Are you having problems getting enough protein in your diet? Vegetarians can struggle to get enough protein due to their food restrictions, especially if they are looking to build muscle.
Are you looking for a quick meal replacement? Then the Naked Whey Protein supplement might meet those needs. Check out this Naked Whey Review to see if it is.
What You Should Consider Before Buying a Protein Supplement
Just what is your purpose for considering a protein supplement? Many different diets consider “macronutrient” balance as an important part of the program. In that case, protein supplements are a convenient solution because you get a measured amount of protein in every serving.
Eating regular cuts of meat will involve a certain amount of approximation even if you weigh what you cook on a kitchen scale.
Many times, body builders don’t just want protein. They also desire other additives designed to maximize muscle development such as nitrous oxide or creatine. Other people simply want protein without a lot of other add-ons. That’s why it’s very important to check the labels of any supplement you buy.
Getting enough protein in your diet will help you build or maintain muscle mass. Adding extra muscle will require more protein than maintenance. Protein supplements can also function as a meal replacement for on-the-go people who simply don’t have time to sit down and eat. However, there might be better options that are specifically designed to replace a meal.
For meal replacement, you will want a combination of around 15 gram of protein, 10 to 13 grams of healthy unsaturated fats and 5 grams of fiber.
Naked Whey Review
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Like its name implies Naked Whey is a protein supplement stripped of additives. You just get powdered whey, which is one of two proteins found in milk (along with casein). Naked Whey not only lacks additives like flavoring, sweeteners, or coloring, but it also is made from grass-fed cows located on small dairy farms in California. While not qualified as organic, Naked Nutrition insists on cows free from growth hormones and other chemicals.
Many protein supplements heavily process their products using acid or bleaching. Naked Whey is a much more natural protein powder than most competing products. The product is non-GMO, is packed with naturally-occurring amino acids found in casein like glutathione and includes 5.9 grams of Branched Chain Amino Acids (good for muscle development). You get 25 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar, 3 grams of carbs and 120 calories per serving.
Pro’s
- No Additives
- Made from Grass-Fed, Hormone-Free Cows from Small CA Dairy Farms
- Low Sugar
- 25 grams of Whey per Serving
- 5.9 grams of BCAAs per Serving
Con’s
- Can be Difficult to Mix into a Drink
- Lacks Taste
- Lacks Substances like Creatine or Nitrous Oxide to Boost Muscle Growth
Features and Benefits of Naked Whey Protein
Made From Grass-fed Cow Milk
Studies show that milk from grass-fed cows has a healthier mixture of fatty acids than conventional or even organic milk. Milk from grass-fed cows contains more conjugated linoleic acid, a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids, and a better omega-6/omega-3 ratio.
Since the cows only eat grass, they aren’t exposed to chemical additives or growth hormones. This also means you get more natural nutrients than grain-fed cows. This also means that Naked Whey is also gluten and soy-free. However, as a dairy product, most vegans will want to avoid it.
Naked Nutrition Uses Cold Processing
Naked’s processing method avoids high heat. This choice helps preserve natural nutrients, minerals, and essential amino acids. It also means Naked Whey is free from chemical detergents, additives, and heavy metals.
This last point is a major difference between Naked and most other whey protein powders. A recent study of 134 protein powder brands showed that 40% of them contained high levels of heavy metals.
To ensure purity, Naked Whey has their product tested by independent laboratories. Their whey protein powder measures less than.30 micrograms of arsenic and cadmium, and less than .15 micrograms of lead and mercury. It also has less than .15 micrograms of gluten. Note that 1 microgram is 1/1,000,000th of a gram.
This product is great for people who are picky about what they put into their bodies. You know that you’re getting whey protein and almost nothing else.
Nutritional Value
This is the most important parameter of any protein powder. After all, it’s why we’re using a supplement.
While Naked Whey isn’t as pure as whey isolate, it also requires less processing. Many methods of producing whey isolate can add heavy metal residue. Also, limited processing means that you retain more biologically-active nutrients. This is important for anyone who is interested in maintaining their health and improving their fitness.
Naked Whey contains little sugar, fat, and carbohydrates. It comes in at 120 calories per serving, which is a lot less than many other protein supplements. You also get 5.9 grams of BCAAs Valine, Isoleucine and Leucine. Leucine, in particular, plays an important role in muscle development and recovery.
Taste
Naked whey has little to no taste. If you mix it with water, it will pretty much just taste like milk. If you try to add it to regular milk, it can get quite thick and difficult to stir.
For some people, the bland taste will be a negative. However, the neutral flavor means you can add it to baked foods such as pancakes, muffins, or bread. Heck, I’ve even included it into my pizza dough as a substitute for powdered milk (which can help pizza dough rise).
I see the blandness as a benefit. Tasting like milk when added to water means that you can make fruit smoothies or shakes that don’t have any competing flavors. I like my smoothies tasting like the real fruit I add. Also, the lack of flavoring means you can control any sweetener that goes into your drink. If you’re diabetic, this can be important.
If you insist on a flavored supplement, Naked Nutrition also offers a line of “Less Naked” products. These include chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla-flavored options. While flavored, these products are also made from milk produced by grass-fed cows.
Mixing
Mixing Naked Whey into a liquid is more difficult than most protein powders. Most other protein powders add Lecithin to reduce the “stickiness” of processed foods and supplements. You might have to shake it a lot more than you’re used to in order to get a thoroughly-mixed drink.
I suggest using a blender, which makes the mixing process fast without leaving powder in the bottom of your workout bottle or glass. However, a little extra trouble in mixing is worth the benefit of fewer chemical additives and impurities.
Company
Naked Nutrition was founded in 2014 and is committed to providing natural supplements. All of their products are made without additives. The company states that its mission is to sell products made from pure ingredients and to faithfully label their products so customers know exactly what they are putting in their bodies.
Naked nutrition is also quite responsive to questions about their product on their own site, Amazon, and on social media platforms like Facebook. Naked Whey also comes from California dairy farms if domestic production is important to you.
Social Proof
Naked Whey has 2,597 customer ratings on Amazon. Seventy-two percent of these ratings are 5-star. Only 8% of these ratings are 1-star. Overall, the average rating from Amazon reviewers comes in at a healthy 4.4 stars out of 5.
SanB1919 appreciates the “clean taste” and thinks the powder is easy on his stomach. He likes to mix it in a blender with vanilla almond milk. Lucia considered Naked Whey a good value. She also likes the low calories and lack of flavor which makes it easy to add to a smoothie. Raedwulf uses Naked Whey because his wife is an organ transplant recipient, and other whey powders do not agree with her.
Alternatives
Raw Grass Fed Whey
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This product from Raw Organic Whey is very similar in most respects to Naked Whey. It comes from milk produced in small, domestic cow farms (in this case New Jersey instead of California). This product is also cold processed, made from milk produced by grass-fed cows, and comes with few additives. It is soy, gluten, and GMO-free.
Pro’s
- Company advertises that the farms they use are sustainable
- More affordable than Naked Whey
- Less calories per 25g serving at 97.5 compared to 120 for Naked Whey
- Less calories from fat than Naked Whey (11 vs. 15)
Con’s
- Label is not nearly as detailed as Naked Whey (especially with amino acid profile)
- Protein only makes up 40% daily value of protein per serving vs. 50% for Naked Whey
- Does not contain magnesium, phosphorus and Iron like Naked Whey
If you want a virtually identical alternative is more affordable than Naked Whey, you can check out Raw Grass Fed Whey.
Whey Fantastic 100% Pure Grass Fed Whey Protein
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This protein powder is also manufactured using milk from grass-fed and hormone-free cows. However, the biggest difference between Whey Fantastic and Naked Whey is that Whey Fantastic combines whey protein isolate, whey concentrate, and whey hydrolysate. The company claims that these three different forms of whey do a better job of stimulating muscle development than whey concentrate alone.
Pro’s
- Slightly Fewer Calories than Naked Whey (110 vs. 120 per serving)
- Also provides 25 grams of Protein per Serving
- More Affordable Option
Con’s
- Contains Roughly 25% less Leucine than Naked Whey per Serving
- Has 95 mg Sodium per Serving instead of 45 mg like Naked Whey (this can be important if you’re on a low-sodium diet)
- Less pure than Naked Whey with 25g of protein in a 30g serving size
If you believe that the three different forms of whey protein will help stimulate faster muscle growth, then you can consider Whey Fantastic.
Grass Fed Whey Protein Powder – 100% Natural and Pure
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This product from BNLABS is produced with a proprietary filtration process that produces whey concentrate in a highly purified form. BN Grass Fed Whey is also made to be highly soluble. The company also assures its customers that the cows used to make this protein powder are free from growth hormones, steroids, antibiotics, and GMO feed.
Pro’s
- More Affordable Option
- Includes Lecithin to Improve Viscosity
- Same Number of Calories per Serving as Naked Whey (120)
Con’s
- Less Servings per Container (72 vs. 76)
- Contains more Cholesterol (65mg compared to 50mg for Naked Whey)
- 1 gram less Protein per Serving than Naked Whey (24g vs. 25g)
- More Additives (Lecithin)
If you want an easier-to-mix protein powder that costs less per tub than Naked Whey, you can consider BN Labs Grass Fed Whey Protein.
Take-Away
If you’re looking for a protein supplement and you are particular about knowing what you put in your body, protein supplements made from milk produced by grass-fed cows is a great solution. If you want the highest level of purity and lack of additives, you can check out Naked Whey Protein Powder.
