Protein Powder, Anyone?

Protein powder: beneficial or scam?

I've been toying with the idea of taking protein powder for a long while. Do I need more protein in my diet? Do I want protein in the form of whey, rice, egg white, casein? Will I compromise putting more chemicals in my body in order to up my protein intake?

A few months ago I came across Mr. Jay Robb's protein propaganda. I was a little put off by the tacky advertising and packaging design. BUT it seemed to be the cleanest (least processed) powder I could find and one serving yields about 25 grams of protein.

So I bought two 1 serving size packets to try it out: one vanilla and one chocolate. The ingredients are: whey, protein isolate, natural flavor, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, (soy) lecithin, and stevia. And that's it. Have you read the ingredient list on some powders? I was more than impressed that this mix only had 7 ingredients. They also boast that their cows are treated right and not given growth hormones (rBGH).

So after my 7 mile hilly run this morning, I dumped a tablespoon (serving size is about 3 tablespoons) of the chocolate powder into my chocolate soymilk. It was deeeeeelicious! Of course, I could eat anything that is chocolate flavored and think it's wonderfully gastronomical.

I guess repetitive use and time will tell if this stuff really does anything for me, but my body seemed to tolerate it alright (if you get my drift).

The only downside to this stuff? It's ridiculously expensive! About $2 per ounce. Is the price worth the peace of mind knowing I'm not putting crazy chemicals into my body? I haven't decided yet, but I'm willing to give it a chance.


Do you have any protein powder suggestions?