Continued from The Best Protein Powder.

When it comes to finding good sources of protein, food based protein sources are pretty straightforward, but what about other good sources of protein? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Whey Protein The majority of protein products on the market are whey based.

Whey is a complete protein and usually contains the highest branched chain amino acid (BCAA) content found in nature. BCAAs can be depleted following exercise.

While whey is used primarily to enhance sports performance and exercise benefits, research shows other potential benefits.

Whey demonstrates modest activity as an immune enhancer, antioxidant, antihypertensive, antitumor, antimicrobial, and hypolipidemic agent. But anyone who is allergic to milk proteins should avoid all whey proteins.

Popular forms of whey include:

Whey hydrolysate, essentially predigested protein that is assimilated into the body more quickly than other, non-hydrolyzed types. This is well suited for use after exercise because of the increased bioavailability of the predigested protein.

Hydrolysates leave the stomach quickly and thus are available for the muscles to begin using rapidly without further degradation by digestion.

Whey isolates, purified without the use of heat. They still contain the potentially beneficial immunostimulant constituents (immunoglobulins) of whey. Whey protein isolates are typically lower in lactose, fat, and cholesterol than regular whey protein.

Ion-exchange whey, a highly purified form of this protein – with reduced immunostimulant properties due to chemical processing.