People who have been reading the We R Stupid Blog or have been regular viewers of my YouTube channel will know what’s in store for them. Yet, for the new visitors, you may not get the sugar-coated answer you were looking for.

Let’s dive a little deeper and understand the context of this topic.

Supplements have become an innate part of our busy lifestyle. The word ‘supplement’ itself means, additional to something. When it comes to dietary supplements, it simply means, in addition to your regular diet.

But remember, it’s never instead of it. Supplements are primarily for convenience and to cover up for our lack of knowledge of nutrition. It never replaces food. That’s why stupid meal replacement shakes or weight loss shakes is one of the worst supplements you can get for the family. Check here why:

So, someone thinking of these shakes as a good option for your family, should start looking for better options. Most of these meal replacement shakes are sold by the scam MLM companies. They are full of the most worthless and unproven ingredients.

Indian diet is already a carbohydrate rich diet. You don’t need to supplement it with more carbohydrate in form of shakes. Supplementation is done for the missing ingredient, it is not done to replace one ingredient with another of similar kind. As we discussed above that supplements never replace food.

So, what is mainly missing in the Indian diet acc. to various research studies is proteins. But we are not a protein poor country. It’s our choices that are protein poor .

Though there can be multiple supplements which can benefit the entire family, but when it comes to proteins, the aim is to choose exactly that nutrient, that too in the purest form possible.

But isn’t this the same issue with athletes, or women, kids, elderly, and virtually everyone. Therefore, the best protein supplement will be same, not just for the family, but for every section of the society, including professional athletes.

When it comes to choosing the finest quality protein supplement, we will first use the Protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), & Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS), for assessment of best quality protein supplement.

The highest quality proteins when considered in terms of PDCAAS/DIAAS score are generally animal proteins like milk, whey, casein, eggs, and beef, which have PDCAAS at or very near 1.0. Most plant sources may have insufficient levels of one or more indispensable amino acids, so have a lower PDCAAS/DIAAS score.

However, it has now become much easier for consumers to boost intake of plant proteins via the availability of multiple plant-based protein isolates and concentrates (soy, pea, etc.) in the food industry.

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Therefore, the best quality protein supplement for the entire family and even professional athletes, is the purest form of whey protein. But when it comes to whey, there are hundreds of options available in the market today. This makes it even more confusing for the general population to choose a high quality whey for the family.

To choose the best whey, keep the following options in mind:

• The company should be 100% transparent. You should know the source of protein, and even the quality of milk used. Best would be milk from hormone free cows, which aren’t subjected to any harsh treatment.

• It should various international testing and certifications like dope-free, heavy metal testing, amino acid profile testing etc.

• It should have virtually nothing except the purest whey. The additives should be minimal and all natural.

• It shouldn’t have any artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners etc.

• It should not have any other supplemental additives like creatine, glutamine, BCAA, herbs, vitamins & minerals. Pure Whey is simply pure whey. Everything in whey except whey is a filler.

Therefore, don’t fall victim to this latest scam of women whey, keto whey, anabolic whey etc. who to lure people, add above mentioned fillers and try to market it as a superior protein. It’s not. It’s simply deceptive marketing.

If you want to take vitamin & minerals, take a good multivitamin. Whey is not the source of vitamin & minerals. It is a source of highest quality whey only. Similarly, if you want herbs, buy individual herbs, not whey with added herbs.

The other option except whey, especially if someone in the family is lactose intolerant, or they are vegans; are Plant Proteins. These are milk free proteins made from one or multiple ingredients like pea, soy, brown rice etc. You can buy individual plant proteins, or better would be a blend  of different vegan proteins.

But remember, the above selection points remain as-it-is for the plant protein supplements too. It has to be pure plant protein and nothing else.

Therefore, for the entire family the protein source remains the same, as discussed above. What will vary is the quantity of protein needed, which differs from person to person depending on individual needs. Check this blog for detailed info on this topic: Click here to know more.