There are tons of different companies selling protein powders and – of course – each claims to have some distinct advantage.
But Naked Nutrition works hard to guarantee the absolute best product available and, to prove it, we're going to compare our protein powders with some of the others out there.
This week: Impact Whey Protein by Myprotein.
Sourcing
The first thing you should consider when comparing two different proteins is exactly where their protein comes from. Unfortunately, this is often one of the most over-looked aspects of protein powders.
All whey protein powders produced by Naked Nutrition comes from grass-fed dairy farms in California. Neither the cows nor the milk they produce has ever been exposed to hormones or GMOs. All of the products are also gluten and soy-free.
Once sourced, Naked Nutrition protein powders are minimally processed so that all of the nutrients are left intact. Ultimately, this creates a complete protein source that has higher levels of healthy omega-3 and conjugated linoleic fatty acids and is free from any potential allergens or contaminants.
What about Impact Whey Protein? The company website contains precious little information regarding the original source of their whey – other than to state that it's “high-quality.” This give very little information. It's also worth noting that even the unflavored variety of Impact Whey Protein contains soy lecithin as an emulsifier.
This tells us two things about Impact Whey Protein. First, it lacks the natural thickness and texture that a quality whey should have. Second, and more importantly, this also means that Impact Whey Protein contains a potentially dangerous additive that most Americans already get way too much of.
While the science is not entirely conclusive, a 2011 study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology found that soy lecithin is strongly estrogenic – meaning that it elevates levels of the hormone estrogen. Among other issues, this has been show to disrupt thyroid function and hormone production.
Granted, small doses of soy lecithin seem to be safe when taken every once in a while but, how often do you take your protein powder? If you're like most people it's probably about twice each day.
You should not have to worry a potential dangerous chemical reaching high levels in your system each time you take a protein shake.
Nutrition
Comparing Naked Whey and Impact Whey Protein is a little tricky because the serving size is slightly different – an Impact scoop totally 25g compared to Naked's 30g serving. Still, the two products are fairly similar when it comes to the numbers.
Total Calories
– Naked Nutrition: 120
– Impact Whey: 120
Fat
– Naked Nutrition: 2g
– Impact Whey: 1.8g
Carbs
– Naked Nutrition: 3g
– Impact Whey: 0g
Protein
– Naked Nutrition: 25g
– Impact Whey: 24g
It should also be noted that Naked Whey contains 5.9g of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) per serving. This information is not listed by Impact Whey – their website simply states that each serving contains 2g of leucine – one of the three BCAAs.