How MUCH Casein is Needed for Pre-Bedtime Shake?

[Brackish]

One of the Casein Whey Powder brands (I can't seem to find that link again) stated the 12 grams of casein per 1/8 c. Hence my confusion. This doesn't jive with the above obviously...

Not sure what this means exactly (are they advertising 96 grams of protein for a cup-size shake? Sounds way too good to be true). I use the ON version you included in one of your posts.

As Tim said, a cup of whole milk is usually about 8 grams of protein. The Optimum Nutrition brand of casein is going to be 23 grams of protein per scoop. So, 31 grams total if you mix a scoop with a single cup of milk.

As for the effects, visually I think I can tell whenever I slack off on the casein (I use both casein and whey on a daily basis), though, as was stated above, I'm not sure if the results are truly measurable.

One thing I can guarantee is you'll start every morning with a good shit if you stick with a casein routine. Otherwise, I would just try a reputable brand and see if you like it. I wouldn't give it too much thought beyond that.

I recently switched over to Fairlife (more expensive) for that reason. It contains 13g of protein/cup vs. the 8 you find in "standard" milk.

I'm going to consider this as well. I'm worried that my kid is going to be an asshole, and suddenly start drinking a shitload of milk for the sake of novelty.

Kids get their own milk. Fairlife is miiiiiine...

Things get tense at our house when there is a bottle of Fairlife choccy milk in the fridge...

Never tried the chocolate version. I'm cutting right now, so it's a no-go for the foreseeable future.

[mouse]

Never tried the chocolate version. I'm cutting right now, so it's a no-go for the foreseeable future.

Oh it's good... but yeah it's not a staple in the house at the moment... which is sad.

[OverheadDeadlifts]

For what it’s worth, a while back Jordan F wrote that not only does plain old whey protein raise plasma amino acid levels higher than casein, it actually keeps them elevated longer than casein does too. So if the goal of ‘slower digesting’ is to keep protein levels in the blood higher overnight, which i believe is technically irrelevant from a muscle protein synthesis standpoint, then whey protein actually does a better job of being ‘slower digesting’ than casein.

[Renascent]

For what it’s worth, a while back Jordan F wrote that not only does plain old whey protein raise plasma amino acid levels higher than casein, it actually keeps them elevated longer than casein does too. So if the goal of ‘slower digesting’ is to keep protein levels in the blood higher overnight, which i believe is technically irrelevant from a muscle protein synthesis standpoint, then whey protein actually does a better job of being ‘slower digesting’ than casein.

I probably first heard about casein in bro-circles somewhere online, but I thought part of its assumed purpose was to give your body something to "chew on" while you're at rest, i.e., keeping it from consuming muscle if you get hungry in your sleep?

(Sounded weird to myself as I typed that...)

[mgil]

Here’s what I have as a nighttime shake that tricks me into thinking I’m having a delicious dessert:





2 scoops of the vanilla casein and 2tbsp of the (sugar free) Metamucil and mix in a shaker bottle. It’s very filling so I don’t wake up hungry and it’s a solid dose of fiber for keeping the pipes clean.

[dw]

For what it’s worth, a while back Jordan F wrote that not only does plain old whey protein raise plasma amino acid levels higher than casein, it actually keeps them elevated longer than casein does too. So if the goal of ‘slower digesting’ is to keep protein levels in the blood higher overnight, which i believe is technically irrelevant from a muscle protein synthesis standpoint, then whey protein actually does a better job of being ‘slower digesting’ than casein.

I probably first heard about casein in bro-circles somewhere online, but I thought part of its assumed purpose was to give your body something to "chew on" while you're at rest, i.e., keeping it from consuming muscle if you get hungry in your sleep?

(Sounded weird to myself as I typed that...)

That was the bro conventional wisdom about casein for a while. I'm pretty sure exercise science has moved away from it now. I can't point to a specific source but I have heard the same comments from BBM mentioned earlier and probably SBS said something about it at some point.

[Wilhelm]

Rest time is exactly when the body is supposed to chew on itself.
aka autophagy.

**
Defragging

[mgil]

In terms of taste and texture, I find casein much more palatable. I know this is somewhat in the weeds, but it’s still clean protein even if it is suboptimal in comparison to whey isolate (which I use in my morning shake).

While I might not be kicking off muscle protein synthesis with the quickness like I could be with whey, at least I like drinking the damn thing, lol.

[Renascent]

autophagy.

Thank you. I couldn't remember the term for the life of me.

ETA: I think "catabolism" is the term I was thinking of earlier.

In terms of taste and texture, I find casein much more palatable.

Me too. Whereas I'm more inclined to just chug a whey shake to get it over with, I actually look forward to my casein shake.

[Allentown]

In terms of taste and texture, I find casein much more palatable. I know this is somewhat in the weeds, but it’s still clean protein even if it is suboptimal in comparison to whey isolate (which I use in my morning shake).

While I might not be kicking off muscle protein synthesis with the quickness like I could be with whey, at least I like drinking the damn thing, lol.

Whey concentrate and a $1 cheeseburger from mcdonalds is the same price as casein.

Honestly I suspect the casein shakes have more emulsifiers and flavoring and other stuff to make them more palatable and blend smoother, since they are already getting more money for the word "casein" on the tub. But yeah, when my wife sometimes does "meal replacement" shakes she won't drink the cheap stuff from MyProtein.

[mgil]

In terms of taste and texture, I find casein much more palatable. I know this is somewhat in the weeds, but it’s still clean protein even if it is suboptimal in comparison to whey isolate (which I use in my morning shake).

While I might not be kicking off muscle protein synthesis with the quickness like I could be with whey, at least I like drinking the damn thing, lol.

Whey concentrate and a $1 cheeseburger from mcdonalds is the same price as casein.

Honestly I suspect the casein shakes have more emulsifiers and flavoring and other stuff to make them more palatable and blend smoother, since they are already getting more money for the word "casein" on the tub. But yeah, when my wife sometimes does "meal replacement" shakes she won't drink the cheap stuff from MyProtein.

Maybe. TBH, I buy some fairly expensive (but not ridiculous) whey isolate and casein primarily to ensure quality and adherence to the label, and secondarily to have some buy-in with the spouse insofar that the kids can steal from it and use it in shakes; I know what battles to fight after being married 23 years.

I suspect that most of the protein worry is really in the weeds. Provided the remainder of the diet is pretty good, then the protein supplementation is likely “good enough” regardless of source/composition.

Having said that, two scoops of vanilla casein with 2 tablespoons of sugar free Metamucil makes for a pretty good concoction that helps hit a lot of protein and fiber targets with minimal additional carbs.

[FredM]

Having said that, two scoops of vanilla casein with 2 tablespoons of sugar free Metamucil makes for a pretty good concoction that helps hit a lot of protein and fiber targets with minimal additional carbs.

Also, cottage cheese + blueberries probably gives you a more "natural" way to do the same -- and is my new goto (plus pecans because I need some fat to stave off the hunger during bedtime on a cut).

In general I highly recommend cottage cheese if people haven't already tried it. It's one of those things everyone knows about but no one actually uses. For me it was because it looked kinda gross. But sh**'s delicious. I eat a cup a day now. Mixed with a little fruit and a few pecans during a cut -- or lots of pecans and fruit and honey on a bulk. It's about the same price as higher quality Casein powder (I used to buy Legion Athletics brand). Also goes really well in overnight oats -- half whey/half cottage cheese tastes 2x better than all whey (again with honey and fruit).

I don't think The Science agrees anymore that it's better at any point in the day than Whey (including before bed) but it's a nice break and still milk protein so pretty great for muscle building overall.

[mgil - edit for quote order]

[mgil]

@FredM, I eat low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese also. I like it with pistachios. Often times that’s my dinner: one pound of cottage cheese, about 2oz of pistachios, and maybe a bag of broccoli/cauliflower.

[FredM]

cottage cheese ... pistachios.

That's a great idea. No idea why I haven't tried that yet, given pistachios are my favorite nut. Thanks!