If you've ever searched for whey protein isolate online, you've likely read a post or watched a TikTok extolling the virtues of whey isolate with an honorable mention of whey protein concentrate.
Before giving you the other side of the story, let's discuss why whey protein isolate is touted as the better whey.
Whey Protein Isolate
The two stand out features of whey protein isolate is that it contains less lactose and more protein.
This sounds great, right?
And if you're committed to only using cow whey then you may very well need the isolate version if you're lactose intolerant.
However, there's another option or another whey.
And that is goat whey.
Goat whey is easy-to-digest, hypoallergenic, has the highest concentration of branched-chain amino acid (BCAAs) found any natural food source, contains naturally occurring immunoglobulins and growth factors.
Whey Protein Concentrate
- Whey concentrate tastes better because it contains more lactose
- Although whey concentrate contains more lactose because it's goat whey it's going to be easy-to-digest and less allergenic than cow whey.
- Whey concentrate generally has 70-80% protein vs whey protein isolate which is around 90%, this can sound like a bad thing but whey concentrate is more nutrient dense. It contains whey in its natural profile, not an overly processed version.
- Whey concentrate is slower to digest and thus keeps you fuller longer.
Cow whey is acidic and requires minerals such as magnesium and calcium to alkalinize it whereas goat whey is less acidic and some say even alkalinizing, this means it requires little if any minerals to balance the PH of the blood.
In fact, goat milk contains the alkalinizing amino acid, L-glutamine and in the highest amounts of any dairy product.
Here are the questions I would ask before taking a protein supplement
1. Is it a complete protein?
Does it have all of the amino acids in a significant amount to supply the resources necessary to build and repair tissues as well as the enzymes and neurotransmitters?
2. How is it processed and handled?
Has it been heated? Has it been dried? Has this changed the protein structure? For example, Goat Whey protein concentrate contains lactoferrin immunoglobulins which benefit the immune system and support an anti-inflammatory process, as well as feed good beneficial flora digestion tracts. This would not be the case if it was heated at a high heat or if was processed with harsh chemicals.
3. Is it a low allergy food?
I don't want to increase allergenicity with my supplemental protein intake, there's plenty of allergenicity out there. I don't need any more, so this is one of the big differences between cow whey and goat whey, even though we call both proteins whey, they are slightly different structurally.
They also interact slightly different with the human body, making goat whey a very low allergen food and cow whey a very high potential allergen food in comparison.
4. Does it support blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity?
Does it support improved cholesterol profiles? Current scientific literature indicates that whey protein consumption benefits the cardiovascular system.
5. Am I actually getting healthier by consuming the supplemental protein if the protein is simply a macronutrient, like an isolated protein?
You want to utilize a protein that's going to support the entirety of your being and is complete in this nature.
Before dismissing goat whey, we dare you to try it.
EF Goat Whey contains three ingredients: grass-fed goat whey concentrate, chocolate or vanilla flavor and stevia. It took several iterations to get the flavor profile right but we think that once you taste it and experience the benefits, you won't want to go back to the other whey.
For more on why Goat Whey is easier to digest and absorb than cow whey, check out this post.
Have you tried Goat Whey? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.