There are many protein supplements out there. There are many different companies, all claiming to offer you the best value for your money. That would be great, if it didn’t make it so hard to choose the best protein supplement for your needs. How do you know if one will work out better for you than another? It’s too expensive to try each and every one of them, right?
7 Top Tips to Find the Best Protein Supplement
Well, there’s no need to try all of the supplements out there. With a bit of forward planning, you can limit your choices and find a great one to buy.
Here are seven top tips to find the best protein supplement available.
Some companies offer trial packets to give you a little taster. They can often be purchased online, and some will even offer free trials. Free trials are great, because you get enough in a packet to see if a supplement tastes good, is easy to make and offers you all the benefits that you expect. From there, you can decide whether you want to buy it or not.
That doesn’t mean you should go through every company offering you a free trial. Limit to one or two to try first, and then look at others if you don’t find the best protein supplement for your needs.
It’s also worth following the rest of the tips to limit the amount of free samples you end up with.
Check Out the Ingredients
You should do this with anything to make sure you’re not allergic to anything, but supplements are extremely important. It is a tip that is often overlooked, because there is the thought that all supplements are going to be healthy. That isn’t the case. Some companies put chemicals into their products to offer great results. The danger is that these chemicals can be dangerous to the body.
Check any and all ingredients used. If there are any that you do not recognize, it is vital that you check them out online. Make sure they are safe for human consumption and there are no unexpected health risks that have made the news. Even if there aren’t current dangers, you need to question whether you want to risk your health.
There are some companies that have been forced to change their product ingredients over the years. Look into the history of a product to find out if this has happened, and then make a decision based on your own health to decide whether they are worth the risk. News reports are essential. There are a few supplements that have caused heart attacks in recent years. Are the potential benefits really worth the risks?
While you’re looking into the ingredients, it is also worth finding out more about how they help you towards your goals. What is the need for each and every one of them?
Question FDA Approval
Some—not all—supplements have approval from the FDA. This is definitely worth checking into. Getting FDA approval isn’t easy, especially for health supplements, which is why it is considered so highly. There are a lot of tests and trials that companies must go through before they get the approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make sure the products are safe for humans and effective.
Just because a product doesn’t have FDA approval doesn’t mean it is dangerous. It just means either the FDA believes there are concerns or the company has simply not put in an application because of all the required testing.
When you find products with the approval, it is worth putting it at the top of the list as the best protein supplement—for now. The downside to FDA approval is that the cost may be much higher to cover the cost of those extra trials.
If a product doesn’t have FDA approval, looking into the history and news on the supplement is important. Remember that note about the chemicals within the ingredients.
Whether the product has approval or not, it is also worth taking the list of ingredients to your doctor. Your doctor will know if you have any medical conditions that need to be considered, and will be able to advise for or against specific supplements out there.
Check the Price of the Products
Price is a major consideration when finding the best protein supplement for your needs. The downside of these products is that they can be expensive, so you want to get the best value for your money.
You can’t just buy the cheapest product out there. There are many considerations that you need to make, including where you’re buying from. You may also find that you don’t get as much of the supplement as you thought, and it works out more expensive in the long run.
Always find out how many portions the product makes before buying. That will tell you whether it really is the cheapest option out there. Another product may be $10 more, but it could make 20 extra portions, working out cheaper in the long term.
Test the Flavors
Different products will come with different flavors. Most of the supplements are taken in drink form, so they have to be pleasant. Companies respect this, which is why they come up with a variety for individuals. This is where getting free samples can be useful.
Chocolate supplements may be great for some, but you may be a vanilla or strawberry fan. There are also many other, more extravagant options out there. Once you find a flavor you enjoy, you’ll find that you’re more likely to take your supplement on a regular basis.
This could be something that you do towards the end. Once you have a supplement that is effective and good for you, find the flavor that suits you the most. The good thing is that you can always change the flavor over time, especially with the companies that have a large range.
Watch Out Where You Buy
Most people are going to buy their protein supplements online. There’s nothing wrong with that. It can work out cheaper and there are plenty of trustworthy companies. There is also that ease of ordering and paying online. However, some brick and mortar stores do offer the supplements, but you may not be able to order as much.
Whatever way you choose to buy, make sure you look into the details of the company. Is it a local company or one overseas? Does the company have a good reputation with gyms and personal trainers?
Find out as much as you can. This will help determine whether the supplements are genuine, or whether something else may have been added. It’s not just about those creating the products but about those selling the products. Companies selling them like to make a good profit, and some get into unscrupulous methods to cut corners. Watch out for this, as it is your health that you could end up putting at risk. Be sensible when you buy. Getting supplements is similar to buying medication—you wouldn’t get that from just anywhere, but from trustworthy pharmacists, so you should get your supplements from trustworthy stores.
Read the Third-Party Reviews
This is often a final stage as you narrow down your protein supplement options. Look into what other people say about the various products available. It’s not a waste of time. In fact, it could save you money and your health.
Always use third-party review websites. While companies will offer testimonials on their sites, these are going to be one-sided. When you look at third party reviews, you’ll find that there are good and bad reviews. People are able to give their honest opinions, whether it is about flavor, effectiveness and even price.
Look into the details of any review before you decide yes or no on a product. A negative review may be focused on the store the person bought the product from, and not the actual product. If this is the case, you may want to see if there is anything about the specific product from someone else, and find another place to buy it. Likewise, a positive review may be about the store, but the individual found the product a waste of time.
There is one topic you want to focus on when looking at reviews: does the product really work? Will it help you with your training goals? Find out what others’ goals were and whether it helped them. If it didn’t, you want to find out more about why not. It may have been that the user didn’t take the supplement properly.
Spend your time looking through all your options. It isn’t difficult to find the best protein supplement, but you do need to do some research. This is more than just finding the cheapest product out there or the cheapest place selling it. You want to find something that is highly effective and will help with your training. The more research you do, the more informed you will be.
