Protein powder supplements are not to everyone’s taste. Either they are very sweet because of the sweeteners, or they feel bad to the stomach. It can even become tedious to handle large sacks of protein when traveling away from home. That is why many wonder why there are no protein pills.
Just as there are vitamin C, zinc, magnesium or fish oil pills, why not protein? The main drawback may be the cost of this supplement, although the compressed amount that fits in a small pill also gets in the way.
2 grams of protein per pill
There are some protein pills, although they are not as common as protein powder. On average, these pills contain about 2 grams of protein at most. If we compare it to an average scoop of whey protein, it is, depending on the size, around 20 to 25 grams of protein.
Two grams of protein in pill form is a pretty wasted effort. We’d need handfuls of those pills throughout the day to equal a scoop of protein powder. That is, if we take one or two protein pills, we are adding maybe 4 grams of protein to the diet. That is insignificant and also very expensive. You can even get more protein from an egg, a container of yogurt, a glass of milk, etc.
In addition, it must be taken into account that for athletes it is recommended to consume about 2 grams of protein for each kilo of body weight. Therefore, we would need to take more than 10 pills daily to achieve the same dose as a scoop of powdered supplement. And it is no longer just an economic issue, but it does not seem very healthy to take so many pills daily.
It is not even an interesting option when we are away from home. Since to ingest two grams of this macronutrient, it is better to choose a supermarket protein shake or a protein-rich dish (a hamburger with a grilled egg, for example). It will be cheaper and we will take more quantity.
Aren’t amino acids worth it?
We agree that whey protein cannot be taken in pill form, but amino acid pills (such as BCAAs) do exist. However, many “amino acid” capsules are simply whey protein powder with the average amino acid profile listed on the package. So it ends up being a very expensive whey protein.
Still, while many so-called amino acid pills are just whey protein, some will provide free-form amino acids. Free-form amino acids, whether in a capsule or bulk powder, are in no way superior to protein powders despite many sources claiming them to be.
In short, if we want to consume the necessary amount of protein, it is advisable to eat a varied diet and take protein powder supplements. Although it is not necessary to take supplementation if we manage to perfectly calculate the daily protein doses of the food we eat.
