intake is one gram per pound of lean body mass.

Imagine a situation where whey protein is no longer an option. No longer do you have those 2-3 scoops a day to fall back on. That’s 50 grams of protein, the equivalent of about 8 oz. of chicken.

Protein is an irreplaceable part of any diet.  While much of the mainstream nutrition controversy revolves around carbs vs. fats, the truth is that at surface level they are interchangeable energy sources. Protein is the macronutrient that should be the focal point of any diet.

Protein is the ONLY nutrient that can build and repair tissue.  Your body can convert carbs to fats through de novo lipogenesis.  Your body can convert fats to carbs through gluconeogenesis.  Your body can convert neither carbs nor fats to protein.  Protein has a nitrogen component which neither carbs nor fats have which makes it unique.

Luckily, there are now multiple non-whey protein powders you can use to supplement your fitness and nutrition goals.  This wasn’t the case years ago, where you would be hard pressed to find any protein that didn’t contain whey. 

The proteins listed below are ranked in order from 5 to 1, with 1 being the best option of the bunch.  These are quality proteins and I can almost guarantee you won’t notice inferior results in your physique or recovery if you chose any of them over whey.  It should be clear that these are not suboptimal, lesser proteins.

It seems more and more people have a problem digesting whey protein.  If you consume whey regularly and stumbled upon this article take it as an opportunity to be more self aware after you drink your next shake. 

You may not be writhing in pain on the floor, but perhaps you feel bloated or gassy.  These are direct indications that not all is well in your GI tract.  It never hurts to try an alternative.

5. Vegan Protein

Vegan proteins are becoming more ubiquitous in health foods stores and even regular supermarkets.  They are typically a blend of pea, hemp, and brown rice protein.  The problem with vegan diets in general is the quality of protein.  Most vegan protein sources are incomplete proteins, which means that they lack all of the essential amino acids.  Essential amino acids cannot be synthesized by the body and must be consumed in your diet.  Leucine in particular is a critical amino acid for protein synthesis and muscle growth.  In order to get all essential amino acids, you would typically have to consume a combination of vegan foods.

Vega Sport is your best bet for high quality vegan protein as it has additional branched chain amino acids (BCAA) in the formula.  Leucine is one of the three BCAAs, and as mentioned before it is important for stimulating muscle protein synthesis.  Vega Sport is also highly concentrated containing 30 grams of protein per scoop, whereas other brands may require multiple servings to reach that amount.

4. Essential Amino Acid Powder (EAAs)

This one is a bit unconventional as it is not a “protein powder” per se.  BCAAs were the hot supplement until more research came out showing the superiority of EAAs.  The reason is as follows:

Leucine is the main amino acid which drives muscle protein synthesis. Muscle protein synthesis is the process which allows you to build muscle.  Without sufficient Leucine in your diet, you cannot build serious muscle. 

As a result, people started supplementing with BCAA supplements.  The three branched chain amino acids are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.

However, we later learned that Leucine is more akin to a light switch, while the nine essential amino acids altogether are like the electricity.  In other words, taking Leucine on its own would be like turning on a light switch without any electricity running through.  The signal is there, but the resources are not.

Taking an essential amino acid supplement as opposed to a branched chain amino acid supplement ensures you are getting all nine essential amino acids to build muscle (Leucine included). 

When shopping for an EAA supplement you want to avoid proprietary blends, that way you know exactly what you’re getting.  The market isn’t flooded with EAA supplements like it is BCAA supplements, but I’ve been using ISO-EAA by Man Sports for some time now.  It has all the essential amino acids, electrolytes, and some added glutamine. 

Glutamine is considered conditionally essential, sort of a hybrid between essential and non-essential.  People who resistance train can benefit from glutamine as it decreases soreness, boosts your immune system, and is good for the gut.

Glutamine is also the most abundant amino acid in muscle, which makes it important for active individuals who lift weights.

For more information on essential amino acid supplements, along with other recommendations, check out this article.

3. Beef Protein

I always enjoy the inevitable quizzical look I get from people when I tell them I supplement with a beef protein powder, to which I then explain that it does not taste like actual beef.

Beef protein comes in the same flavors any other protein would; chocolate, vanilla, chocolate peanut butter and the like.  Some have said it tastes a bit sweeter than whey protein but my palate isn’t sophisticated enough to notice. The only thing I’ve noticed is that there may be more foam at the top after mixing, but that quickly dissipates.

Carnivor by MuscleMeds was the first beef protein to come out years ago.  With the backing of their top athlete Kai Greene it became pretty popular.  I thought other companies would follow suit and formulate their own beef protein powders but there honestly aren’t that many on the market to this day. 

Carnivor is the most readily available beef protein product on the market.  It contains creatine so if you supplement with it already it won’t really be needed.

2. Egg Protein

Eggs and egg whites are two of the most bioavailable proteins you can consume.  Foods are scored by their biological value, which is an indicator of how well you can digest and absorb the nutrients.  Whole eggs score 100 while egg whites score 88, both of which are higher than beef, chicken, fish, and all vegan sources.  For this reason egg protein powders rank high on the list.

Another reason egg protein reigns supreme is because of the variety in options.  I like MRM’s Natural Egg White protein, which is naturally flavored, but there are others that are good as well.  Some products are a mix of whole eggs and egg whites, but that blend still doesn’t drive up the fat content too much if that’s a concern.

I’ve noticed that some egg protein powders taste salty, despite having a comparable sodium content to other proteins on this list. The mix of sweet chocolate/vanilla flavor plus the natural salty taste makes for an interesting combo, similar to the way salted caramel flavored desserts are.

1. Casein Protein

Some people falsely assume that casein is just a form of whey protein that digests more slowly. Milk protein is 80% casein and 20% whey, but they are two separate entities. There is no whey found in casein.

Casein is a high quality protein, touted for it’s ability to fight catabolism (muscle breakdown) over long periods of time due to its slow digestion.

This is why casein is such a popular pre-bed protein. While you’re sleeping you obviously can’t take in nutrients, but the slow digesting nature of casein allows nutrients to slowly enter the bloodstream for hours after ingesting.

Casein is still a good option post workout or at other points of the day. Casein typically mixes up thicker than other proteins, making it more satiating and filling.

Most top supplement brands carry a casein product, but I’m partial to Dymatize Elite Casein.

What About Collagen Protein?

Collagen protein has hit its stride in popularity recently, not only in the fitness space but in the overall health and beauty industry. 

Collagen protein supplements are unique in that they are high in two specific amino acids, glycine and hydroxyproline.  These amino acids are particularly beneficial for joint and skin health. 

However, the amino acid profile for collagen protein from a muscle building standpoint is lacking.  It simply does not have the Leucine necessary to stimulate muscle growth on its own.

While it may not have a direct impact on muscle growth; joint, ligament, and tendon health is obviously important for workout performance and recovery.  When you have a nagging injury, you simply cannot train to the best of your ability. 

If you have the discretionary income to add collagen protein to your arsenal go for it, otherwise you can budget your money on the other supplements on this list.

The best scenario would be to add collagen protein to another supplement on this list. Collagen proteins are typically unflavored, which makes this easy to do.