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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Here's what you need to know before you buy a protein powder

Adding a protein powder to your daily routine is often considered a quick and easy way to up your intake and meet your needs of this essential macronutrient. However, it’s extremely important to be aware of what you’re putting into your body and what ingredients are lurking in the supplement you've been using every day. Here's what you need to know.

Start with checking the ingredient list

Nutritionist Kripa Jalan, suggests having a thorough look at the label. “You’ll probably see some familiar ingredients, such as whey and casein (which are dairy-based proteins that contain all essential amino acids), soy (which contains isoflavones), hemp, rice and pea protein (which are plant-based alternatives). But as you skim through the list, you may also come across stuff that’s essentially manufactured in a lab and doesn’t fall into the real food category. For example, fillers, food thickeners, and artificial sweeteners are some of the most common ingredients you’ll find in a typical protein powder,” she explains. Her recommendation is to pick a product with the fewest ingredients possible and one that is free from artificial flavourings, vegetable oils, thickeners, additives, and fillers.

Unsweetened works best but if you prefer a touch of sweetness, look for one with monk fruit or stevia, she says. When you're specifically looking to build muscle, pros suggest choosing a protein powder with a high biological value (which measures how well the body can absorb and utilise a protein). Find one with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), as they help promote muscle growth , and skip sugars and dextrins/maltodextrins, which are sweeteners made from starch. “Lastly, and most importantly look for products that have been third-party tested, to ensure safety and quality,” she adds

Do you really need protein powder in your diet?

“If you can meet your needs naturally, whether it’s through animal-based sources like eggs, meat, and seafood or from a diverse body of plant-based sources like lentils, beans, and tofu, you might not need to add a protein supplement. That being said, if you struggle to eat balanced meals, need convenient sources, or are looking for highly bioavailable sources of protein, you can consider adding a high-quality powder,” says Jalan.

Protein helps boost metabolism because a lot of energy is spent digesting and metabolising it in the body . It also helps you build muscle, which burns more calories than fat, making it a good addition to your diet when you have specific fitness goals you're trying to reach. “Anyone who is using their muscles for weight lifting or resistance workouts or doing regular moderate to strenuous exercise can benefit from a good quality protein supplement. Sedentary people can avoid and get their protein from their food,” advises integrative nutritionist and health coach Neha Ranglani.

As a thumb rule, experts recommend that post-workout is the best time to consume protein powder, especially in the case of athletes who are looking for speedy recovery. Consuming enough protein after a workout gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. Since you're building new muscle tissue after a strenuous workout, protein helps to serve as a building-block. However, according to Jalan, the amount of protein they consume over the course of the day is far more important than the timing. When quizzed on the best way to integrate it with the diet, Ranglani suggests a protein shake that has whole foods such as fruits, vegetables greens, nuts and seeds. Plus, “some unflavoured plant-based protein powders could be mixed into dals or even soup," says Jalan. It is important to note that some might have digestive issues like bloating or cramps with whey or casein, thanks to their dairy content, in which case plant-based protein might be the best pick.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.

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Labels: casein-dairy based proteins, dals, essential amino acids, help muscle growth, protein powder, use it post-workout, whey

I doubled my protein intake and my skin has never been better by Ms. Hussein

On Instagram, it’s no longer green juice but shaker bottles that clutter vanities. In gyms, women swap recipes for protein mug cakes with the same fervour once reserved for smoothie bowls. Protein is at its pop-culture peak blended into coffees, baked into brownies and dusted over popcorn. It’s slipped out of the bodybuilding aisle and into the realm of beauty content, sitting alongside retionids and LED masks as something you’re expected to have an opinion on.

For most of my life, protein felt like someone else’s obsession—namely, the men at my local gym lugging gallon bottles of water and wearing stringer vests that looked one wrong move away from a nip slip. My own beauty upgrades came in glass bottles with droppers, packaged in colours designed to look good on bathroom shelves. Protein was functional, unglamorous, and—in my mind—entirely about muscle mass, limited to my dinner plate. I couldn't tell you how many grams I had in a day, mostly because I never thought about it.

That changed when I noticed what started as dry spell settling as a permanent fixture over my skin despite my elaborate skincare routine. It wasn’t dryness, exactly in the traditional sense—no flaking, no itch—but an unsettling loss of bounce. My cheeks looked a little deflated, the glow had dulled and even my most forgiving foundation seemed to collect in places it hadn’t before. I chalked it up to stress, late nights or maybe the slow inevitability of age, until a nutritionist friend casually asked how much protein I was getting.

The question felt misplaced. But as dermatologist Dr Aditi Sharma explained later, it was the missing link. “Protein is the raw material your skin needs to make collagen, keratin and elastin. Without enough of it, the skin loses firmness, wounds heal slower and hair can thin. It’s not an instant-glow ingredient, but over time, consistent intake supports resilience and repair.”

Biological process don't care for beauty marketing cycles. Nutritionists point out that amino acids—the building blocks of protein—are needed for the enzymes and hormones that drive skin regeneration. They also help regulate blood sugar, which can indirectly keep inflammatory skin conditions in check. In other words: without enough protein, you’re asking your skin to rebuild itself without bricks.

I didn’t overhaul my diet overnight or start buying powders that I couldn't swallow without triggering my gag reflex. Instead, I began with swaps. Greek yoghurt at breakfast. Chickpeas or paneer folded into salads. Dal paired with quinoa or brown rice instead of white rice alone. A fistful of almonds or roasted edamame between calls. Eggs or grilled fish anchoring dinner. The trick, I learned from nutritionist S Madhu, was spacing protein through the day so my body could actually use it, instead of loading it all into one meal.

Madhu recommends 0.8–1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight for most adults, with slightly more for those who are highly active, recovering from illness or looking to improve skin quality. “Not everyone needs 100 grams of protein a day. It depends on your lifestyle, weight and sometimes even prexisting health conditions.”

I overshot in my first week, fuelled by equal parts enthusiasm and vanity, and paid for it with a sluggish, bloated few days. Protein without enough fiber can slow digestion, and without enough water, the nitrogen by-product of protein metabolism can leave you feeling tired instead of energised.

It's been a few months since I've upped my intake of protein for skin health and the shift isn’t a transformation you’d see on a billboard, but one I see in the mirror. My skin feels steadier—less prone to mid-cycle flare-ups, less reactive after long days in makeup. I still deal with rosacea flare-ups (thermal spring water and azelaic acid help) but my face no longer has that flat, slightly collapsed look by evening. Even my nails, which used to chip if you looked at them too hard, seem to have joined the programme.

Protein for skin isn’t a miracle ingredient; it is a slow, steady investment. Think of it as tending to the scaffolding that holds everything in place. The results—fewer breakouts from blood sugar swings, a stronger skin barrier, a smoother, more even texture—don’t arrive with the thrills and frills of a new serum launch. They arrive with consistent protein intake, then stay for as long as you keep up the habit. And in a beauty world hooked on quick fixes, that might be its most subversive appeal.

Easy ways to add more protein to your day

Upgrade your breakfast: Swap regular curd for Greek yoghurt, choose paneer or eggs alongside toast, or add a scoop of whey or plant protein to a smoothie.

Boost your dal: Pair with quinoa, brown rice or millets instead of white rice to make a complete protein.

Snack with purpose: Keep almonds, pistachios, roasted chickpeas or edamame at your desk. Even a boiled egg with a pinch of salt works in a pinch.

Power up your salads: Add chickpeas, kidney beans, tofu, paneer, grilled chicken or fish to greens so they’re filling enough to last till your next meal.

Sneak it into comfort food: Stir lentils into soups, add cottage cheese to pasta sauce, or blend silken tofu into desserts for creaminess without compromise.

End the day strong: Opt for lean fish like pomfret, rohu, Indian mackerel and surmai, chicken, eggs, or a dal-plus-grain combo at dinner to keep overnight skin repair well-fuelled.