As a writer covering fitness and a person who likes to work out, I go through a lot of protein (protein powders especially), but my protein load is nothing compared to my brother’s and my sister-in-law’s. They love high-protein foods and are always telling me about a new snack or powder they’ve tried — in fact, most of their pantry is filled with shelf-stable protein powders and snacks. (They mostly cook and eat regular meals with real food; they just like adding in these snacks between meals.) They’re also some of the most active people I know: Gian is a weightlifter and lifelong martial artist who practices muay thai and generally likes to stay in shape, while Ilana is a gym rat who is always either finishing a workout or about to do one. (I don’t think they’ve missed a 7 a.m. workout in years.) I asked them about their regimen and what snacks are in their current rotation. I’ve also included lists of their favorite protein powders.
So I’ve always known that you two work out a lot, but tell me about why you have such a high-protein diet in particular.
Gian: I’ve been into weightlifting and working out since high school, and having protein supplementation was just always a given: If you lift weights, you have to have protein to get the gains. And I’ve witnessed the evolution of protein powders from being something that we would just chug in the morning to being literally a dessert that I eat every day now. And because I’ve been taking it for so long, I feel like I just know about all the new innovations and flavors in the protein-powder world.
Ilana: The way that I approach protein intake is less about trying to hit a certain amount so that I can maximize muscle gains and more about just generally eating healthier. I love all the carbs, like bagels and pastas, so if there’s something else that’s going to be more satiating that I like as well, like Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit, I add that to my main meals. And then I will supplement with protein sometimes, whether it’s a protein snack or a protein shake.
How much protein do you eat in a day?
Gian: Around 200 grams.
Ilana: Seventy-five to 80 grams.
Have protein powders gotten better since you started taking them in high school?
Gian: Hell yeah. My friends and I would buy this thing called value whey at GNC, which was maybe 20 bucks. I don’t know if it was vanilla or chocolate, but it did not taste good. And it was always really clumpy even if you blended it. It had bubbles in it. It was almost like having medicine. I used to mix it up with the least amount of water possible and then just chug it, almost like a shot. I think the biggest jump in flavor was when Syntha-6 came out. I was like, “Oh my God, this tastes like a real milkshake.”
Gian’s favorite protein snacks
“My No. 1 snack that I eat maybe three times a day is a protein-yogurt mix. It’s a 50-calorie yogurt cup, and it has 12 grams of protein. And then I put half a scoop of Jym vanilla protein powder on top. And so that’s a 125-calorie snack and 25 grams of protein. It’s more satiating to me. I’m eating it over ten minutes instead of just pounding a shake.”
“This is a powder mix inside a cup, and then you add water and you mix it and microwave it. The way I do it is I add a little bit more water and I microwave it for about 50 seconds so it’s a little bit undercooked. And then when I put a scoop of protein powder on top, it’s like I’m having an à la mode — a little bit gooey and undercooked at the bottom, but I mix in the powder and it’s just amazing. It’s my favorite thing to eat.”
“The cookies-and-cream flavor has the fewest calories (150) of the Hero bars. For me, it’s also for the sweetest, which I like. And also I like it because it’s one of the bars that is not chewy. I would say it’s not quite like a Rice Krispy treat, but it’s rice clumped together, coated in icing.”
“This is my favorite treat for when I want chocolate or something sweet like that. This combo is insane.”
“I would eat protein chips more often, but they’re kind of expensive. This is another treat. It’s awesome because it’s so flavorful, and it has that sweet-and-salty combo — a strong savory flavor, but then it tastes like maple too.”
“The ranch flavor of Biena has the most seasoning on it, but I also really love the everything-bagel flavor, which has sesame and poppy seeds and garlic and onion powder.”
“I like these for the same reason I love the ranch chickpea snacks. There’s so much seasoning on them, and they’re delicious. It’s nice to add a little crunch to my salad too.”
Gian’s favorite protein powders
Ilana’s favorite protein snacks
“I think this shake tastes like a milkshake. People have different levels of what tastes chemically to them. I think this shake has zero chemical taste. There are thick milkshakes and malty milkshakes, but this one is light and the right amount of sweet.”
“I love Oreos, and these are essentially the Oreos of the protein-cookie world. And I think they taste really, really good. I’m not going to say they taste exactly like Oreos, but I think they’re pretty damn close — and better than other Oreo-like cookies. I’ve had Newman’s Own, which I don’t like. Catalina Crunch also has a protein version of these sandwich cookies, but the Lenny and Larry’s cookies are better.”
“We’re probably their best customers. We stock up on them. We literally buy them wholesale. We don’t go on their website; we just email them and then they send us a unique link, like we’re a bodega or something.”
“They’re frosted and soft and have little sprinkles on them. If I want something sweet and I don’t want to actually just eat straight-up candy, I like eating these. You can get them at bodegas, 7-Eleven, and GNC.”
“This was another snack that we tried once, we liked a lot, and then we kind of stocked up on them. It’s kind of like an alternative to a chip, but because it’s made from broad beans, it’s got more protein in it. The sweet-onion-and-mustard flavor is probably the best flavor. It tastes like those Snyder’s pretzel pieces.”
“I don’t get these that often because we have to choose what to stock up on at home, but I like the taste of these. They’re like Pop-Tarts, but they have a different texture. They’re a little bit softer.”
“I’ve always been a cereal person. I can eat cereal all day, every day. I love cereal of all kinds. I like the plain ones. I like the sugary ones. Magic Spoon nails it. The fruity flavor tastes like Trix. The smell, the mouthfeel — you have the experience of eating Trix and it’s delicious. The only reason why we don’t have tons of Magic Spoon is because of the price. Not that our other protein snacks are super-cheap, but we’re just not used to paying ten bucks for a box of cereal.”
“Catalina Crunch has a less nostalgic, this-tastes-like-my-childhood-cereal feeling, but it’s good if you’re looking for a higher-protein version of Special K.”
“Barebells does a great job of mixing textures. Most protein bars are just kind of chewy, and maybe there’s chocolate on the outside, but it’s just made into one chewy paste or something. But Barebells has a lot of varieties of different types of layers. It’ll have a chocolate coating on the outside that has little rice things on it, but then it’s maybe more nutty on the inside.”
Ilana’s favorite protein powders
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