LEAN PROTEIN COOKIE

Most of the choice in this aisle comes down to whether you need the lean part at all, so these are the questions our naturopaths ask in store.

A good fit if

• You're eating fewer calories to lose fat and still training. That's exactly what this evidence covers.
• Food alone isn't getting you close to your daily protein total
• You track carbohydrate or fat per serve closely enough that a few grams make a difference
• You'd rather choose on protein per serve than on what the front of the tub promises

Check with us first if

• You take medicine for blood sugar and the blend contains chromium picolinate. Chromium can affect how your body handles insulin, and that combination hasn't been checked for these products yet.
• You take prescription medicine and the blend contains green tea or caffeine. Australia's permitted ingredients list warns that caffeine interacts with the liver enzyme CYP1A2, so count what your coffee adds too.
• You have kidney problems. The reassuring evidence only covers healthy adults, so your protein intake is one to discuss with your doctor.
• Lactose doesn't agree with you. Whey protein taken by mouth has to contain lactose, and a plant-based blend avoids that.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.

• Whey protein isolate base. Best known for: The usual lean base: filtering lifts protein per gram and strips most of the lactose, fat and carbohydrate out. Absorption: Sold as a fast protein, though no digestion-kinetics citation sits behind this entry. Typical use: Everyday use in a deficit. The evidence rests on total protein, not the grade you reach it with.
• Whey protein concentrate base. Best known for: Less protein per gram, and it keeps more of the lactose and fat a lean profile cuts. Absorption: Same evidence applies, because it applies to protein content, not filtration grade. Typical use: The cheaper option per gram. Fine for hitting a daily total, less so on a strict low-carb plan.
• Casein base. Best known for: A slow dairy protein, normally sold for overnight use rather than for fat loss. Absorption: Slow digestion is well described for casein, but no citation for it sits here. Typical use: A night-time serve. Nothing here tests casein against whey for body composition.
• Plant base (pea, soy or rice, usually blended). Best known for: The dairy-free route, and typically low in fat without anything being filtered out. Absorption: Not measured here. Protein quality varies by source, which is why most plant tubs blend two. Typical use: Anyone avoiding dairy. Check the allergen statement, because soy is declarable and blends get reformulated.
• Fat-metaboliser blend (protein plus chromium, carnitine, CLA or green tea extract). Best known for: A protein base with extras added and marketed for fat metabolism or appetite. Absorption: Beside the point, because no verified trial behind this entry tests any of those extras. Typical use: Judge it on the protein. If the tub carries green tea or caffeine, your daily caffeine total is what matters.

Reference values. We're not giving one here. We didn't find the NHMRC protein reference value in the research for this page, and we'd rather give no number than one we can't link to. What you need depends on your weight, your age and how hard you're training and cutting.

Typical supplemental range. Four trials give the ranges, and they're daily totals from all food rather than scoop sizes. In a big calorie deficit with six training sessions a week, 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight beat 1.2 grams over four weeks. Across 49 training trials combined, gains stopped increasing at about 1.6 grams per kilogram. Lean athletes cutting hard may need more, around 2.3 to 3.1 grams per kilogram of fat-free mass, while weight loss diets in general are quoted at 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram.

Upper level. The evidence behind this page doesn't establish an upper limit for total protein in your diet. The two caps that do apply are on the extras, and they're set out in the Australian rules section on this page.

Worth knowing. A powder tops up your day's protein. It doesn't replace the meals or the training that give your body a reason to use it. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding, on any blend with green tea extract or caffeine. More than 200 mg of caffeine a day is not recommended.
• Green tea extract at dose. A rare liver-harm warning is required, with yellowing skin or eyes, dark urine, unusual fatigue, nausea, appetite loss, abdominal pain or itching as the signs to stop on.
• Medicines metabolised by CYP1A2, on caffeinated blends. A health professional check is required wording above 80 mg of caffeine a day.
• Glucose-lowering medication with a chromium picolinate blend. Flagged for checking rather than settled.
• Chromium picolinate. No more than 50 micrograms of organic chromium a day in a listed medicine.
• Lactose intolerance. Whey protein must contain lactose when taken by mouth; a plant base avoids it.
• Existing kidney disease. The pooled no-harm evidence covers healthy adults only.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.