There are three forms of casein protein:
Calcium Caseinate,
Micellar casein
Milk protein isolate.
Calcium Caseinate is the lowest quality among the three forms and is commonly used as a food ingredient.
Micellar casein and the casein in milk protein isolate are identical. While Micellar casein is 100% casein, milk protein isolate has both Micellar protein and whey. As a result, milk protein isolate is a more economical choice between the two.
Like whey protein, not all milk protein isolates are created equal. Some supplement companies sell inferior milk protein isolate products (which have less casein and more whey protein). The best milk protein isolates have around 80% Micellar casein and 20% whey.
You can get the same casein/whey ratio found in the highest quality milk protein isolates by just enjoying a glass of milk! Milk is 80% casein and 20% whey just like the highest quality milk protein isolates have.
However one eight ounce glass of milk only has 6.4 grams of casein, while one small scoop of a high quality milk protein isolate will have over 20 grams of casein protein! Mix your milk protein isolate in milk to get the most casein protein for your buck!
There are many ‘sustained release protein’ products on the market, but be careful before you buy as you may not be getting what you expect as previously mentioned, if you are looking at purchasing a milk isolate protein product, some supplement companies may be using an inferior isolate. In addition, many supplement companies want to avoid using too much casein protein in their products because it is more expensive than whey to produce and has a distinct ‘chalky’, or ‘malty’ taste which many find unpleasant.
Supplement companies know that casein proteins are very popular among bodybuilders and athletes so they may go to extraordinary lengths to make their products appear as though they contain more casein protein than they actually do. Don’t let their marketing hype fool you. Pay close attention to the ingredients. Products that are high in casein protein will have Micellar protein, milk protein isolate or some form of casein as the first ingredient.
You also want to pay attention to the different protein sources they use. The more protein sources used, the less casein protein there may actually be in the product.
A good whey protein is body fortress whey protein.
For example, a product with just two protein sources ‘milk protein isolate’ and ‘whey protein concentrate’ will most likely have more casein protein overall than a product that contains multiple protein sources such as ‘milk protein isolate’, ‘whey protein concentrate’, ‘egg protein’ and ‘soy protein’. The more protein sources they use; the more watered-down the casein content may be.
We hope you have also thought about your excersie, a good idea is a home cross trainer.