There are a lot of protein powders on the market that claim to be the best. But, as the old saying goes, ‘talk is cheap’. The best protein powder will become apparent by what it proves to do. Recently, a protein powder has been gathering a lot of steam and is legitimately challenging the old standbys to claim the much-coveted top spot.
It is called Hydro Whey 100.
In this article, we’ll go deep into this product to discover what makes it so good and why it deserves to be your new Number One.
Pros:
- Pure whey protein hydrolysate
- High in essential amino acids
- Gluten Free
- Great digestibility
Cons:
- Only available online
Features
Whey Hydrosylate
Hydro Whey 100 is the only protein powder that exits that consists of 100% whey hydrosylate. So, why is that a big deal?
You know that whey protein is essential to your muscle building quest, right? Well, there are different qualities of whey that give vastly different grades of end product. The lowest quality is whey protein concentrate, which retains fats, cholesterol and lactose and is, as a result, only 80% pure protein. That other 20% doesn’t belong in your body. In fact, it will, more than likely, cause all sorts of digestion problems.
Whey isolate is much better than concentrate, due to the fact that it goes through a process of cross-flow micro-filtration. As a result, the purity goes up to 90%. Though a vast improvement of concentrate, whey protein isolate also provides some digestibility problems.
Whey hydro takes the isolate process a vital step further. Enzymatic hydrolysis breaks down the protein molecules to create an extremely small, fast and more effective protein product. There are other protein powders on the market that include hydrolyzed whey protein, but Hydro Whey 100 is the only one that is completely made up of it!
Once your workout is over, your body is crying out for protein. It needs it to repair and rebuild muscle tissue that has been broken down as a result of the stress you have placed it. Hydrolyzed whey protein will get it there faster than anything else.
That immediately puts Hydro Whey 100 in a league of its own.
Amino Acid Profile
The powerhouse of any protein product is its amino acid content. Amino acids rebuild your muscle tissue after you work out in the gym, so the better the amino acid profile, the better the muscle building result you will achieve.
Whey protein concentrate contains the lowest level of amino acids. Some manufacturers of whey concentrate attempt to beef up the level of amino acids with a process known as amino acid spiking. However, this process interferes with the absorbability and digestibility of the whole amino acid count, so is not recommended.
To get a high amino acid count, you need to have the purest blend of whey possible. And that is exactly what you receive when you invest in Hydro Whey 100. In fact, the essential amino acid count of Hydro Whey is a huge 12.4 grams. To put that number in perspective, the majority of whey protein powders on the market contain less than half that number of essential amino acids.
What is even more impressive is that Hydro Whey 100 contains 6 grams of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). These are the three most important essential amino acids, leucine, valine and iso-leucine. They are provided in the clinically recommended dosage of 2:1:1 in terms of leucine, valine and iso-leucine.
Purity
Many protein powders contain hidden ingredients that you do not deserve to be having to put into your body. They include things that could not only work against your muscle building / fat loss goals, but that can actually make you seriously unwell.
Which is why Hydro Whey 100 is such a refreshing protein powder. It contains absolutely no fat, no sugar, no gums, creams or artificial preservatives. This product also contains less than one gram of carbohydrates per serving. This makes it the ideal protein choice for those who are on a low carb macronutrient ratio.
As mentioned earlier, there are other proteins out there that make use of whey protein hydrolysate. But, the majority of them also include fats, sugars and flavorings in order to improve the taste and mixability. Those things are not good. That’s why Hydro Whey 100 leaves them out. It is the purest protein powder on the market.
25 Grams per Serve
Every serving of Hydro Whey 100 delivers 25 grams of whey protein to your muscles. Because Hydro Whey delivers close to 100% absorbability. This is more in terms of the amino acids that get to your muscle cells than competing isolate or concentrate products with higher grams of protein per serving.
The Bottom Line
Hydro Whey 100 is like no other protein powder on the market. Due to the fact that it contains 100% hydrolyzed whey protein it is the purest most digested, best-absorbed protein powder on the market. It contains no flavorings, so don’t expect it to taste as good as those that do. But you’re not after a great taste – it’ all about results, right?
The hydrolyzed process costs more money than concentrate or isolate – that’s why so few manufacturers use it. But the guys behind Hydro Whey 100 are bodybuilders and they don’t skimp on producing a product that works. That results in Hydro Whey 100 costing a little bit more than you might for an inferior concentrate or isolate product. But, if you are serious about a product that will get you the muscle building results that your hard work in the gym deserves, you won’t mind paying a little bit extra.
The Competition:
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard
Optimum Nutrition’s Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey has long stood at the pinnacle of the protein powder market. Let’s check out how it stacks up alongside Hydro Whey 100.
Pros:
- 4 blends of protein
- Great tasting
- 24 grams protein per serve
- 11-gram essential amino acids
Cons:
- Not hydrolized
- Only 78% pure protein
- Contains additives
Features
Optimum Nutrition has been around for more than 35 years. As such they are among the most established players in the supplement market. They have garnered a huge loyalty which has helped push their products to the top of the market.
Gold Standard is their flagship protein powder. It contains four different types of protein in its blend. These include whey protein concentrates, whey isolates and whey peptides. Two different types of whey filtered isolates have been used to allow for bioactive compounds and important sub-fractions, including lactoferrin, growth factors and cytokines to be available for use by the muscle cell.
Optimum Nutrition includes Aminogen, which is their own absorption enhancer designed to allow the amino acids in the protein powder to more quickly be absorbed in the bloodstream and carried to your muscle cells. Also included is Lactase, which helps to offset the negative effects of lactose which is experienced by the many people who are lactose intolerant.
Gold Standard contains 11 grams of essential amino acids. This is an impressive count, which is much higher than the majority of competitor protein powders. However, it is less than you get with Hydro Whey 100, which delivers 12.4 grams. With Gold Standard you also get 5.4 grams of branch chain amino acids, which is also a little less than Hydro Whey 100 gives you.
The overall protein content in Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey is 79%. That means that 21% of every scoopful that goes into your body is comprised of fats, flavorings, artificial preservatives and carbohydrates. In fact, the total carb count is 13%. This compares to less than 1% with Hydro Whey 100. Of course, the protein content of Hydro Whey is close to 100% also.
When it comes to carb count in protein powders, it all depends on when you take the product. Straight after your workout, your muscles are depleted of glycogen and are in need of an injection of simple carbs. At any other time, however, you want to keep your carb intake low in order to promote leanness. So, as a post workout shake, Gold Standard would do the job of replenishing the glycogen into your cells. However, throughout the rest of the day, the low carb count of Hydro Whey 100 is your best option.
The taste of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard is perhaps its greatest benefit. It comes in a huge variety of flavors (21 at last count), including the ever-popular Rocky Road, Cookies ‘n Cream and Tropical Punch. You don’t get the aftertaste or grittiness which is common to many competing protein powders with Gold Standard.
Gold Standard has a reputation for mixing well, with no clumpiness or residue being left over in the cup. You can mix it equally effectively with a shaker bottle or a blender. Hydro Whey 100 mixes just as well, if not even a little better, as a result of the fineness of the protein particles that it is comprised of.
In order to achieve it’s great tasting flavors, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard makes use of artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers. It includes the sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium. It also includes lactose, which many people are intolerant to.
In summary, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard is a quality whey protein whose greatest strengths are its taste, mixability, amino acid count and value for money.
Which is Best: Gold Standard or Hydro Whey 100?
As Donald Trump would say, ‘there’s a new sheriff in town’. When it comes to protein powders that new sheriff goes by the name of Hydro Whey 100. Its 100% hydrolized based protein is neck and shoulders above the 4 blends that go to make up Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard. In addition, it is completely free of added sugars of any kind, flavorings or preservatives.
Hydro Whey 100 may cost a little more, but if you’re serious about building some quality muscle, that won’t stop you seeking it out and making it your go-to protein powder of choice!