egg white protein vs whey protein?

[apexzach]

First post here...have found this forum very helpful...can someone please explain why egg-white protein is not more widely used?

Everything I read makes it sound like the highest quality protein: from PER to price to non-dairy...can someone please help what I am missing?

The price of the one I use: Vitol egg-white protein (vanilla) -- seems to have been going up substantially over past couple weeks...from readily available for under $30 to now closer to $40-50 -- can still be found for lower prices but appears that suppliers inventory has dried up quickly.

I can't find much written on this -- greatly appreciate the help.

 

[MeatHead96]

Egg whites are the best form of protein you can have. I'm not really sure why it is not more popular. Whey is better for post workout because its fast digesting. NTBM now carries liquid egg whites. I'm thinking about picking some up myself.

 

[Rosco FleX]

You want both in your diet. I get my egg protein in for breakfast, and whey for post workout. Don't choose one or the other.

 

[apexzach]

Thanks for the responses. I've read in bunch of places that whey is fast-digesting and casein is slower digesting -- but what does that mean? How is that measured? And where do egg whites fit into this digestion model? Also vs eating whole food proteins like chicken, fish, etc -- does whey digest quicker? (I remember reading diets of non-sponsored bodybuilders -Phil Heath at one point- and he didn't have any protein shakes in his diet).

So I'm wondering is 30-50g of protein direct from chicken/fish preferred over whey if available?

Also why do you want both whey and egg white protein in your diet as Rosco says? I understand their different amino acids but would think one would be superior and therefore preferred.

Thanks for your help -- I have found this forum very helpful and have been unable to find these answers elsewhere.

 

[Bantrel]

There's a lot of different ideas on protein consumption out there but here's my 2 cents.
Its not about which one is superior its mostly about timing. Like you already said whey protein digest faster in the body, about 30min I think. Casein on the other hand takes 6-8 hrs to digest. Egg protein is somewhere in between.
Whey would be used right after training, your body needs a fast absorbing protein to grow and repair torn muscle fiber, you want protein there asap after training. Casein would be used before bed so you can digest and absorb it while you sleep, preventing catabolism from not eating.
Whole foods a definitely better for you than protein powders, I've read before that protein powders do about 1/7th- 1/8th what whole foods will do for you so definitely not a good idea to rely on them to meet your macros.
Like I said egg protein is somewhere in between, I drink about 2 cups of egg whites through out the day for some added protein, I have a post workout whey shake and a before bed casein shake, Other than that its whole foods.

 

[gymrat827]

I add 5 oz liquid egg white to my shakes. I drink the tall liquid egg white container in less than a wk.

 

[apexzach]

Thanks alot for the responses. Are there any articles that discuss how quickly absorbing all different proteins are (beyond just whey and cassein)?

I'm confused about a few things: if uptake of protein is 10-20% from a whey shake and you are drinking ~50g of protein -- why on earth is it worth getting 10g of protein when you can easily have a 4oz chicken breast with ~30g of protein?

I really feel like I'm missing something here. Also how is digestion period measured? How long does it take to digest egg whites? It would seem that egg white protein would be much higher percentage of uptake since it's just egg whites (powderized). What exactly is PER (protein efficiency ratio)?

If anyone has answers or resources to point me to I'd greatly appreciate it.