I enjoy IF. I practice it often. I also enjoy a protein drink occasionally. I use an egg white protein powder, as I can't use whey. I don't drink it every day, but there are days when I want to drink a shake instead of eat a meal. I use Jay Robb's egg white protein, throw in a raw pastured egg yolk, and about 5oz of full-fat organic coconut milk. I don't consider it Paleo - I consider it easy/quick protein/fat ingestion for the crazy/busy days. I don't apologize for it. I don't live in Paleo times. I am not perfect in my eating plan, and neither is my life/schedule. That's my reality.

I feel your pain Ryan. This is a tough one for paleo people

Protein from "beef" often just means "cow"--i.e. not necessarily meat. A lot of cheap protein bars use the collagen from hooves for their protein (seriously). The product you linked says it is made from "beef plasma"--I don't even know what that means. Plus, these are going to the most inexpensive cows they can find, i.e. industrial cattle farms.

The egg albumen protein has the same problem (not come from pastured hens, obviously). But all things being equal I'd rather go with cheap eggs than cow hooves, so I use egg white protein.

That product says it contains hydrolyzed beef plasma. I Googled that and came up with this: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_Flavorings/index.asp

Are MSG and hydrolyzed protein related? Yes. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually all food and, in abundance, in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish. Hydrolyzed proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient.

I don't think that sounds good enough to eat.

@HealthRediscovery (my GF cleared my cookies so I cant reply to your question), why would you not recommend egg protein powder but youll recommend potatoes? Also why just the egg yolk not the whole egg? These options sound less Paleo than egg protein powder.

@Glenn, thanks I may order some of the egg protein powder and see how it goes. I think I may have a milk allergy like you do so it doesnt matter if something is lactose free, its still a derivative of milk.

@AnnaA, interesting info. Thanks!

@Mikael, I appreciate the suggestion but Im going to try and stay away from dairy derived products for now. Im not totally sold on BCAAs. Theres a thread on Sherdog.com (MMA website) that calls their worth into serious question.

None of them.

Whey is the best source of BCAA (you can also get pure BCAA/EAA), and has proven beneficial for the immune system. You want protein supplements to aid in muscle protein synthesis (= build muscle), and the faster the protein is digested, the better effect it has on muscle gains. You don't use protein powders as meals -- eat your food, don't drink it!

Moreover: eggs and beef, as powder? I hope no chefs heard that...

I would generally categorize protein powders as non-paleo junk foods because they are processed in a way that removes their nutrients.

Try throwing raw egg yolk in your shake. Try putting beef in there. Try making scrambled egg yolks, or scrambled duck eggs (big yolk). Add salt and any other spice you like. Try cooking with coconut oil or bacon grease, etc. Other paleo sources of large calories are nuts and potatoes, which may suit you depending on your goals.

Think about reducing your protein intake or holding off to another meal.

I switched from whey to egg white powder when I transitioned to a strictly paleo diet and I have to say, it tastes horrible. If you couldn't stomach eggs and beef in the morning then this stuff is not going to sit well in your stomach either.

I am going to switch over to eggology liquid eggs once my powder is done, and if you haven't heard of them you can find info at: www.eggology.com . Some bodybuilders swear by their liquid egg whites, and they recently released liquid yolks and liquid whole egg products as well.

egg protein powder is supposed to be a post-workout recovery drink to help you grow muscle, not a meal replacement. eat some food! if you need variety, there's all kinds of fish, turkey, chicken, pork, organ meats (liver, heart, bone marrow)--eggs and ground beef sounds like a disgusting mix, unless you put some onions and peppers and mushrooms.

i love grilled salmon in the morning, with a slice of watermelon, and a salad of grated beets, carrots, celery, lime... other days it's ground white turkey meat. sometimes i'll grill some burgers. eggs only 6 per week.

if you feel sick maybe try eating some fruit first. paleo is not atkins.

I've tried the powdered eggs. NO BUENO!!! I got major headaches which put the nail in the coffin of an already disgusting food ritual. The powders, I later found out, have much too much phosphate (or something of the sort) in order to keep the powder from turning into a block. And the smell! No good. This was a mistake. Looking at liquid eggs now.

Olympian Labs sells a beef isolate that works well and tastes fine. (actually tastes pretty good blended with some hazelnut milk or iced coffee) For post workout it works well. I usually fortify my shakes with extra bcaa and glutamine to enhance muscular absorbtion. There are egg white proteins that taste ok too, but if you can make the shake at home just use raw egg whites and keep the yolks for the rare yummy custard treat.