I told you last time that I’d been shifting some tin in an attempt to get some muscle on my feeble limbs before regatta season starts in earnest, so it was timely that MyProtein recently sent me a selection of products from their range to try out.
The arrival of the MyProtein box created some excitement as my gym-lovin’ teenage son is a big fan of the brand, which he describes as a reliable, no-frills, good value range. All I knew was that I wanted them to taste decent (I really, really don’t like that protein after-taste that you get with some makes). I was also interested in something portable for the post-rowing and post-gym munchies – I’m prone to get a bit lightheaded after I work out.
I tried a few of the products, and they all did what it said on the tin, but there were two stand-out ones that I would buy again.
Good enough for the cookie monster
I wanted something that you could just chuck in your bag and grab quickly, and – equally importantly – something that felt like “normal” food. This did the job beautifully. The ones I tried were chocolate mint flavor and didn’t taste of protein powder. They were pretty filling (not surprising as they contain 37.5g of protein) and half would probably have done, but they tasted so good I never managed just half. Admittedly my son got to quite a few of them before I did, but I think we’ll take that as a good sign. He is dropping heavy hints to me to buy some more now the box is empty.
£16.99 for a box of 12 from MyProtein.com.
2. L-glutamine
Surprisingly tasty
Glutamine is an amino acid, in this instance in powder form. I’m aware that opinion is divided on the need to take it as a supplement, but its proponents say it’s worth taking as glutamine levels fall sharply during intense training and take several days to return. Glutamine is necessary for synthesising protein and is thought to help the immune system.
I’m not a professional dietitian so I wouldn’t feel qualified to comment on this, but to a lay ear it sounds like sense to me. With my medical history I get easily run down so anything that can help me along during hard training appeals quite a lot. I’ve been taking the L-glutamine for a little while now and so far so good in terms of energy levels and recovery (OK, everything aches right now, but nobody said it would stop that from happening).
The main thing is that it tastes OK. I was sent the tropical flavour, which I confess I expected to be revolting, but actually it’s quite nice – a bit like a fruit squash. And yes, I’d buy.
£5.99 for 250g (you take 15g/day) from MyProtein.com
Note: the products featured here were sent as a gift by MyProtein but, as always, this is my honest and independent opinion.
