SUPPLEMENT

How Many Grams Is a Scoop of Protein Powder

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How many grams of protein do you get in one scoop?

How many grams of protein is there in one scoop depends on various things such as-

  1. Scoop size
  2. Type of protein
  3. The protein supplement recipe

World’s best-selling whey protein powder, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey provides 24 grams of protein per scoop! And Gold Standard 100% Isolate provides 25g protein per scoop. This 1 gram extra protein per scoop despite similar scoop sizes (~30g) is due to one being a blend of 3 different types of whey proteins and other having only Whey Protein Isolate as the source.

What does nutrition per scoop even mean? And how can you find this out yourself?

Nutrition Label is a resource that can give you all sorts of answers, in fact, everyone should know how to read a nutrition label and find out calories, protein, fats, allergens, etc.

  1. Let us use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (Double Rich Chocolate) as an example-

    1. Servings per container: This piece of information tells you how many servings of a product are in the container.
      In Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (Double Rich Chocolate) 2.5 kg container you get 82 servings.
    2. Serving Size:This piece of information tells you how many scoops or grams comprise one serving. Please note that a serving size could be 1 scoop, 2 scoops, or ½ scoop, so pay close attention as on the nutrition table the nutrition information will be displayed as either per serving, per 100 grams or both!
      For Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (Double Rich Chocolate) 1 serving is 1 leveled scoop OR 30.4g of product.
    3. Quantity per serving: This is the amount of macro and micronutrients you will consume if you take 1 serving of the product.
      In 1 serving of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, you get 24 grams of protein. 24 grams of protein in 1 scoop!
    4. Quantity per 100 grams: This gives you the amount of nutrients in 100 grams of product. Which also means this will give you % nutrient (e.g Protein %)
      In 100 g of Gold Standard 100% Whey, you will get 79% of protein, which also means Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey is 79% Protein!
    5. % RDA: This value tells you how much of daily nutrient needs one serving of this product will help you meet (assuming you are an Indian man weighing 65 kg and/or consume a 2000 Kcal diet)
      1 serving of Gold Standard 100% Whey (Double Rich Chocolate) provides about 117 calories (6% of 2000), and It also provides 24 grams of protein (44% of protein RDA for Indian Men, which is 54 grams)
    6. Carbohydrates: Sugar, Fiber, added sugar, these are all types of carbohydrates and will be listed under Carbohydrates/Total Carbohydrates.
      In 1 serving of Gold Standard 100% Whey (Double Rich Chocolate) you get about 3 grams of carbs, out of which 1 gram sugar is there but that 1 gram sugar is naturally occurring. There is absolutely no added sugar in it (0 gram added sugars).
    7. If the product has sodium, cholesterol, added vitamins, minerals, caffeine, etc. it will be listed on the nutrition panel.
    8. Ingredient list/Product Recipe: Most product recipes are considered as a proprietary formula which means the manufacturer, rightfully so, can-not share the actual amount of each ingredient! Product recipes are every manufacturer’s intellectual property, and they are highly protected. However, if you still want to research amount of ingredients in a certain product then the ingredient list is the best tool available.
      An ingredient list is always written in a descending manner meaning the most predominant ingredient will be listed first, then the second most, then third, so on and so forth. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey has Whey Protein Isolate as the primary source of protein, and the non-nutritive sweetener is the most minor ingredient in the recipe.
      Whatever the formula claims to be, that should be the first ingredient. A protein powder should have a protein source as the first ingredient and not sucrose/malt extract!
    9. Allergen Panel: There are 9 foods that are known food allergens. These are Milk, Egg, Fish, Shellfish, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Wheat (Wheat Gluten), Soybeans, and Sesame. If the product contains any of these foods or their derivatives, it is necessary by law that the manufacturer discloses it.
      Since Gold Standard 100% Whey contains whey protein (it’s a milk product) and soy lecithin/INS 322i (an emulsifier that helps with product texture and mixability), both MILK & SOY are listed as allergens present in the product.
      You will be surprised to know that most of the information you might want to know about a supplement, will be hiding in plain sight. And now you know how and where to find it. Stay prudent!