What Is A Safe Protein Powder For Women?

A safe protein powder contains high-quality, clearly identified ingredients that do not cause allergic reactions or digestive discomfort. Women require at least 46 grams of protein daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and women who don't consume adequate protein risk weak muscles, premature aging and compromised immune systems. Protein powders can be an important option to women with allergies, digestive trouble or low calorie intake.

Protein

Protein powders are popular in health and sports markets because protein ensures normal cell development, muscle tissue growth and repair, body-weight management and appetite control. The American Dietetic Association notes a particular concern about women failing to meet protein needs, stating that vegans are often protein-deficient but that lacto-ovo vegetarians' egg and milk consumption significantly enhances protein intake. Protein powders without any animal products can benefit strict vegans, and powders featuring egg, milk and multivegetable proteins can benefit any woman running a protein deficit.

Whey and Casein Protein Powders

Whey protein, a byproduct of cheese-making, is a safe, quickly digested protein that outranks egg protein for bioavailability, according to the website Build Muscle Gain Weight. Your body processes whey protein so efficiently that even small amounts of whey benefit protein-poor diets. Casein is a slowly digested protein powder with slightly lower biological value but it is still a fine protein supplement. Both whey and casein are superior choices if you are allergic to eggs or concerned about the safety of meat preparation and cooking.

Egg Protein Powder

If you are allergic to soy or whey, cannot process milk products or want to avoid egg yolks' cholesterol, egg powder is a safe choice. According to the website Build Muscle Gain Weight, egg protein has no fat or carbohydrates, has an excellent amino acid profile and is absorbed at a rate in between that of whey and casein.

Soy Protein Powder

According to the website Soy Connection, soy-based foods have played important roles in vegetarian and health-oriented diets, with the 1990s bringing research on soy's isoflavones, phytochemicals that imitate estrogen and ease discomfort in menopausal women. Soy is very high-quality protein that does not cause the harmful effects on kidneys that animal protein does.

Rice Protein and All-Vegetable Protein Powder

According to the website Not Milk, study participants on rice-only diets consumed fully adequate amounts of protein with the complete range of essential amino acids, including lysine, which most cereal-based diets typically lack. So rice-based protein powders are another good bet, as are all-vegetable, non-soy protein powders containing protein from peas, beans and other legumes. The majority of commercial protein powders have clearly labeled ingredients and detailed lists of amino acids, so if your diet regimen requires particular food-restrictions or if you have food allergies, compare ingredients in the store or on the web.