Apr 21, 20229 min read

[Whey Protein Comparison] MuscleDream Takes The Win

Whey Protein Comparison Sheet–MuscleDream, Optimal Nutrition, MyProtein

Whey Protein Brands Comparison—Why drink whey protein?

A lot of people ask me "Can I take protein powder if I don't work out?" This is like asking "Can people who don't work out consume protein?" Of course they can! Some go on to ask whether it would make them fat. Actually, all the supplements that body builders take are only to help more easily maintain their bodies at an optimal state, which can help them train better and achieve their goals. As long as you stay away from weight gainers, you'll be fine. You can definitely have protein shakes even if you don't exercise or work out. One thing that you should watch out though, is that whey protein is concentrated protein that can be easily absorbed, which means that it is not low on the glycemic index. It's best not to consume whey protein with carbs or bad fats. I'd also recommend people with blood sugar issues to talk to your doctors before having protein powder. Additionally, I do not recommend that you have whey protein as a replacement or part of your first meal of the day. It would cause your insulin levels to rise and fluctuate too much. It would be best to have it an hour after your first meal or any time after.

It's almost impossible for me to consume enough protein when I'm busy with work, which is most of the time. There is only about 16–30g of protein in 100g of meat. People should normally eat as many grams of protein as they weigh in kilos in order not to lose muscle, not to mention people who want to build muscle. Some doctors even suggest that one consume as many grams of protein as they weigh in pounds so that they don't suffer from insufficient muscle mass as they age.

Based on my weight and activity level, I need to consume at least 100–120g of protein per day. I usually have 150g turkey or chicken breast for lunch, which is translates to about 45g of protein. But since I have to teach during dinner time, I don't usually have time to have dinner properly. I would often gobble down two hard-oiled eggs or eat some crap (what I call all food that does not fit my strict criteria of healthy) that my mom buys. It's completely unideal, which is why I started having whey protein for dinner to supplement my protein intake while being satiating and low in calories. A friendly reminder: do not replace all your meals with whey protein! There are a lot of nutrients that you should consumer throughout the day, including vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber etc. none of which can be replaced by drinking whey protein.

As for Ares, who works out for at least 2 hours a day, can definitely not live without his protein shakes. When he isn't drinking them, he constantly complains about exploding from food when he tries to ingest enough protein purely from his diet. Having a protein shake after working out can not only supply your body with protein, it also rises your insulin levels just enough so that the nutrients can more successfully be carried into your muscles, which leads to muscle growth.

Other than replacing my dinner with whey protein, I also like using protein powder to make all sorts of keto desserts and bread. So we've tried many different brands, hoping to find our favorite flavor and the perfect consistency.

Whey Protein Brands Comparison—Dissolvability (Ssolubility)

I wrote "dissolvability" instead of "solubility" because I'm not talking about how much you can dissolve in the same amount of solution and same level of heat, but how well it dissolves and how much time it takes. I also feel like this is what people would search for, does that make any sense?

Anyway, this one was a no-brainer. Muscle Dream won with flying colors! When I saw on their website that it is very easily dissolved, I was skeptical. I even told my mom that I have never tried any whey protein that dissolved easily. Making a protein shake is literally a set of arm work out. But then I poured a pack of Muscle Dream whey protein powder into the shaker and added room-temperature water. As soon as I started adding water, the protein powder started to dissolve. I was literally just bad-mouthing it a second a go, so I just stared at my mom awkwardly like I was not just proven wrong. Different flavors dissolve a little differently but all of them were perfectly dissolved within 10 seconds of shaking.

In comparison, MyProtein does a terrible job. When I make protein shakes for Ares, I would spend 5 minutes shaking and jumping up and down yet I still can't get it to fully dissolve. There were still a bunch of lumps, which made me completely question my life. It's also a huge hassle trying to make dessert and cake with it.

I think Optimal Nutrition is better than MyProtein. I can usually get it to fully dissolve in 3 minutes.

But when Ares makes his own protein shakes, he does not have the patience at all. To be honest, shaking any protein for over 1 minute is also quite a waste of time in my mind. Ares actually just accepted the fact that there would be lumps in his protein shakes and would just straight up eat them, but I can't. I feel like I am eating powder when there are lumps, and it also makes it harder for me to wash the shakers. If there are lumps, there would be residue on the shaker, which, first of all, is a huge waste. It also means that I have to scrub it clean with my hands. Since Muscle Dream whey protein dissolves very well, I just rinse the shaker and chug it in the dish washer. I could also make my shake with milk or yogurt. With whey protein that doesn't even dissolve well with water, I can't bear the thought of trying to make it with milk, not to mention yogurt. Wouldn't that turn into powdery pudding?

Whey Protein Brands Comparison—Shaker

All three of the brands that I've mentioned about have shakers, so naturally I've tried them all. The design of the ball inside the shaker are mainly the same, but the design of the lid made me choose Muscle Dream's shaker.

First time I used it, I thought the thread of the lid was broken because I couldn't close it. Then, I realized it was baby-proofed. Just kidding, I mean, you have to push down slightly then turn in order to close it. This created a better and tighter seal, and it does not leak at all. This design does not exist in Optimal Nutrition and MyProtein shakers and they leak if you don't twist it on very tightly. And once those shakers got old, they leak no matter what. I couldn't tell if I was making a protein shake or watering plants. We had to wrap a towel around the shaker before we started making shakes.

Whey Protein Brands Comparison—Flavors

When it comes to flavors, Muscle Dream does not have the most to choose from, as you can see clearly on the comparison sheet, but I actually like its flavors the most.

Based on the number of options, no one can really beat the 50+ flavors that MyProtein has. But I personally find that they have quite some terrible flavors mixed in there... especially the fruit ones, we didn't like any of them. We got pineapple once and it was so bad that Ares refused to have it, he wouldn't even eat the protein cake I made with it. I have to finish it all on my own, which is such torture. And it's surprising because we love pineapples. Anyway, I think if we are talking flavors that taste good and you don't easily get tired of, MyProtein has around 10.

Optimal Nutrition (ON) technically gets second place in the number of flavors but in reality, only 6 of them are available in Taiwan. Out of the 6, Ares and I only like cookie and cream. And these good flavors are constantly sold out in Taiwan.

Aija iso pea protein is not as sweet, which is great for me but there are really too few choices. And the two flavors available are kind of bland, I always have to mix in something else. Ares can't stand how monk fruit is added to Aija protein and once again, refuses to have them. He said it stinks.

Muscle Dream, on the other hand, is made in Taiwan, so all 17 flavors can easily be found on their official website and shopee. Flavors that are sold out also get restocked very soon. Also, the small packets of MyProtein and ON are only available (at least in Taiwan) as freebies when getting the huge packs/bottles, which means you have to commit to a flavor without trying it first. Muscle Dream small packets are easily available on their website, so that you can try everything once before you decide on you favorite and get the big packs. I got 12 flavors this time and haven't gotten to anything that I didn't like yet.

Whey Protein Brands Comparison—MD Whey Protein Flavor Recommendations

Since Muscle Dream is the one I deemed as the winner, let's talk flavor recommendations. I think the best way to drink them is to place them in the fridge for a few hours after making the shakes. They taste so good when cold.

So far, my favorite flavor is oolong tea. This is a special one. In fact, a lot of Muscle Dream's flavors do not exist in other brands; like, oolong tea, taro latter, sesame latte, and Uji Matcha. I don't think any non-Asian brands would even think of developing those flavors! Especially the first three on this least, they are totally specific to Taiwan and fits our taste palettes perfectly.

Oolong tea is not as sweet compared to the other flavors, it tastes like a rich milk tea with very strong oolong tea aroma. I personally think that this would be perfect for boba milk tea addicts because it can completely replace sugary beverages. Get protein and quit sugar all at once.

Almond latte is also a super Taiwanese flavor. I thought it would taste something like vegan almond milk, but I was completely on the wrong track. It tastes like Asian almonds which is different from the roasted nuts that we usually have. It's the kind of almond that they use of almond tofu and it tastes like sweet Taiwanese almond tea. It is so fragrant that I could smell the almond as soon as I unwrapped it.

My second favorite is classic chocolate. As soon as I opened the packet it smelled like rich cocoa powder. How could I not make this with milk? I made the shake in the morning and placed it in the fridge ready for dinner while I'm working. Unlike other flavors, this one leaves some precipitation on the bottom after being left alone for a while. But it's nothing that can't be fixed with two shakes. It tastes 100% exactly like chocolate milk! It actually tastes a lot like Nestle chocolate milk, which was my favorite as a kid. But it smells even better and tastes richer. It's also not as sweet so I don't get tired of it at all. I think not getting tired of a protein flavor is actually really important. Since the big packs are ultimately cheaper and you'd have to have the same flavor every day for at least a month.

I could also smell the apple as soon as I opened the apple milk packet. This one is kind of on the sweet side but I don't find it tiring. I've previously mentioned that one of the reasons that I do not like sweet beverages is because I think they make me even thirstier and I could literally feel tongue coating building up. But I didn't have this problem with this protein shake. It felt light in my mouth. It was sweet but it was refreshing and completed replicated how apple milk is supposed to taste like.

OKINAWA brown sugar is one of the top selling flavors on Muscle Dream's official website. The moment I saw it, I thought of making protein cake! Once again, I could smell a strong whiff of brown sugar as soon as I opened it, it smelled almost like brown sugar boba. I would not have imagined that it was whey protein if I weren't holding it in my hands. When I was making the protein cake, I did not have to flavor it using anything else and I loved the result. It tastes exactly like Taiwanese brown sugar cake which is one of my favorite treats as a kid. Seriously, there was no difference.

Yogurt is one of the flavors that are marked as "exclusively developed" on Muscle Dream's official website. I read "yogurt" on the packet and thought that it would taste like drinking yogurt or Greek yogurt. Turns out that the Chinese title of the flavor is Yakult, a famous yokurt brand in Taiwan. I was hesitant to try it cause I really don't like lactic acid drinks like Yakult and Calpico, but I was pleasantly surprised! It actually was not too sweet, it's just a light Yakult taste with a hint of sour, which I really liked.

Finally, it's strawberry milk. This flavor has a stronger artificial taste and I could very obviously taste the sugar replacement. But for some weird reason, I really liked it. Kind of like how my sister sometimes insist on using creamer instead of fresh milk. It has this familiar taste of childhood. I added half a pack of strawberry milk whey protein to a bowl of Greek yogurt and mixed it properly, then topped it off with some nuts. It's one of my go-to ways of having whey protein. When I opened the packet, it kind of smelled like strawberry chewing gum and it didn't smell as natural as the apple milk one. However, it tastes great once I mixed it into yogurt, it felt just like having fruit yogurt! Most store-bought fruit yogurt have a very high sugar content. Using whey protein to make my own replacement helps me avoid consuming sugar, increase my protein intake, yet still feels like having dessert.