A couple of weeks back my lover Julian and I ordered a free sample pack of Eat Me’s (eatme.net.nz) 100% Whey and 100% Isolate protein powder. You mix the powder with water or milk to create a protein shake and then drink it. We went about trialing these products. This a story about us doing that thing.
PRO TEENS
As a nerd and gym culture novice, I knew very little about the world of protein supplements, but was ever so eager to approach the subject with all the cynicism and university database access that I could muster.
Protein powders are nutritional supplements which provide a large amount of protein with a small amount of carbohydrates and fat. Often including amino acids as well, they are consumed or “eaten” before and after a work out. Via the use of these powders as well as their regular well balanced diet a body builder/gym rat/exercise fanatic gives their body more access to the base chemicals used to bulk up with muscle. The idea is that your body needs to be digesting protein during and right after exercise for speedy and efficient muscle repair. To lay some street science down on your ass, your muscles are made of protein so you need to eat protein.
The problem is that there is no scientific reason to believe that you need to eat more than an average amount of protein to see muscle building gains, and a typical meat-eating student will get that amount through the course of an average day. To be honest, the average person may consume well over the amount needed. There is a lot of peer testimony and large chunks of gym culture built up around the consumption of extra protein however, and as an open-minded man I decided to humour Julian the obsessive gym rat.
Comparing EatMe’s whey protein and protein isolate formulas to other ones commonly found at the supermarket and sports stores, I noticed that EatMe’s product is not only quite cheap comparatively, but is also one of the more protein-filled protein supplements on the market, with their 100% whey being about 80% protein. Using my Sando sense, I realised that protein packedness is the most important thing when it comes to these supplements, and so think that’s a good thing.
THE TESTS–MUSCLE BUILDING
Objectively, I knew that there would be no noticeable muscle gain from just a week of exercising and eating the free samples, because the time frame was too short. But emotionally speaking, and I am an emotionally competent person, I should feel myself buffing up. That’s ‘feel’ as in ‘emotionally sense’, not ‘feel’ as in the tactile sensation. This is confusing as being more toned, denser and less gelatinous would be things that you should be able to touch. Mang, emotional intelligence is a complex beast.
So before we started up, my muscle mass was calculated as a turgid yet inquisitive level on the old emotional odometer, but by the time I had finished my week of shakes and free weights, I had increased to a quiet yet assured optimism. Thanks Emotional Intelligence, you’re a valid avenue of inquiry after all; my dad was so wrong!
TASTE TEST
For the taste test itself, we would just compare the 100% whey powder, as I misplaced my sachets of isolate. (The current theory on their whereabouts is that my flatmate’s polydactyl cat has stolen them for use in a dirty bomb.)
I decided to let Julian consume his any way he wanted, while I would take a little ice and water with my protein, blending with my mixing wand to create a smoothy. From past experience, these supplement shakes have a tendency to clump up, so the mechanical blend ensured a fresh thick and creamy texture that wouldn’t mess with the flavour too much.
Taste Test of EatMe’s 100% Whey product:
Cheeky Chocolate Whey
JULIAN: The chocolate one was gross. Maybe it was off? Or something, I hope it was off.
NIC: Actually, this does have a kind of rank slickness to it… it tastes like really, really, old Easter chocolate.
Voracious Vanilla
JULIAN: The vanilla one was fine, eerily much like Up and Go in fact.
NIC: It’s really creamy, which is surprising for something that is only remotely milk. It doesn’t just taste like vanilla essence and sugar either.
Sexy Strawberry
JULIAN: I still taste the chocolate one man. It’s inside me, growing like my baby. He wipes his tongue with a dish towel.
NIC: Wow, this is actually better than most strawberry milkshakes I’ve tried. Take that, New Zealand’s dairies!
HERE’S WHERE I SUM UP MOST OF EVERYTHING
I can’t justify a belief in the claims that gym culture and the supplements industry make about needing extra protein, which is sad because I enjoyed the EatMe 100% whey range. So much so, that I am considering buying some of their vanilla or strawberry protein powder to use as a basis for a low calorie shake. While protein may not be super amazing, it’s still less damaging than a Wendy’s super shake… Unless the link between excessive protein consumption and kidney failure is proven. Which it isn’t!
The EatMe people say that they have a student discount, so if you, like Julian, are a true believer, give it a go—the stuff works out quite a lot cheaper than many ‘supermarket brands’ and excluding the chocolate, actually tastes quite nice.