What Sets Our Whey Protein Isolate Apart

Throughout the Pure 21 Wellness Challenge, our Whey Protein Isolate supplement gives a boost of protein with your daily meals. This powder can easily be added to water, smoothies or shakes, or everyday eats like pancakes for quick meals that pack a punch! Let’s break down the benefits of whey protein, what sets ours apart from other brands, and some easy meals you can make with Whey Protein Isolate! Let’s get started.

What is Whey Protein?

When milk is made into cheese or yogurt, the leftover liquid is whey. This liquid whey contains proteins called whey proteins. These are an essential protein, meaning they deliver your body the 9 essential amino acids it cannot make itself. These amino acids play important roles in your body’s function. Most importantly, whey protein is absorbed by your gut at a much faster rate than protein derived from eggs or meat, making its benefits (almost) immediately available to you. Whey protein powder is typically available in three forms: concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate. Whey protein concentrate is the most commonly used, as it is the cheapest. This is what you’ll find in typical whey protein supplements, protein bars, etc. 

What Are the Benefits of Whey Protein?

Whether in concentrate or isolate form, the benefits of whey protein are the same. Many of the benefits of whey protein come from those 9 essential amino acids we talked about earlier. They are responsible for muscle growth and regeneration, helping you recovery from exercise quickly and maintaining your muscle mass as you lose weight from exercising. These amino acids are also the building blocks for neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, tryptophan, and more. Neurotransmitters have many responsibilities, but these mainly help you regulate mood, sleep, and energy levels. Lastly, amino acids also help you metabolize food more effectively and efficiently, helping you make good use of the nutrients you take in.

That’s not all! Whey protein is highly satiating, meaning it makes you feel fuller, longer. Because proteins are complex and take time to be broken down, your body will not deplete the resources gained from them like with simple nutrients like sucrose (think candy bar sugars). Therefore, whey protein can help you lose weight. From speeding up your metabolism, to helping you digest food quickly and effectively, to helping you feel full, all the building blocks for healthy weight loss are there. Plus, as you lose excess body fat, whey protein will help you maintain the muscle mass you’re building through exercise.  

REMINDER:  This program is designed to implement effective, sustainable gut health habits that will keep you looking and feeling great. As you establish these habits, it is likely that you lose weight as a result of cutting out unhealthy or unnecessary foods from your diet. This should be viewed as a peripheral benefit of doing Pure 21, not the main goal.

What Sets Our Whey Protein Isolate Apart?

The main difference between whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate is how much of the powder is comprised of protein. When whey is processed into whey protein concentrate, it is about 80% protein and about 20% carbs and fats. On the other hand, when whey is processed into whey protein isolate, it is comprised of 90% or more protein, and the rest is carbs and fat. So, you have to take less of our Whey Protein Isolate to get the same amount of protein you would get from a larger scoop of another brand’s whey protein powder. This explains why our Whey Protein Isolate contains 25 scoops of powder, which is equal to or greater than what you’ll get from most of the leading whey protein brands. Other brands will have more powder in their container, but you will need to use more powder per serving to get the amount of protein we have in one scoop of our Whey Protein Isolate.

In addition to having a higher percentage of protein by weight, our Whey Protein Isolate also forgoes a lot of the fillers that other brands use in their powder. Other brands add sugars in to help the protein powder taste better. While this may help you take the protein more readily, it is not what you should be putting in your body if you’re in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. These added sugars are simple sugars that your body cannot use for sustainable energy. Because this sugar is crystallized, it takes up space in the container, forcing you to use a huge scoop of powder for one serving. The result is a sludgy, too-thick-to-get-through-a-straw shake that nobody wants to drink. Conversely, our Whey Protein Isolate contains 0 grams of sugar and only 60 calories, making it the perfect protein supplement to pair with your Pure 21 Wellness Challenge.

Recipes that include Whey Protein Isolate

As the nutrition guide states, Whey Protein Isolate can easily be added to 5-6 oz. of water, almond or coconut milk, or black coffee for a quick boost of protein. Because there are no fillers in our formula, it dissolves easily and does not have the chalky texture that other protein powders might have. However, if that’s not how you like to make it, we have some great recipe ideas to help you incorporate this supplement into daily meals and on-the-go snacks. These recipes are compatible with different weeks of the Pure 21 Wellness Challenge. If you are not sure whether you can eat a certain ingredient, check out the approved foods list.

Whey Protein Isolate Cakes

Ingredients

  • ½ banana, mashed
  • ½ tbsp (7.5 ml) unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate
  • Coconut oil cooking spray
  • ¼ cup (32 g) egg whites
  • Optional: 1 tsp (3 g) cinnamon
  • Optional: ½ cup (64 g) strawberries, sliced

Directions

Mash banana with almond milk and egg whites before stirring in protein. Spray pan with coconut oil cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat before pouring in batter. Make small cakes if it’s your first time! The key to the perfect protein pancake is to cook them low and slow. Wait longer on the first side and look for the edges to brown and the middle to bubble up. With a large spatula, flip your pancake when sides begin to appear firm. Top with strawberries and eat up!

Mean Green Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 apple, chopped
  • 1 medium banana, frozen
  • 1 ½ cups (192 g) cups fresh organic spinach
  • 1 tbsp (15 g) chia seeds
  • ½ medium avocado
  • 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate

Directions

In a blender, add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until ingredients are well combined. If necessary, add in more almond milk to thin the smoothie.

Very Berry Parfait

Ingredients

  • ½ (64 g) cup raspberries
  • ½ cup (64 g) blueberries
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) Greek yogurt
  • 5-7 medium sized ice cubes
  • 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate
  • ½ cup (64 g) grain free, gluten free granola
  • Optional: ¼ cup (32 g) spinach

Directions

In a blender, add in all ingredients and blend on medium speed until ingredients are well combined but mixture is thick. It should be about the consistency of yogurt or a milkshake. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle granola on top, stir to combine, and enjoy!

Optional: sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top before you eat!

We’re proud of our carefully formulated Whey Protein Isolate that’s made from cold-processed, micro-filtered whey. Add this to your day and you’ll be sure to find more nourishment and energy.