Interesting question, I have not seen much research on how pasturing cows affects the quality and makeup of the protein it produces.

As whey protein powder is 'stripped' of many of the things usually mentioned as superior in grassfed (CLA, LCPUFA, vitamins & minerals) I am inclined to believe that there is not as significant as a difference as eating grassfed vs factory beef.

I have had good success not using protein shakes, but I still like to take ~10 grams BCAA preworkout. I find it pretty easy to cook up some ground buffalo and complex carbs post workout and wolf it down within 20 minutes.

Mark says it is not worth the extra money to buy grass-fed whey. I drink whey protein smoothies once in a while. I use Now Foods 100% Protein Isolate... it works for me.

Let's see....I'm pretty sure we want grass-fed for vitamins & better fatty acid profile - none of which would be in a whey protein isolate. Am I missing something? This strikes me as a total waste.

What's in the ingredient "natural French vanilla flavor?" If it was extract, they should write "extract." In fact, legally, "natural flavor" can contain MSG among other things that are probably not healthy. I have never heard of "Stevia Suave" either. Of course, I know what Stevia is, but what is up with "Suave?" Might be no big deal but I have become uber suspicious of anything weird looking on ingredient lists because the labeling laws are so flimsy and weak. -Eva

As far as I know, Mercola gets his whey from Defense Nutrition (Ori Hofmekler's company, the Warrior Diet guy ;)). I've tried Ori's plain whey and also the vanilla flavour, which I didn't like too much (chemical aftertaste, guess it's that luohan fruit sweetener). The plain whey is awesome and great quality, it's about the only powder I'd use. Btw, I stopped using protein supps some time ago and didn't notice any differnce at all... ;)

Hey guys, I've done a lot of research on this, and you're all mostly right. except..grass fed does matter if the product includes a concentrate plus pure whey itself (not concentrate or isolte) for mineralization and a more natural nutrient profile such as CLA. I use Action Whey. It's all of this plus it includes real Coconut Oil. It's also 100% whey in its protein content. The other guys use cheapo milk powder and caseinates to "dope" the protein content. Great posts!

http://www.iherb.com/MRM-100-All-Natural-Whey-Dutch-Chocolate-1-01-lbs-458-54-g/22689?at=0

I use the above natural one from MRM. Actually, I haven't used it much at all since Robb Wolf doesn't like them for leaning out, which I desperately need. But this one seems pretty clean and the chocolate and vanilla ones are pretty good with coconut milk.

Grass-fed vs Grain-fed DOES matter when looking at a whey protein, and so does Isolate vs Concentrate. The majority of products on the market today are isolates (product of cheese manufacture, proteins are denatured "dead", acid used, etc.) I use "Vital Whey" from Well Wisdom and love it! It's a whey protein concentrate from cows that are pasture fed year round (the CLA content is 5X's that of grain fed), disease-free, pesticide-free, chemical-free, hormone treatment-free and GMO-free! There are no artificial ingredients, they even have Vital Whey Natural now that is ONLY whey protein concentrate, that's it!
Great products for anyone concerned with only putting the best in their bodies! Ok, there's my two cents!

Most whey proteins contain unnecessary gums which in my experience cause digestive issues. Whey is a dried product as well and very prone to oxidation, so unless your buying isolate your getting a significant amount of oxidized cholesterol and possibly other oxidized products.

If you can get additive free whey isolate that would be relatively safe, although most whey protien also contains a decent amount of heavy metals. Tbh though whey protien is never necessary and the negatives outweigh the positives and casein is more anabolic so cheese would be a better much safer option. If you can tolerate milk that is bar none the best option imo.

I get Source Naturals' "True Whey" because it is soy-free and I am allergic to soy. It is also grass-fed, and cheaper than the one in the question here.

Anyone know how good Primal Fuel is? Robb Wolfe Mentioned this on one of his podcasts.

It looks like none of you ever answered the question, so I thought I'd share: http://gregarnoldblog.com/all-protein-supplements-are-not-created-equal. (Not my blog, but this article has the most concise answer.)

I found this article on whey after my own research about the stuff.

http://www.jacn.org/content/26/6/713S.long

I didn't actually realize how many proteins were packed into whey. I haven't been able to find evidence that grass fed v. grain fed cows would impact the profile of proteins per se. But, since we have evidence that grass feeding improves quality of fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants in beef, it's not too far of a leap to assume that the proteins and various growth factors in whey would also stand to benefit. That could be accomplished either in a change in the amino acid profile of the protein or increasing certain beneficial proteins in whey. Would love to find some studies if anyone has them.

Has anybody made a decent protein bar with whey yet?

This product is a fully nutrition with good energy.

Protein isolates are processed with acids so I would recommend staying away from them. eWhey seems to be a "Paleo-friendly" option. It's organic whey, sweetened with coconut sugar and stevia, is a concentrate and contains MCTs, probiotics and digestive enzymes to increase absorption. http://www.evolvedns.com/product/ewhey/

http://www.180nutrition.com.au/

this stuff is fantastic, all natural ingredients and the guys write a good blog too! they're releasing a bar as well.

This seems to be a legit product, considering that most whey protein products are made from byproducts of producing cheese (that's where the low quality whey comes from). So to get high quality whey protein (ie. grass fed whey), you need stuff like this one. You could also check out Well Wisdom, they have a cheaper, similar quality grass fed whey in some pretty cool tastes! Well Wisdom Grass Fed Whey Protein

There's a much simpler reason to choose grassfed. It contributes to farmers who raise their animals the right way, and we want those people to thrive, so that we change the entire way we grow and raise our food.

I've been doing research on the difference of the two types of whey either grass fed or not and I have still found no "legitimate" reason other than for marketing purposes to prove it's actually beneficial to use grass fed whey.

Most grass fed whey protein's I've noticed are blends, you can identify this by looking at the ingrediants and determining the different types of proteins being used, typically some type of milk or casien isolate, which can be more anabolic, however are not easily digested. Blends usually consist of a pretty descent or great protein, however have one or several inferior proteins as well, which they don't advertise in the main labeling. When purchasing a protein you should always look at the ingredients and identify what proteins are listed, the highest profile one should be listed first if it's a blend. For instance if you purchase a protein blend and the ingredients list in this order: (calcium and sodium caseinate, milke protein isolate, whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, whey peptides) your getting more of the inferior protein's as the more effective proteins are listed towards the end.

In my own opinion I prefer to use whey hydrolysate which is a ultra filtered whey protein and digests rather quickly and easily making it easy to absorb into the muscles quicker. There are several brands that make whey hydrolysate and it can be purchases from $50 - $70 a unit which typically has 60-81 servings at anywhere from 24-27 grams of protein per serving which is far more effective from a cost benefit standpoint as a consumer compared to your average "grass fed whey" protein which is usually 30 servings of 16 -20 grams of protein at $55. The proteins usually only have one protein ingredient: whey hydrolysate uusally listed as the following: 100% hydrolyzed whey protein isolate.

I've worked out all my life and have been involved in nutrition since I was a kid. I'm an avid Crossfitter and the community loves to promote grass fed everything, but it doesn't mean you have to use it. Companies and enterprises are always looking for ways to create a buzz with a product and make claims that it's more effective for you when in reality it's probably not. Always keep in mind in the nutrition industry nothing is FDA approved which means you need to do your own research, by doing this you will find products that work best for you as a person or athlete.

Hope this helps, again this is just my opinion. I always like to reference this silly quote, but in this case you have to consider it when purchasing products you may be unsure of.... "Don't drink the Kool-Aid"

I've heard people tout the Bulletproof Exec products, so I'm wondering if his whey protein is as good as they say. It has MCT oil in it and uses sunflower lecithin as opposed to soy lecithin. http://www.bulletproofexec.com/upgraded-whey/

Also, I've heard many people say that One World Whey is the best cause of the non-denaturing of the product, which increases the quality of the amino acid profile. http://www.sgn80.com/one-world-whey

Both of these products contain whey protein concentrate. Dr. Mercola has a good breakdown of whey protein. http://proteinpowder.mercola.com/pure-protein.html

What a bunch of bunk. Anyone who does not thing grass fed is better for your body, AND the world we live in, is either deaf, dumb or blind. Why on earth would anyone want something that is not natural?