Powdered forms of protein come from eggs, plants, or milk. Plant proteins are derived from peas, soybeans, rice, hemp, or potatoes.
Milk is derived from whey protein or casein. These supplemental products include a few other ingredients like vitamins and minerals, sugar, artificial flavorings, and thickeners.
Whether you are a top bodybuilder or someone simply looking to feel better and healthier on a daily basis, it is essential to get sufficient protein to meet your fitness goals [1].
Many people wanting to achieve a certain amount of protein per day struggle with meeting their daily requirements.
Millions of fitness enthusiasts and athletes, who need to meet their daily requirements, consume protein shakes and smoothies.
Being new to protein supplements, you might have found it hard to understand some of the terminology or measurement methods used for protein powder.
The standard way to measure protein is with a “scoop”.
If you look at the ingredients list at the back of the package, it will probably reveal to you all the protein, minerals, vitamins, and other ingredients that are in a scoop.
We will carefully look at how the scoops are measured and consumed.
How Much is in a Scoop of Protein Powder?
Most protein powder manufacturers include a plastic scoop in their packaging.
This is to help their customers measure out servings of powder.
If you don’t see a scoop at the top of the powder when you open your package, you might have to dig a bit to find it.
Not all protein powder manufacturers provide scoops, so remember that.
Some manufacturers have stopped putting in plastic scoops for a very good reason – they are trying to limit the amount of plastic waste that gets generated every year [2].
The scoops are convenient, but they aren’t necessary
A lot of customers subscribe to one particular brand.
This means they are regular buyers, buying probably one or more protein powder bags a month.
If the manufacturer did put a scoop in every bag, then hundreds of customers would receive around 12 scoops a year. That’s a lot of wasted plastic out there.
Because of that, some manufacturers list their serving sizes in cups. One serving for instance would be about ½ a cup.
If you do see a scoop inside your package, then the serving sizes will be listed in scoops. Sometimes a serving might be two scoops.
One brand’s Scoop size can vary widely among brands
We’ve learned that different manufacturers will use different scoop sizes.
Remember that you can’t use an old scoop and then expect an accurate serving size. You need to use the scoop that comes with the original packing.
Heaping your scoop won’t give you an accurate measurement of your serving size.
It will all depend on how densely your protein powder has been packed, or how much powder is heaped.
If you want your serving size to be accurate, you will have to weigh your protein powder using a kitchen scale.
The serving size is always listed on the Nutrition Facts panel of the label, in grams.
This will be regardless of whether or not the manufacturer includes a scoop.
If the serving size is 30 grams and you scoop 60 grams, you are getting twice the calories, protein, etc. than what is on the label.
You should also note that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does allow for a margin of error of 20% for the values on the Nutrition Facts label.
Then you will understand that a 100 calorie serving of protein powder could hold anything from 80 to 120 calories – and the manufacturers haven’t violated the law.
How much protein powder to one scoop?
Most scoops in your protein powder are intended to hold one serving of protein powder.
That will be about 20 grams of protein. In saying that, there will be some scoops that only hold half a serving.
Naturally, if you pack the power tightly into the scoop, the amount of protein powder might be different from just dipping in the scoop and taking out powder that way without packing it in.
Also, how much you heap it will also make a difference to the protein shake you have.
Once again, for accurate serving size, just refer to the Nutrition Facts panel for the weight in grams.
And if you have a kitchen scale, you can use that too to control the protein shake intake per serving.
Each scoop represents a certain amount of calories, carbohydrates, fats, and grams of protein.
And the nutritional breakdown of each scoop of protein powder will depend on the product you are consuming.
It is important to know how many scoops you should have per day as well as the macronutrient breakdown of the protein powder supplements you have in a day.
In the right quantities, protein powder can help you maintain healthy skin and bones, add muscle, and help you lose weight without also seeing losses in strength.
Choosing the right protein powder and incorporating physical activity will ensure your health improves.
Also, the amount of protein that you consume will vary – based on the kind of fitness goals you have.
Some protein products have been designed to offer healthy amounts of protein to help you add more body mass.
These types of supplements will typically have higher amounts of carbs and calories.
People who want higher protein to help them build muscle mass will sometimes need two add two to three scoops of protein a day to help them with building muscle [3].
The protein powder that fills up the scooper is referred to as one scoop of that protein powder scoop size.
Usually when you buy protein powder, inside the carton, tub, or box will probably be a scoop.
It is used to hold the protein powder and to tell you what all that one scoop of protein will contain.
A lot of powders come in large containers with dozens of servings in them.
For you to measure a single serving of protein powder, the manufacturers will have included the scooper.
One full scooper will be the equivalent of one scoop of protein powder.
If you read a recipe and it has reference to a scoop of protein powder, it will be indicating to you the serving size which is equal to one full scoop.
Protein powders for weight loss?
Some people use protein powder scoops to carefully measure so as to manage their body weight.
If you want to lose weight, you will probably only want to have two scoops of protein powder per day.
You will need to plan your protein intake based on carefully having analyzed your fitness goals.
You might need to discuss your goals with medical or fitness professionals.
It is really important to get expert advice if you are adding a new protein supplement to your diet, and you are trying to lose weight.
What You Get in a Scoop of Protein Powder
Protein powder, today, has become a staple for millions of bodybuilders, athletes, and other people.
Many parents use it for their children too. Most manufacturers will say their brand is the best protein powder out there.
All brands will be different in their nutritional information.
Generally speaking, a standard brand’s scoop of protein powder is going to give you these things:
Calories in a protein powder scoop size
Remember, there will be a couple of factors that determine your protein powder’s calorie count.
One is the primary protein source. Some powders are made from whey proteins.
All protein powders are not animal-based. Many, these days, are plant-based, due to demand from customers.
The suggested serving size will also depend on how many calories you get in your typical 30-gram scoop of protein powder.
For instance, a scoop of whey protein powder has about 110 calories. But you have to account for the addition you get when you drink protein shakes.
If you wanted to compare that with whole foods, you would be looking at about an ounce of cheddar cheese, a large bagel, and a pint of fresh strawberries.
Protein
The nutritional value you will get in a scoop of powder will depend on the serving size.
But also the source matters too. Plant-based protein sources would be very different
Is your powder a concentrate or an isolate [4]? Different powders will have unique natural ingredients and different protein percentages for the same amount consumed.
For instance, concentrate powders have a lower protein percentage than isolate powders.
Concentrates have around 70-85% by weight whereas isolates have at least 90 percent weight of protein.
That would mean that your 30-gram scoop could range between 27 grams of protein.
That’s equivalent to about a 4-ounce piece of chicken breast, 1-½ container of non-fat Greek yogurt, or 1-½ cups of black beans.
Breaking the protein down into individual components
Dehydrated whey powder [5], which is a by-product of the cheese-making process, is the main ingredient of most protein powders.
Then you get powdered amino acids, minerals and vitamins added; although not always.
Sweeteners have also probably been added, such as acesulfame potassium, maltodextrin, and sucralose.
A small number of powdered thickeners would have been added. Soy lecithin and cellulose gum could also be in your protein powders.
These are components of many commercial protein powders of today.
Conclusion
If you’ve lost your scoop, it’s not the end of the world for you. Look at the Nutrition Facts label that the back of your packet.
It will show you the serving size, and how many scoops are in the serving size. For example, if your label says each serving is 46 grams in 2 scoops.
All you do is divide the 46 grams by 2. Each scoop of protein powder will be 23 grams. Look, here is an example below:
Checking out the Nutrition Label can be very useful when you lose your scoop.
Just also remember that some brands will require more than just one scoop per serving. All the servings differ from brand to brand.
References
- [1] https://www.verywellfit.com/protein-recommendations-for-exercise-1229792
- [2] https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm
- [3] https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/protein-intake-for-optimal-muscle-maintenance.pdf
- [4] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whey-protein-isolate-vs-concentrate/
- [5] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263371