To think that protein shakes / powder can make you shit yourself (or is it just me)??

[MargoLivebetter]

I'm in gimmer territory and am always trying to look at increasing my protein intake so that all the muscles in my body don't completely disappear. I have been supplementing my meals with a whey protein shake. I have also been suffering from nearly shitting myself. There is no elegant way to put this.

I was thinking I would have to go to the GP, as I was really struggling with what I can only describe as leakage. I've already had a sizeable repair up my bum, as having DS's giant head dragged out with forceps and DD's slightly smaller head ripping through me did untold damage to my internal passages.

I was worried that I needed another repair, but went away for a long weekend where I stopped having the protein supplements and the leakage issues disappeared too. I tried to reintroduce the shakes and it started again, so I know that it is definitely connected.

Has anyone else had this problem with protein supplements? Am I being unreasonable to think that there might possibly need to be some kind of warning on these things to say, "You may shit yourself if you take this supplement"?

Are you taking ones with artificial sweeteners in them?

Protein itself has the opposite effect.

@RJnomore1 I don't know. I'll have a look. Never thought of that. I am unable to tolerate sorbitol or any of those 'ol' sweetners.

How much are you having in a typical day?! I use up to 30g per day and not had this issue.

I use PhD Nutrition Whey protein Vanilla flavour. The sweetener is sucralose. Would that be the problem?

Whey protein goes through me like a dose of salts. 😬

I use a brand of drinks called yFood which are brilliant!

@LadyOfACertainAge no more than 30g

@QuestionableMouse ok that is good to know. I'll have a look at yFood.

I can't tolerate whey shakes, so use plant-based protein. Currently using ProteinWorks, which are pretty reasonably priced.

So, does sucralose have a laxative effect @Catmummyof2 ? I just looked at yFood and that has sucralose in it too. So if that is the issue, I can't get that either.

@RonObvious I did wonder about plant protein, but now I'm not sure if it is the sweetener 😬

Just checked, and my protein has sucralose in it too, so if that is causing your issues, maybe not the best option!

Whey protein causes issues for a lot of people, especially if they can sometimes have issues with other dairy products or with sweeteners.
Bone broth protein is one that is usually well tolerated, though it is expensive (and obviously not suitable for vegetarians)
I feel horribly bloated if I have whey drinks, but don't have the same issues with protein yogurts which are quite inexpensive, so might be worth trying different things (some have added whey protein, some use quark, all will have some sort of sweeteners though)

Of course you could try and boost the protein in each meal with extra meat/fish/eggs etc but it's not always the most convenient/affordable/palatable!

@Proteinpud I have upped my meat and fish intake, but it is quite hard to get enough.

I can't eat quark at all. I genuinely thought I was pregnant last time I ate it, as it cause such severe bloating.

The protein mousses, I seem to be ok with and I've just looked and they are sweetened with sucralose. So maybe it is the whey.

You can buy a single bottle of yFood in Tesco if you want to try it without spending loads.

@MargoLivebetter at least you know it's not something more serious. It definitely seems to be trial and error for a lot of people though.

You don't need protein shakes as an older person trying to maintain or increase muscle mass/tone to support average gym activity. They are a gimmick and an ultra-processed food.

Sucralose is a laxative, especially if you have IBS! I use plain whey protein, but if you can't tolerate that you could try learning to make cottage cheese. Its basically milk curdled with lemon juice.

It can be either the whey itself, the lactose or the sucralose.

Whey isolate is a little higher in protein and barely has any lactose. If you get a neutral flavourless whey isolate powder (I know, the taste will be rather bland), you'll be able to see if you're reacting to the whey protein itself, or one of the other two (lactose or sucralose).

I'm personally not sensitive to lactose at all, but I don't tolerate sucralose well. I get migraines. I do fine with other sweeteners, including Aspartame. Almost all protein products contain sucralose, though, for some reason.

It's not hard to have enough protein. I've not even been trying today and I've already had 56g. I'll have had 106g protein by the end of the day from salmon cheese, ham, milk, chicken and lentils.

Chicken is a really good source. It's about 30g of protein for one breast.

You can increase protein from other sources in your diet eg replacing some of the carb portion of your meal with pulses and adding quinoa, nuts or seeds in some form to meals, eating whole grains and so on.

@shearwater2 dont be so smug. It can be hard if you can't afford it, don't have time to cook, don't have access to fresh food, don't have adequate cooking facilities, are eating on the road, if you are vegan/vegetarian, if you have intolerances. Just because you find it easy doesn't mean it is objectively easy.

Yes, I realise that, but the OP says she eats meat and fish.

And everything I suggested perhaps apart from salmon are cheap sources of protein and ham and milk do not require cooking. You can also buy cooked chicken and lentils fairly cheaply.

I didn't suggest she try wagyu beef instead of a protein shake.

Part of the reason older people have to supplement their diet is because we don't absorb nutrients as efficiently. It's not just about how much you eat.