Hey gang,
I have been working out for a little over 2 years now and am wanting to add some protein shakes to my eating regime. I am looking for something that: tastes good (I do not like chocolate), can be mixed with water, and packs a good amount of protein. I am not committed to whey, egg or soy.
Any suggestions?
I strongly recomend "Absolute Whey Protien" from Interactive Nutrition International. They also sell a "Whey Protein Isolate" which is a little more but they claim is a higher yield/result product. I'm still trying the latter out right now so I can't say for sure. Skip the 450g size and get the 910g size is $30-40CDN and is good for 30+ post weight workout servings.
Good thing about these is that neither uses artificial sweeteners(which I detest), flavors, colors, preservatives. The vanilla flavor is pleasant and mild and can be enjoyed with milk or just added to another beverage. Both are microfiltered and mix the quickest and most completely with milk and a just a little stirring.
I've tried the Designer Whey and it starts off OK but get's nasty with the aftertaste to me after a while. It's was granulated and sweet to me and didn't seem to help much anyways. That might be because I had a huge tub of it to get through though.
I don't recommend egg or soy based myself unless you have a specific allergy to whey or something else. You can just put eggs into the diet a couple days a week(better on the days you're going to do weight) and get the same results and with the protien good and bad cholesterol you need in less processed form. Soy is billed as a "complete protien" but there is also some evidence that it mimicks estrogen (belive or not) in the body and has otherwise complex effects. In the absence of real data/research I only partake of soy products in moderation.
For most of us our body is getting more than enough protein overall. Having a clean form available in abundance when you actually are (post)working out is good, but the rest of the time any more than you need is a strain on the body.
I think also keeping fed is important. Not stuffed but lots of fluid and healthy little meals or snacks throughout the day is ideal. Basically if you get hungry, your body is going to go scavenging and start thinking about catalysis(backward muscle building)
Anyways, this is just advice from a non-professional fitness enthusuast if you're hard core you may want something different/more.
For instance after 6 months or so generally you start to plateau unless your workout is really really versatile/varied/creative and it might take just a little creatine in the AM of workouts to get past your limits. Too much creatine is, like protien a strain on the system, stresses natural production and can lead to actually lead to injuries(acording to friends who are trainers) when muscle strength is built conditioned ahead of bone, ligament, joint development.
all the info you'll ever need and on the forums are MANY reviews on quality, taste, $$ etc. 
