Today’s blog post is part of a weekly Q&A series. Do you have a burning nutrition question or concern you would like to see answered by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist? If so, please post your comment below, or if you would prefer to remain anonymous, email anna@foodsmartsnutrition.com.
22 June 2017
This week’s question concerns a popular protein supplement, frequently used by people who have had weight loss surgery. Getting enough protein is especially important after weight loss surgery. High-protein foods and drinks make up the bulk of a post-surgery diet, and for many people, a low-calorie, low-fat, high protein drink can be a huge help in reaching daily protein goals.
Unfortunately, a post has been floating around on social media this week, claiming that one of the most widely available supplements has been changed, rendering it less effective. A concerned citizen wrote to the Food Smarts blog in the hopes of getting to the bottom of this matter. Read on to find out the truth!
Q:
Is it true that Premier Protein® drinks have been changed in a way that they can’t be absorbed anymore? I heard they changed their ingredients and it no longer provides the necessary protein. I’m really worried because I love these drinks, and they have really helped me hit my protein goal after I had my weight loss surgery. I haven’t been able to tolerate any other brand. What am I going to do?! Thanks,
– ChocoProteinDrinker
A:
What a great question, ChocoProteinDrinker! Thanks for writing in to ask. I was really surprised when this question came in because I had not heard anything in the nutrition community about this line of supplements changing in any way. First, I decided to look into the original social media post to see what claims were being made.
If I’m gonna myth-bust, I’m gonna do it right.
It wasn’t hard at all to find the post that was causing such concern online. The post appeared to have been posted earlier this week, and it made a lot of alarming claims about the product, which I will summarize here.
The Scary (and *spoiler,* FALSE) Claims Made on Social Media:
1. Premier Protein® changed their formula a month ago, and whey protein is now third on the ingredient list. They did this because it is “easier and cheaper” to make it this way.
2. Because of the reformulation, the shake no longer provides 30 grams of protein like it did before.
3. Nutritionists and doctors are switching to another brand because this brand is inadequate.
The poster then leaves us with a word of “advice,” instructing us to make sure we buy “whey protein isolate” powder, and then adds (presumably to add insult to injury) that Premier Protein® never was whey protein to begin with.
Whew! Ok, that’s a lot of investigating to do, but no job is too big for this RDN.
First, I started looking at packaging. I happen to have some older Premier Protein® packaging, and there also are tons of label-images online. Then, I purchased some recently-manufactured Premier Protein® drinks to compare the old and new labels. Finally, I contacted the company. Twice. I talked with one representative via email, and other via telephone. Both were extremely kind, helpful, and eager to get me any information I requested on this matter. (Thanks for being so nice to me, Premier Protein® People!)
So ChocoProteinDrinker, here are those claims again, and under each are all the answers you seek:
CLAIM #1:
1. Premier Protein® changed their formula a month ago, and whey protein is now third on the ingredient list. They did this because it is “easier and cheaper” to make it this way.
Here is the best piece of news: Premier Protein® has NOT reformulated their products any time recently. I got a firm confirmation directly from the company that the product has not been modified in any way in at least 12 months, and there are NO plans to change anything about the product in the future.
But, I didn’t just take their word for it. I looked at the packaging I had, multiple images from the last year online, and the current packaging. I also checked in with other Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who are familiar with this product. The ingredients labels are *the same*. Truly, no changes.
This led me to wonder though – how did the original poster get so confused about this? Usually, people are coming from a good place when they post these types of things, even if the information is off-base. So, I did a little more digging.
Based on my detective work, I think this may boil down to a misunderstanding between labels.
You see, the ingredient label on the ready-to-drink product reads as follows (and I’ve highlighted the potentially confusing part in bold text):
Ready-to-Drink Premier Protein®, chocolate flavor
INGREDIENTS: WATER, PREMIER PROTEIN SHAKE PROTEIN BLEND (MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE,) COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CONTAINS 1% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: HIGH OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, INULIN, CELLULOSE GEL AND CELLULOSE GUM, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, DATEM, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, CARRAGEENAN, VITAMIN AND MINERAL BLEND (SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), DL-ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), ZINC AMINO ACID CHELATE, BIOTIN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, NIACINAMIDE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, COPPER AMINO ACID CHELATE, CALCIUM D-PANTOTHENATE, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12), PHYTONADIONE (VITAMIN K), SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE, FOLIC ACID, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, TRIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATE. CONTAINS MILK.
Ok, now the labels for the powdered Premier Protein® products (yes, there are two different powders) read like this (again, I’m highlighting the potentially confusing part in bold text):
Option 1: Premier Protein® Whey Protein, chocolate flavor
Whey Protein Concentrate, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavors, Xylitol, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Monk Fruit Extracts, Soy Lecithin, Rebiana (Stevia Leaf Extract). CONTAINS: MILK, SOY.
Option 2: Premier Protein® 100% Whey Powder, chocolate flavor
Whey Protein Concentrate, Cocoa processed with alkali, Inulin, Natural Flavors, Cane Sugar, Xanthan Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Salt, Monk Fruit Extract, Rebaudioside A (Stevia Leaf Extract). CONTAINS: MILK
Do you see how the powders list “whey protein” as the first ingredient, but the ready-to-drink product lists water as the first ingredient, and then lists whey within the “protein blend?” I am willing to bet that the person who posted about this on social media got confused about these labels.
He or she may have previously used the powdered product (which always has and still does list “whey” first.) Then, if he or she picked up some ready-to-drinks, it may have seemed like the ingredients had changed.
Here’s the thing though -- ALL ready-to-drink protein shakes, including Premier Protein®, are going to start with water as the first ingredient, because they are a LIQUID, not a powder! The only time they will start with anything else, is if it’s a fluid-milk based product (made with regular cow’s milk) or a fluid plant-milk product (made with, for example, soy milk). Then, these liquids would be listed first.
You see, on ingredient labels, it is the law that the ingredients are listed in order by weight. So, if we were to take out every ingredient in a Premier Protein® drink and weigh each one, the water would weigh the most! That’s why it is listed first. In the powder version, the protein weighs the most because the water hasn’t been added yet, so it is listed first. It has nothing to do with one being “higher quality” protein than the other – it simply shows that one is a liquid, and one is a powder.
So – breathe your sigh of relief! All products are the same. This may have been a big misunderstanding.
ON TO CLAIM #2!
2. Because of the reformulation, the shake no longer provides 30 grams of protein like it did before.
Well, now that we know the product hasn’t been reformulated, we know this is bogus. But, I went ahead and checked all the labels just to be sure.
Sure enough, the ready-to-drink product and both powders still provide 30g protein per serving. Woo hoo!
FINALLY, TO CLAIM #3:
3. Nutritionists and doctors are switching to another brand because this brand is inadequate.
Ok, obviously I couldn’t call every weight loss surgery center in the country and ask if they have turned against this product, but the dietitians and surgeons I did reach out to confirmed that this is still an option they recommend for those who are looking for a high-protein, ready-to-drink, post-surgical beverage. In fact, this product has one of the highest protein concentrations of any of the ready-to-drink products that are available off-the-shelf in a typical grocery store or pharmacy in this area.
Now, let’s be clear: No one (including me) is endorsing this product. It is one of MANY high-protein drinks, powders, modulars, and foods that could be included after weight loss surgery. You have tons of options!
But, if you find this product is one that works well for you, you can rest easy that it is something you can continue to use.
As a general guideline, if you have had weight loss surgery, it’s a good idea to choose protein drinks that have fewer than 200 calories and at least 15 grams of protein per serving. Also, try to choose lower-fat and lower-sugar choices, since excessive fat and sugar can cause dumping syndrome.
“Fun idea: I have discovered that Premier Protein® drinks work really well as coffee creamer. Who knew?”
And Lastly --- I feel like I need to address the poster’s parting advice about buying only “whey protein isolate.”
Y’all, whey is not the end-all-be-all of protein.
In fact, there are millions (probably billions, actually) of people who never consume any whey protein EVER in their entire lives, and they do just fine. There are plenty of proteins that will help you meet your protein needs.
You’re probably already exhausted from reading this long post, so I’ll save the in-depth spiel on amino acids, protein digestion, and protein metabolism for another day.
BUT, just for the sake of this post, I’ll comment briefly on milk proteins. Whey is one of the types of proteins found in cow’s milk. The other major cow’s milk protein is called casein. If you scroll back up and look at the ingredient list on the ready-to-drink product, you’ll see that it contains “milk protein concentrate,” (a mix of whey and casein), as well as “calcium caseinate,” (derived from casein), and “whey protein concentrate” (more whey). So, we know from reading this ingredient label that this product’s protein source comes from cow’s milk.
If you’re someone who tolerates cow’s milk well, then this might be a good protein option for you! If you’re allergic to cow’s milk protein, then this would not be a good choice. If you’re lactose-intolerant (meaning the sugar in milk gives you abdominal distress), this product might still work for you, because it is low-lactose compared to regular milk.
Well, ChocoProteinDrinker, I hope this week’s answer has addressed your concerns and calmed your fears!
I’m here to answer one new question every week. If you have a question you’d like to ask, I look forward to hearing from you!
Eat smart,
Anna
P.S. If you’d like to keep up with these weekly posts, follow me on Instagram @foodsmarts_rdn (warning: you also have to see pictures of my cats and dog) or on my brand-new Facebook page @foodsmartsRDN.
P.P.S. I was not compensated in any way by Premier Protein® for writing this post! This research was done of my own free will, simply to myth-bust and answer my follower’s question. I do not endorse any particular product or brand. Buy whatever the heck you want.