Maltodextrin in protein powder

#1

Hey everyone. I am desperately trying to gain muscle mass on a keto diet (I also do intermittent fasting) and have been looking into protein shakes to aid growth. The problem is finding one at a reasonable price that isn’t full of sugar! I do have one in mind, it is by Precision Engineered and is made from milk and egg protein. It is no sugar and has just 0.7 grams of carbs per serving. My problem is that on closer look of the ingredients it contains Maltodextrin which I understand is not keto friendly and spikes insulin. It also contains sucralose. Just wondered what people’s thoughts are on these sweeteners and whether or not one serving will affect Ketosis as it is probably quite a small amount of Maltodextrin per serving?
Thanks

(Polly) #2

My instinct is to just eat real food. If you need more protein for muscle building how about eating more meat and fish? It does not need to be the expensive cuts.

#3

Go with any good brand and don’t obsess over a couple grams here and there. If you’re trying to gain muscle I would honestly dump the fasting and start eating. I cycle through a couple different brands. Right now using MTS Machine Whey, I also like Pro Jym and Levels. Make sure you’re getting enough protein in daily if you want to build muscle. I moved forward and back for years trying to put muscle on being keto and it wasn’t until I stopped being afraid of my protein intake and some carbs in my protein that I started noticing results.

#4

Thank you… I try to eat plenty of fish as I don’t eat other meats and have also tried to incorporate more eggs and dairy into my diet… I just feel I need some extra protein to help build the muscle. I think you are right though, I should probably just try to eat more but my appetite is quite small and I tend to get full quickly. I guess there is no quick fix to this lol

#5

Wow thanks, so it is definitely possible on keto? I try to be so strict on my carb intake and the research I’ve looked into is so conflicting. Some say you can absolutely build muscle on a fast, others say you should be eating more calories than you burn to gain muscle… I find that a frightening thought though! Can I ask what your rough daily fat intake is? Is it still higher than your protein intake? I’m really struggling at the moment to get my head around the whole ‘macros’ thing!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

Agree with @lfod14. Don’t sweat small amounts of carbs and maltodextrin. Just keep track by weighing how much you’re consuming to make sure you don’t inadvertantly put yourself over your carb limit. Generally speaking non-flavoured versions of whey and casein powders contain the least carbs and some contain none. Egg white powder would be ideal if you can get it. Tuna is an excellent source of protein. Also unflavoured gelatin and/or hydrolyzed collagen powder.

Finally, I’d drop commercial protein shakes and make your own from whey/casein, egg white powder and/or gelatin and collagen using whipping cream. You can mix to any consistency you like, from ‘cookie batter’ to ‘pudding’ to ‘smoothy’ by just adding more water.

#7

I’ve heard people talk about gaining on a fast as well, never once seen it though! My fat intake fluctuates a lot depending on whether I’m on more of a PSMF day or not, but my protein is almost always higher than my fat. I don’t intentionally add fat to things, I don’t shy away from it and I make sure I get enough in to power me and for hormonal support but that’s it. I aim for around 175-200g protein a day. I’ve had much better gains since bringing it up and not making add more fat the answer to everything. People who do keto for weight loss, muscle gain, and medical issues all do it a little different. On your macros, may want to check out this calc and see if it lands somewhere around what you’re thinking for yourself. It’s a pretty descent one.

https://www.ketogains.com/calculator/#body-composition

#8

I would just eat normal food but I tend to overdo protein, how do you keep it low? If you eat little, it’s not good for muscle gain either. Normally we need a calorie surplus for that but it’s not always required, it isn’t that simple. It’s quite known and logical beginners have it but I’ve heard about other cases, just vaguely heard, though.
If I would need protein powder, I would buy some unflavored, unsweetened one as I hate most sweeteners. I know nothing about maltodextrin but I definitely not want that. I’ve just tried sucralose, it’s awful, all overly sweet sweetener is like that to my tastebuds nut these things are very individual. I would find it odd to eat sweetener without a desire for sweets just to get my protein though I did that a lot in my life but starting to eat meat solved that problem.
It’s good we have various options and I have nothing against good quality protein powders, use them if you like, sure. But if you have problems with ingredients and there is a problem, why not to solve it with some tasty, proper food? It’s just logical to me. Unless you can’t eat them but gladly consume protein powder. Just like me when I heavily depended on my sweets to get my nutrients including protein in my past. It worked and I liked sweets anyway. Now I prefer some meat with my eggs. Perfect.

#9

Cool, thanks! I didn’t know you could make your own I’ll definitely look into that, thanks!

#10

To be honest I struggle to agree with some of the science behind fasting and muscle gain. I’ve also a read that women shouldn’t fast as long as men do but I still do 18 hours most days which is probably doing me more harm than good! Thank you for the link, I will be upping my protein and hopefully start seeing some results in the near future :blush:

(Cristian Lopez) #11

I know everyone is different, but I have had amazing results being a 17 year old who has built a lot of lean mass fasting 18 hours a day (TMAD) Although I am more paleo oriented now meaning I only eat meat, veg, fruits, and nuts (no dairy soy grains etc)