The 5 Best Casein Protein Powders, According to a Dietitian

If you’re a fitness enthusiast, then you probably know the importance of supplementation. Supplements are not necessarily required for results but to boost the process.

Intuitive nutrition and an effective training plan are core pillars of a smart routine but using casein protein can unlock a new level of potentiality and health.

What Is Casein Protein?

Casein is a milk-derived, slow-digesting protein often taken as a supplement. In most cases, people take it before bed to reduce muscle breakdown and speed recovery. Therefore, it’s commonly known as a recover protein rather than a pre-workout supplement. 

Casein is a great way to add the required protein content to your diet. The convenient protein is easy to mix with liquid for a high-quality protein beverage. It feeds your body with amino acid necessary to build muscles. It is also slow to digest, which makes it ideal for reducing appetite.

 Forms of Casein

Casein can be consumed in two forms:

• Casein Hydrolysate – The protein is broken down for easy absorption and digestion.

• Micellar Casein – This form of casein groups together into small balls known as micelles to allow it to clot in the stomach. It slows the absorption process, giving you a satiety feeling. As a result, it helps you curb your cravings and hunger pangs.

 Benefits of Casein Protein

Apart from containing essential amino acid, casein protein offers other benefits such as:

Aids in Muscle Building

Casein protein delivers a steady and sustained flow of amino acids. While sleeping, the body releases human growth hormone capable of building lean muscle mass. However, the process requires protein for synthesis. Therefore, taking your casein protein powder before bed will support this mechanism.

Promotes Faster Recovery

Hitting the gym doesn’t mean you’ll get stronger and grow muscles instantly. You need to be persistent and with proper nutrition.

Supplementation can help in muscle growth, repair, and maintenance, and casein protein is crucial in this process. Typically, the muscle fibers get damaged after a workout, and your body utilizes amino acids and protein to build and repair the muscles.

Casein supplies your body with a protein source over a couple of hours after a workout, ensuring your body is protein-positive.

Improves Fat Loss

One of the major benefits of working out is losing fat. Some studies indicate that casein protein might promote fat loss. Consuming more protein can be beneficial for dropping stubborn pounds due to controlled calorie intake.

What to Consider When Choosing Casein Protein Powder

The market is saturated with hundreds, if not thousands, of casein protein powders. This makes it hard to pick the right product for you.

However, with the right information, picking the right casein protein powder can be hassle-free.

So, what should you consider?

How much casein protein do you need?

It helps to understand why you need protein in the first place. Not getting enough casein protein can lead to loss of muscle mass, damaged muscles, mood swings, and weak bones.

If you’re a fitness enthusiast, more so in strength training, then you need to have a steady supply of casein protein powder.

Efficiency in nutrient supply

If nutritional efficiency is your aim, the casein protein powder is the ideal choice. Casein forms a gel or clot in the stomach to provide a slow but steady release of amino acids into your bloodstream for hours.

Fat and Sugar Content

Check the sugar and fat content before purchasing casein protein powder. It’s recommended to choose a product with a low-fat level and no artificial sweeteners as they may halt fitness goals. This is beneficial if you want to lose weight.

Flavor Range

Although you may want a steady supply of protein, ensure it’s palatable. Play with an array of flavors until you find what your taste buds love.

Ingredients

If you’re gluten-intolerant or have a Celiac disease, then keep off casein powders with gluten. The same goes for artificial sweeteners and soy.

Now, let’s take a look at the best casein protein powders on the market.

The Best Casein Protein Powders

1. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Slow-Digesting 100% Micellar Casein Powder

 Key Features:

• Made exclusively with Micellar casein
• Chocolate supreme flavor
• 1818 grams
• 9+ g of essential amino acids
• 24g of slow-digesting protein
• To be used before bed or between meals

Optimum Nutrition boasts of over 30 years of experience. You can expect nothing but high-quality products from the company, and ON’s Gold Standard Casein is no exception.

After training vigorously, you want an easily digestible protein shake to kickstart your recovery process. Unfortunately, the process might take several hours to complete.

In this case, supplementing your diet with a slow-digesting Gold Standard 100% Casein can speed up the recovery process. Each shake is formulated to mix up quickly in a shaker cup. The taste is consistently good for better consumption.

It’s 100% micellar, and every 34 grams serves you 24g protein, 3g carbs, 1g sugar, and 1g fat. The content helps in keeping away unwanted fat for a lean body.

Beyond the basic amino acids, you’ll get 5g of glutamine and 5g of BCAAS, which are crucial for muscle recovery and development. The ultra-filtered casein makes sure protein reaches the target muscle groups while at rest.

Slow absorption and digestion are beneficial, especially when your body goes for long without food. So, if you’re doing intermittent fasting, ON’s Gold Standard Casein can be an ultimate choice.

The product is available in two sizes- 4 and 2 lb tubs to choose what suits your need. More so, it’s formulated with several ingredients to boost your endurance and strength during workout routines.

Pros

• Contains no artificial sweeteners or colors
• Great chocolate supreme flavor
• It’s 100% micellar casein powder
• Available in two sizes- 4 and 2 pounds
• Ideal for weight loss

Cons

• It might not be ideal for people with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivities.
• Requires vigorous shaking for it to blend well

2. Nutricost Casein Protein Powder 5lb – Micellar Casein

Key Features:

• Unflavored casein protein powder
• 5 pounds
• Gluten free and non-GMO
• 24g of protein per serving
• Available in three colors

Nutricost Casein Protein powder is a great alternative for people looking for lower calorie workout supplements. The product provides your bloodstream with a steady and slow flow of amino acids that may last for hours.

A glass of Nutricost Casein Protein is ideal right before bed. If you’re performing heavy and rigorous resistance training, casein will significantly yield great results.

The combination of glutamine supplement and BCAAs can result in increased fat-free, lean mass. Since Nutricost is a 100% chocolate-flavored micellar casein, be sure you’ll enjoy taking it.

Gluten intolerance may lead to severe damage to the digestive system and compromise your performance during a workout. Fortunately, Nutricost is a gluten-free protein powder that is suitable for everyone. The non-GMO casein protein is manufactured in a GMP compliant and adheres to FDA regulations.

For every scoop, you get 24g of protein, ideal for muscle recovery. You can use milk, cold water, or your favorite drink to blend.

Pros

• Quite affordable
• Suitable for people with gluten intolerance
• Decent taste
• Zero carb casein protein ideal for weight loss
• The powder mixes well with milk or water

Cons

• A few complaints about the chalky, gritty texture

3. SynergyXP Premium Casein Protein Blend

Key Features:

• Chocolate flavor
• 2 pounds
• Non-GMO
• No artificial flavors
• 30g of protein per scoop

SynergyXP is a premium casein protein ideal for athletic recovery. The formula has been engineered to be effective for all athletes. It is formulated with sustained-release protein to supply your muscles with the building blocks needed for recovery and growth.

This casein product delivers 30g of slow-digesting casein, which feeds the muscles with an adequate supply of BCAAs. A couple of shakes a day will add a maximum of 100g of high-quality protein to your diet. This provides a sustained array of amino acids to build lean muscles and support strength gains.

SynergyXP protein is a strong blend of micellar casein and whey isolate. This combination fuels your metabolism with the most effective performance- and physique-enhancing nutrition. It has a natural taste and produces a creamy, smooth shake with minimal blending or shaking.

Whether you’re replacing a couple of meals a day or on a low-calorie diet, SynergyXP advanced protein blend will preserve your lean muscle while supporting your weight loss journey. It produces a feeling of satiety to control your appetite.

SynergyXP’s micellar casein is instantized and micro-filtered, with a smooth and pure texture to produce a better mouthfeel. It’s absorbed slowly for superior nitrogen retention. The whey protein isolate is also micro-filtered to eliminate fat and lactose for easy mixing.

Pros

• Ideal for building lean muscle and strength
• Enhances performance
• Speeds up muscle recovery
• Easy to blend
• High concentration of BCAAs for maximum performance

Cons

• Comes in a small package, meaning you have to buy more packets for desired results

4. XPI Myotein Casein Protein Powder

Key Features:

• 2 pounds
• Gluten-free
• Vanilla and French vanilla flavors
• Non-GMO
• 24g of protein per serving

XPI Myotein Casein Protein Powder fuels your fitness journey with the right content of protein in your diet. This micellar casein protein digests slowly and should be taken at night before bed. Nighttime is a crucial moment for lean muscle growth and recovery, and XPI casein can help feed your body at this anabolic window.

The sustained release of amino acids from the product can boost post-workout recovery. Each serving contains 24g of protein, 0g of fats, and 2g of carbs. It’s available in two sizes- 2 and 5 pounds.

XPI Myotein Casein protein powder is non-GMO and gluten-free, suitable for people with gluten intolerance. It gives you the feeling of satiety, which helps you control your cravings and curb the appetite.

With 0g of fats and 2g of carbs per serving, the protein powder is the ultimate choice for individuals who wants to lose fats while maintaining lean muscles.

The casein powder is a high-grade cold-pressed protein. It’s non-GMO, low cholesterol, low fat, and contains no added sugar or unnecessary additives. The vanilla flavor makes it palatable even without adding any sweetener.

Pros

• Gluten-free for individuals with gluten sensitivities
• Low on fat and cholesterol for fat loss
• Tasty and flavorful
• Easy to blend with your favorite beverage
• Quality ingredients

Cons

• It contains some artificial sweeteners
• Quite expensive

5. 100% Casein Complex – 2 lbs – Belgium Chocolate

Key Features:

• 100% casein
• 920g
• Feed muscles for up 7 hours
• An equal blend of micellar casein and whey isolate
• Soy and gluten-free

Casein Complex is formulated to provide you with the ultimate combination of whey isolate and casein to support muscle growth and recovery. The blend maximizes muscle protein synthesis in your body.

Mixing one serving thoroughly into 10 ounces of water or your favorite beverage will serve you the right amount of protein per day. But you can use milk or milk substitute for a better, greater taste.

The powder is optimized to be pure and fresh. There are no added sweeteners or added sugar in this product. It’s a slow-digesting protein powder for better recovery. You can use it to make a casein beverage before bed to get a sustained release of BCAAs while you sleep.

Pros

• Promotes maximum recovery and clean muscle gains
• Gluten-free
• Extra Taurine and L-Glutamine
• Contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass
• Helps in maintaining bone health

Cons

• Does not have a smooth texture
• Some people find its taste too artificial

 Conclusion

The best casein protein powder will boost your performance by facilitating quick muscle recovery. As mentioned above, it’s best to take your shake before bed for excellent results. However, take it in moderation and be careful about the ingredients used.

It’s prudent to seek advice from your healthcare provider before using any casein protein supplement. We hope this article will make your search for casein protein powder a seamless process.