COURTESY
The hardest part of getting fit happens at home: dieting to maintain your physique, pack more flesh at the pecs, or tighten up your waistline. The struggle in the kitchen is as real as on the bench—because of protein, the macronutrient synonymous with muscle building.
The go to’s are well known: chicken breast as meals, and protein powder as supplements before, during, or after workouts. Chicken is fine, great if you’re a chef. But downing bottles and bottles of protein shakes every day has likely made you glutted. You see the mounded scoop of protein and reactively shudder at its gritty, chalky texture. You feel it on your tongue at just the thought, but swallow the agony whole, because, deep down, you know you need this to meet your daily nutritional intake. You convince yourself, It’s for the lean muscles, the gains. So you bite the bullet.
It doesn’t have to be this way. And because we believe you should save your energy for your actual arm curls at the gym, we’ve gathered a roll call of 10 protein powder alternatives that don’t taste funky or dusty. There are options like low-carb, low-fat chips and puffs, protein-infused energy drinks that’ll pull you through any workout session, and breakfast essentials that’ll help hit your daily intake. You are what you eat, man, and these supplements will transform you.
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Best Protein Snacks
Tortilla Style Protein Chips
The plausibility of these tortilla chips probably eludes even the most senior protein specialist. They really do taste like regular tortilla chips—meaning, good—while boasting over 15 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs and fat. This snack is thus for the gains as well as the keto-friendly cuts.
Calories per serving: 140
Protein per serving: 19g
Best Protein Energy Drink
Gatorade Zero With Protein
Staying hydrated before, during, and after a workout is crucial. And now, there’s a better Gatorade for that: Gatorade’s G Zero Thirst Quencher, now charged with whey protein isolate. For under 60 calories, you get 10 grams of protein and all the hydration you need to power through one last lift or drop.
Calories per serving: 50 to 60
Protein per serving: 10g
Best Protein Bar
Big 100 Colossal Protein Meal Replacement Bars
One of these chewy bars can trump near any meal at your company’s cafeteria. They carry 410 calories with an on-point distribution of nutrition: over 30 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, and over 40 grams of carbs. Hence, in addition to serving as a meal replacement, it’s also an ideal add-on snack for jocks who are looking to pack on more protein and carbs during bulking season. Speaking from personal tasting, it is not sickly sweet, and won’t totally fill your stomach up after you devour it.
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