Pros of the Protein: Reviewing cheap and expensive protein powders to compare their differences

Protein. Both my best friend and worst enemy. While I appreciate how it builds and repairs my muscles, hitting my excessive 150g of protein a day is also a chore. I regularly find myself trying to choke down plain chicken — which my friends love to make fun of me for — to avoid using my protein powder I spent way too much money on to not ‘waste’ it.

After trying what feels like every semi-overpriced protein powder I’ve seen on fitness influencers’ Instagram stories, I wondered how these compared to a more budget-friendly alternative from a chain supplement store such as GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe.

To find out for myself, I went to GNC and got the cheapest and most expensive protein powder they had to see if I could save my bank account, taste buds and plain chicken habits.

The cheapest on the shelf was the GNC brand Pro Performance 100% Whey Protein at $1.40 per scoop, which promised a lot in the name without breaking the bank.

The chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream and unflavored powders weren’t too different from any other protein powders in the store, but nothing worth complaining about. I grabbed the chocolate flavor for a safe bet.

The macros were in the same boat — not what I’d usually go for, but not bad enough to totally throw me off. Each scoop has 140 calories, two grams of fat, six grams of carbohydrates and 24 grams of protein per scoop. For comparison, my usual four ounces of plain chicken has 120 calories and 26 grams of protein.

After mixing the protein with my almond milk, I noticed the clumps of unmixed powder in the drink and began to dread my first sip. The texture was exactly what I had expected from the cheapest one on the shelf — grainy and clumpy.

The flavor also unsettled me. While it had the classic chocolate taste promised in the name, it had an oddly sour aftertaste, like my almond milk was expired, that I couldn’t get out of my mouth.

While I wouldn’t choose this over my usual protein options due to the horrendous texture and flavor, it wasn’t as tragic as I had expected for being the cheapest option offered.

When skimming the shelves for the most expensive protein powder, I could already hear my bank account yelling at me when it saw the price of the tub. It was the Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Isolate at a whopping $2.25 per scoop. 

The flavors offered more variety and unique flavors than the cheap GNC brand. They had the classics: chocolate, vanilla, chocolate peanut butter but also had novelty collaboration flavors such as Fruity Pebbles and Dunkin’.

As an avowed caffeine-junkie and coffee-lover, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Mocha Latte flavor from their Dunkin’ collab — which I will be attributing to excitement rather than my second Celsius I downed on the way there.

The macros were also better than the cheaper option at 0.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs and 25 grams of protein, totaling up to 120 calories per scoop. Nothing too notable for most but the extra few calories saved could be crucial for extreme dieters and lifters. This protein also contained 95 mg of caffeine per scoop — perfect for a morning pick-me-up on the way to the gym.

It was also, thankfully, much less clump-ridden when I mixed it with my almond milk. The texture itself was nothing that made this protein worth the extra $0.85 per scoop, but it was undeniably less grainy and smoother than the cheapest. Still, I wasn’t wowed.

What did surprise me was the impact the high price had on the flavor difference. It perfectly balanced the sweet chocolatey flavors of a mocha with a slight coffee taste coming through. While a protein powder will never be able to perfectly match a sugar-filled coffee, this was close enough for me to call it a win. 

I will undoubtedly be adding this to my cart again next time I need a protein restock — it’s worth every extra penny.

While I still don’t quite understand why protein powder has to blow my budget every time I buy a tub, I do get why people continue spending more money on a quality supplement over a cheaper option. The difference in texture and flavor between the two was enough to validate my over-spendings on the powder.