Protein powders are super popular as a dietary supplement, especially in the fitness community. If you want to grow muscle fast, protein powder and intense exercise go hand-in-hand. Here are the most popular protein powders that you’ll find in Singapore today! Here are the best protein powders you can buy in Singapore today!
1. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
Best whey protein powder
- 24g of whey protein isolates
- Promote muscle recovery and growth
- Available in 6 delicious flavours
Check out any online site and you’ll likely see Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey as the top-seller in the protein powder category. There are two main reasons for its success – its effectiveness and value-for-money pricing. For 5 pounds of whey protein, it costs only $75. You’ll find it hard to get a better deal anywhere, whether online or a retail store.
Optimum Nutrition Gold uses whey protein isolates which are more concentrated. That means more protein in every gram inside with less fat and lactose. With 9 different flavours to choose from, you will definitely be able to pick one that suits your taste buds. Here are all the flavours you can choose from – Cookies and Cream, Strawberry, Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Vanilla Creme, Mocha Cappuccino, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Coconut and Rocky Road.
If you want the best whey protein powder in Singapore right now – get the Optimum Nutrition Gold!
2. Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey
- 30g of hydrolyzed whey protein isolate
- Quick digestion and absorption
- Lactose free with less fat and cholesterol
Honestly, plain protein shakes are not that yummy. Thank goodness for the Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey with Turbo Chocolate flavour. The best compliment we can pay to it is to say it tastes like Milo. Finally, a tasty protein shake that gives you muscles that goes down super easily! As with most Optimum Nutrition products, it uses whey protein in the isolate form so that your muscles can get the most protein per gram. One single 3.5 pounds tub is enough for around 40 servings which makes each protein shake costs less than $2. Pretty good value!
If you want a tasty whey protein powder, this Optimum Nutrition Platinum Turbo Chocolate should be your number one choice.
3. Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex
Best protein powder for women
- 30g of protein in one serving
- Less than 1g of fat per serving
- Calcium, minerals to supplement diet
As with all the Optimum Nutrition products, the Pro Complex is another yummy product that provides high amounts of protein to support your athletic lifestyle. A single scoop of the Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex will give you 30 grams of protein.
Additionally, one serving of this protein powder has under 1 gram of fat which makes it great if you are looking to control your weight. Creating a tasty protein shake is easy as all you need to do is add the mix to water and shake well. Within a minute, your protein shake will be all ready for you to bulk up with.
The Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex is a protein powder great for both men and women.
4. Muscletech Nitrotech Whey Protein
Best protein powder for lean muscles
- 30g protein, 3g creatine
- Whey isolate and peptides for leaner muscles
- Helps with recovery and strength gain
If you want to build leaner muscles, you’ll want to check out the Muscletech Nitrotech Whey Protein. It uses whey isolates and peptides, which are shown to develop leaner muscles than regular whey protein. Additionally, it also helps quicken muscle recovery and growth.
With each serving of this Muscletech Protein Powder, it contains 30g protein, 3g creatine, 6.8g BCAA and 5g of glutamine. These proportion are specially concocted to help you achieve your goal of being muscular and lean at the same time.
This protein powder is available 4 different flavours – cookies & cream, milk chocolate, mocha cappuccino and vanilla. All of them are pretty tasty which encourages you to keep your routine of drinking it. Build lean muscle fast with this delicious Muscletech protein powder!
5. MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder
- 25g of protein from 5 sources
- Long-lasting performance boost
- Mixes easily with water, milk or fruits
The MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder contains 25g of protein in each serving. It gets the protein from 5 different sources which allow a variation in the time to digestion. Some of the protein digests fast while some digest more slowly. That is a good thing for muscle recovery and regeneration because a constant supply of protein over a few hours is better than one big boost.
You can mix this MusclePharm Protein Powder with water, milk or even fruits. Even with just water, it is tasty enough thanks to its 6 wonder flavours of banana cream, chocolate milk, chocolate peanut butter, cookies and cream, triple berry or vanilla.
6. MusclePharm Combat Crunch Protein Bar
- 20g of protein in one bar
- Soft interior with crunchy bits
- 10 amazingly yummy flavours
If you want an alternative way to increase your protein intake, the MusclePharm Combat Crunch Protein Bar is a tasty option. Each bar contains 20 grams of protein, almost similar to one serving of protein powder.
Compared to other sports bar, this has relatively low calories of 210 with less carb and more fibre. It also doesn’t hurt that it is super tasty. There are 10 different flavours to choose from, our personal favourite is the Peanut Butter Lovers and Double Stuffed Cookie Dough. With a soft inside peppered with crunchy bits, each bite is a real delight!
7. Nature’s Superfoods Organic Plant Protein Powder
- 100% made with 5 types of plant proteins
- Contains Omega 3 and fibre
- No gluten, dairy, preservatives
Nature’s Superfoods Plant Protein Powder is probably the healthiest option you can choose. It is made with 5 types of plant proteins from the Sacha Inchi Seeds, Peas, Brown Rice, Pumpkin Seeds and Chia Seeds. These 5 plant proteins were chosen because they are easily digestible for better protein absorption.
It is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free and does not have any added additives, fillers or preservatives. If you want a truly “clean” protein powder, this one ticks all the right boxes.
8. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein Protein Powder
Best protein powder for the night
- Protein powder before bedtime
- Helps you feel full
- Amino acids for muscle recovery
For the maximum recovery, it’ll be good to get two types of protein powder – one for the day and one for the night. For the night, we highly recommend the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein Protein Powder.
Take it before you go to bed and it’ll help you feel full so that you won’t crave snacks and unhealthy late-night suppers. With slow-digesting protein and amino acids, this slow release is optimal for your muscle recovery and growth in the night.
With each serving, you’ll get 24 grams of protein and 9 grams of essential amino acids. With this protein powder, the extra nighttime recovery will help to speed up your gains.
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Benefits of protein powder
Protein powder is an increasingly popular nutritional supplement. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder or weightlifter to enjoy the many benefits of a protein shake. Protein powder can aid you in building up muscle, repair tissues and even help you slim down. Let’s delve deeper into the benefits of protein powder and why you should include it in your diet.
Helps you to gain muscle
There is a reason why athletes and gym regulars love protein powder. Protein is a crucial component to growing muscle which works in conjunction with working out and exercising. Getting protein through protein powder and shakes is much easier than getting your protein from your daily diet. With a single protein shake, you could get enough protein intake for the entire day.
If you are hoping to gain muscle, including additional protein in your diet is essential. When comparing two different individuals who use and doesn’t use protein powder, muscle growth is more often than not more prominent in the protein powder user.
Helps your body recover after a workout
Besides help your body build muscle, protein is also beneficial for repairing your body’s tissues and muscles. When you go through an intense workout, there will be tiny tears that form in your muscles and tissues. Those tears are the reason why you feel soreness in the days after a good workout. If you include protein powder in your diet, the extra protein will go a long way in quickening the recovery time. You will feel less sore in a shorter amount of time. This is important if you are exercising regularly. Faster recovery time will mean more exercises can be done leading to quicker muscle growth.
Great for adding protein to your diet
Often, our diets do not contain enough protein, especially if we are working out regularly. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or have a meat-free diet, you may also struggle to hit the recommended daily intake for protein. For a regular person, you need about 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram you weigh. If you exercise daily and are looking to gain muscle, you will need about 1.5 to 2 times the average recommended amount of protein. Increasing your protein intake daily is easy with protein powder because you can add it to almost anything for a quick boost.
Can help you to lose weight
Protein keeps you full for a longer time. As you add more protein to your diet, you will tend to consume smaller food portions. You will also find that you will not crave snacks in between meals because you simply don’t feel that hungry. If you see that you have a problem with eating portions and snacking, adding more protein or protein powder to your diet could help.
Why is whey protein so popular?
There are a few main categories of protein powder. Each has its characteristics which makes it better for different uses. However, whey protein seems to have taken the lead as the most popular among all the protein powder.
Whey protein is primarily loved by athletes and people who work out. Why is that so? It’s because they are incredibly effective at speeding up muscle growth and recovery times – thanks to the amino acids found in whey protein. That is not saying that other types of protein powder such as brown rice, pea or egg should be avoided. They do carry most of the benefits that whey proteins give. However, they are just not as effective when you compare it gram to gram, meaning you need to take much more to get the same effect. That’s not good because firstly, it costs more and taking too much may put you over the recommended protein intake.
Are there any side effects for whey protein?
In general, whey protein is a very safe supplement to take. It does not have any harmful substances but provides many benefits from the additional protein it provides. However, there are some potential side effects from taking whey protein which may affect some users.
If you are lactose-intolerant, whey protein may not be suitable for you. Lactose is the main component of whey protein. You may be unable to digest the whey protein efficiently which could to lead to diarrhoea and stomach problems. However, you can consider whey protein isolate instead of it in a concentrated form. In an isolate form, whey protein will contain less lactose and won’t irritate your stomach. Most lactose-intolerant people should be able to take whey protein isolate without any issues.
If you are allergic to cow’s milk, whey protein in any form is not for you. Whey protein is made from cow’s milk and if you are allergic to it, you’ll suffer the same symptoms as if you are drinking cow’s milk. Thankfully, only a small proportion of people are allergic to cow’s milk. If you do suffer from this allergy, avoid whey protein at costs. There are other protein powder options out there which do not include dairy sources – pea, brown rice and soy.
There are some claims that excessive amounts of whey protein will cause kidney problems. However, this is not true. Studies have shown that even high amounts of protein can be processed without any harm done to healthy kidneys. The problem occurs when your kidney is unhealthy and doesn’t have sufficient capacity to deal with protein. If you have kidney issues, you should consult a health professional before adding any protein powder to your diet. If you are healthy and well, whey protein will not harm your kidneys as long as you keep intake to reasonable amounts.
How much protein to take? How much is too much?
It depends. According to health organizations around the world, the consensus is around 0.8 gram per kilogram you weigh. For an average male that weighs 80kg, that would be 56 grams of protein daily. For a female that weighs 50kg, you are recommended to have at least 40 grams of protein in a day. However, this number is only a guideline and is meant for the average adult’s lifestyle and exercise routine.
If you are on an intense workout routine, you will need more protein powder to help your muscles recover. If you are looking to increase your muscle mass, you’ll also need more protein for the gains. As a general rule of thumb, do not go beyond twice of what the recommended intake of protein as that is the amount suggested for athletes. If you want a more accurate picture of how to frame your diet, visit a nutritionist for more tailored advice for your lifestyle.
When to drink your protein shake – before or after a workout?
There are two different schools of thoughts as to when is the ideal time to drink a protein shake. Is it better to drink it before starting your workout or after? The supporters of drinking protein shake after exercise believes in the concept of the anabolic window. Your muscles will be able to absorb proteins the best if you drink your protein shake within 30 minutes after finishing your workout. However, this concept has been challenged by more recent research. The 30 minutes period of the anabolic window appears to be too limiting. You’ll still get the full effects of the protein powder even if you consume the shake after 30 minutes. Also, drinking the protein shake before or after the workout has also shown little to no difference.
Basically, we recommended drinking your protein shake within an hour of starting or finishing your workout. However, don’t be too tough on yourself if you miss the timing because you’ll still get most if not all of the benefits of the protein shake no matter what.
How to make a protein shake?
Protein shakes are probably the most common and popular method to incorporate protein powder into your diet. They are quick to make, easy to bring around and can be very tasty if you do it right. The common ingredients that are added to a protein shake are protein powder, water, milk, fruits, yoghurt and even cheese.
There are two common ways to assemble a protein shake. One is with a blender, and another is just combining everything into your protein shaker itself. If you are adding fruits to your shake, using a blender is recommended.
Here is how to make a basic, no-frills, protein shake.
- Pour either water or milk into your protein shaker. You will need around 150 to 250 ml total in liquids, depending on what consistency you like.
- Add the amount of protein powder required for your protein needs
- Put the shaker ball or plastic mesh or your shaker in and close the lid tightly.
- Shake it till you are happy with the consistency.
- Your protein shake is all ready for you to enjoy.
Check out the top 3 protein powder in Singapore once again!
- Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
- Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey
- Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex
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