Ideally, we would eat a whole, raw food diet for each and every meal. Whole food nutrition is always best, but for a busy lifestyle, it is not always practical. For my family, protein shakes are the “easy button” that allows us to make a fast, healthy choice in our rushed mornings.
Today, I decided to compare my morning Essential vegan protein shake made with pea/brown rice/cranberry protein to whey based Miracle Whey. Should I consider switching brands? Afterall, both contain 100% of the essential amino acids, and Dr. Mercola, whom I respect, is an advocate for Miracle Whey.
I listened to his video, and definitely agree with him that whey protein isolates have detrimental, long term effects – the processing of these proteins, done with acids, makes them “putrid” as described by Mercola. It is a very acidic product. His product, like the brand I use, is cold processed, and maintains the integrity of the original whole food sources.
An obvious difference between the two is the type of proteins, one being lactose based and the other vegan. People have told me they have a bloated feeling with whey protein, including a top brand called Dream protein. For many, dairy and lactose based products are difficult to digest.
Personally – my husband and I both find our joints are less noisy when we avoid dairy. Many people do not realize that having a food allergy and food sensitivity are different, yet both affect the body. An allergy, as you might expect, causes one to have a very apparent adverse reaction. A food sensitivity, on the other hand, may cause minor symptoms that a person may not even realize, or attribute, to a type of food. That is, unless they eliminate the food for several weeks, ideally a month, and note the improvement and recurrence as soon as the food is reintroduced to the diet.
For my husband and myself – our joints, the ol’ knees in particular, become much more noisy when we consume dairy. Dairy products, in general, are inflammatory. Since eliminating dairy milk from my meals I no longer have acid reflux, which was pretty bad during the night.
As I understand it, Miracle Whey is made from whey derived from grass-fed cows, and I believe this then would be anti-inflammatory as the whey contains CLA, which is a healthy fat. Therefore, I cannot choose between the two based on inflammatory properties, as I believe both protein powders have anti-inflammatory properties. I'm not a scientist, so don't quote me on that...
Regarding purity, both are free of trace metals and other harmful ingredients. Trace metals, which build up in the body and contribute to a toxic inner-body environment, are found in many brands found in chain nutrition stores, and off your grocery or drug store shelves.
On a pH scale I would believe Miracle Whey to be further down the acidic side of the scale than a vegan protein – I would actually have to obtain a Miracle Whey sample and test it with one of my pH strips to compare. Because my eating lifestyle is cancer preventative focused – my goal is to eat as much on the alkaline side as possible in hopes of achieving a neutral body pH. This is speculation on my part, so I may actually have to spend some money on obtaining Miracle Whey in order to place a pH strip in it.
I printed out the Miracle Whey ingredient label and compared side by side. Caloric intake per serving is the same at 160. Calories from fat – again, both match at 30, however, here the difference is the vegan shake does not contain any saturated fat or cholesterol.
Miracle Whey delivers 32 grams of protein and 0 fiber, whereas essential protein delivers 20 grams of protein, but does offer a smidgen of soluable fiber at 1 gram. On this note I will say that Mercola recommends Miracle Whey as a post-workout recovery shake, and not necessarily a meal replacement; whereas the product I use is a meal replacement, and satiates for longer periods when I add a scoop of soluable fiber that is both tasteless and non-grainy.
The real skinny on the comparison takes place when I compare vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Truly, there is no comparison in this regard. With Miracle Whey one gets calcium, of course, some iron, and potassium. That’s it.
With my current brand I get a broad spectrum of 20 essential vitamins and minerals, including A, complex B, calcium, and magnesium, the latter of which is deficient in every cancer patient. My shake contains no iron, which I prefer, as Americans consume too much iron and iron toxicity is being linked to cancer, and is a hot topic on the cancer prevention front currently.
What really sets my morning protein shake apart, however, are the anti-oxidants, and for me – trying to live a cancer preventative lifestyle – anti-oxidants are critical in renewing health on a cellular level. A few of the anti-oxidants I consume every morning in my shake include CoQ10, selenium, and has added benefits of alfalfa, kelp and ginseng root powder. (All non GMO, of course.)
In summary, although I am curious about Miracle Whey, I am already experiencing great benefits with my vegan pea/brown rice/cranberry based protein powder. My doctor is very pleased with my “age reduction” that goes hand in hand with my 85 lb. weight reduction. My shakes taste great, and I have already tasted a premium whey protein side by side before that was just awful, and cost $30 more per container for the same amount of servings. I cannot imagine Miracle Whey is really going to taste any better than the other whey product, and certainly not as good as the one I am using.
Perhaps I should follow my dad’s advice from my childhood, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
To your health,Rita S.
Wanting to tag on to this post from a while back that I have since learned that all meat and dairy derived products are to be considered inflammatory. Since inflammation is the root cause of the majority of all diseases I have decided not to waver from my current brand made of of yellow peas/brown rice/cranberry proteins.
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