Beef Protein vs Whey Protein: Which is Best and Why?

Whey protein is one of the most popular proteins in the market of dietary supplements, known for its high concentration of amino acids and effectiveness in muscle building.

However, there are several other protein sources that have proved to be good alternatives within this market. Beef protein is an example of this. Do you want to know why?

In this article, we’ll compare beef protein with whey protein, and we’ll show you the benefits of each and the main differences between them, so you can find out which is the best protein for you, according to your needs.

What are the benefits of protein?

First of all, it’s important to know what the benefits of protein are, in order to understand what might be the effects on your body:

• Enhance muscle growth

• Help in the muscle recovery process

• Decreases muscular soreness

• Help to fight fatigue

• Help to maintain lean muscle mass

• Help to satiate and therefore contribute to reduce the appetite

As you can see, the benefits are many and although it’s a very popular supplement among bodybuilders, protein can also be used by other people.

What’s the best protein?

In this article, to evaluate the best protein, whey or beef, we’ll evaluate them, taking into account: biological value, sugars and fats, price and versatility.

Biological Value

There are several ways to evaluate the quality of a protein and one of the most common is the analysis of the biological value.

But what is biological value?

According to the article “Protein-Which is Best”

“The biological value provides a measurement of how efficient the body utilizes protein consumed in the diet.”

The biological value is directly related to the amount of amino acids that is present in the protein source that we’re evaluating. The higher the amount of amino acids, the better their biological value.

Although proteins of plant origin are good options, the amount of amino acids they contain is lower, which explains the lower biological value compared to animal-based proteins.

The following chart presents a comparison of the biological value of some natural protein sources (such as egg and meat) and protein supplements (such as whey, casein or soy protein):

Note: the eggs are used as a reference value because it’s the natural protein source with the best biological value. In terms of amino acid absorption, it has the highest percentage: 94%.

As you can see, whey protein is the protein source with the highest biological value.

There are other ways to calculate protein quality, however, biological value calculation is the most common and leave no room for doubt.

The best protein: Whey!

Sugar and Fats

Although they are fundamental ingredients, in particular to supply energy to our body, their excess can compromise the quality of the product.

Comparing those that are considered the best whey and beef protein supplements:

Best Whey Protein:

100% Whey Gold Standard by Optimum Nutrition

Best Beef Protein:

Carnivor by MuscleMeds

Regarding the amounts of sugars and fats:

100 grams of the product 100% Whey Gold Standard contains 4.1 g of fats, of which 2.2 grams are saturated fats. The sugar values are around 4.2 g.

Beef protein “Carnivor from MuscleMeds” is free of sugars and fats.

Although Whey Protein supplements are available in two forms, isolated or concentrated, and whey isolate contains less sugars and fats, beef protein manages to overcome this without any at all.

The best protein: Beef!

Allergies and intolerances (Lactose)

A large percentage of the population is lactose intolerant, lactose is a sugar present in milk and its derivatives. It can cause swelling and discomfort in the stomach and, therefore, those who are intolerant should avoid the consumption.

Because many proteins are derived from milk, such as whey protein or casein, it’s normal to find lactose in these products.

This is one of the reasons why beef protein is so popular, because it’s 100% free of lactose.

However, it’s possible to have lactose-free whey protein: whey protein isolate. But the costs associated with the removal/filtration of this sugar makes the product more expensive.

So, beef protein is a good alternative to whey protein, since it contains no lactose.

The best protein: Beef!

Price

When beef protein came along, there were other supplements from other more established protein sources on the market.

Since this protein was not common and the number of brands producing it was scarce, it was more expensive.

But during the last years, also as a result of the technological development associated with the production of this supplement, the production cost has decreased and the price of the product has become more competitive and a viable option for athletes.

Still: whey protein continues to lead the majority of protein powders, allowing a greater competition and lower and competitive prices.

It’s possible to find 2 kg of beef protein from 40€, but you can also find low cost whey protein of premium quality from 29.99€.

The best: Whey Protein!

Final verdict: beef or whey?

The best answer might be: “It depends.”

To choose the best protein you have to know what your body needs and what best suits your needs.

Whey protein, because it’s one of the most tested, is economical and has a considerably higher biological value than any other protein source, should be an option to consider.

On the other hand, beef protein doesn’t contain lactose and its consumption won’t add extra fats and sugars, as in the case of whey protein.

Evaluate the results: if you’re satisfied with the results whey protein gives you, if you don’t have difficulties to absorb and digest it, and if you have a smaller budget, you can continue to consume it.

But if you’re lactose intolerant and if you want to try something new, then beef protein may be a good option.

If you want to know more, you can always check out our article about protein.

Or if you have any questions:

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