What should women look for in a protein powder?

On Ep. 9, Nikkiey explains that a complete protein contains all the essential amino acids your body can't make on its own. That makes the source on the label the first thing to check. Whey and other dairy-based powders are complete, and so are plant-based soy and pea. Rice and hemp powders are low in one or more essential amino acids, so they don't count as complete. She also points out that making a protein powder is a completely different process from how a protein like chicken is created.

If you want a simple default, one WarriorBabe coach puts whey protein isolate on her muscle-building grocery list because it's realistic, not a gimmick. She uses it almost daily. She describes it as a fast-digesting complete protein that's low in carbs and fat, and you can mix it with water or into a shake after a workout. And if your shake has a tiny bit of fat in it, Nikkiey says that's totally fine.

Collagen is where people get confused. Nikkiey calls it an incomplete protein that doesn't break down like chicken, egg whites or Greek yogurt. Her advice on tracking varies a little between episodes. In one live Q&A she says that if you take it daily and track your intake, you need to count it as protein. In another she says she wouldn't count it toward your protein numbers, because some people may not fully digest it. Either way, she tried it for a couple of months, didn't notice anything, and prefers the pill form so it doesn't muddy your tracking.

Finally, the powder is a tool, not the plan. Nikkiey recommends whole foods first and no more than one or two artificial protein sources a day. A protein bar counts toward that limit too.