No doubt you’ve seen ads for Muscle Milk. I’m sure you’ve seen Muscle Milk in your local discount chain.
I’m a Certified Sports Nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in sports nutrition supplements. I also have an extensive background in the retail supplement business. I can help you decide if Muscle Milk is a good protein powder for you.
Muscle Milk comes in quite a few varieties. There are RTDs, and they are a popular option. There are also several protein powder options. In this article, we will be looking at Muscle Milk Genuine protein powder. This is the current version of the original Muscle Milk powder. It’s popular and it’s also a different take on the typical protein powder.
Muscle Milk Genuine contains ingredients that some users may not want. These ingredients are the use of fats and carbohydrates. The addition of these turns Muscle Milk into more of a meal replacement. It’s not a traditional high protein/low carb/low-fat protein powder.
With that in mind, I have found Muscle Milk to be too high in carbs and fats. When I use protein, I don’t want extra calories. However, I have used Muscle Milk. It’s not my preferred protein powder.
Still, I have always found it to be an adequate source of protein. It’s OK if you use it once in a while. This is especially true if you’re following a fat loss program.
In our Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder review, we will look at the nutritional breakdown of Muscle Milk. We’ll look at what Muscle Milk does, and who it’s best suited for. We’ll also look at alternatives for those that may not want to use Muscle Milk.
Let’s get going!
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CytoSport is the company that introduced Muscle Milk. There are currently several versions of protein powder in the Muscle Milk lineup. The Genuine version is the closest to the original powder. The current Genuine version contains 32g protein per 2-scoop serving. The blend consists of whey concentrate, casein, and milk isolate protein. It also supplies 280 calories, 21g of carbohydrates that includes 2g of sugar. There’s also 9g fat.
You can use Muscle Milk pre-workout, post-workout, or as a high protein meal replacement. It supports muscle growth and recovery. With 32g protein, Muscle Milk can help you meet your daily protein requirements.
Muscle Milk is a decent source of fast and slow-digesting proteins. It also mixes easy and has a rich, thick texture. You can use it in virtually any recipe or smoothie. Or, mix it up with cold water. However, it has artificial ingredients. It’s high in fat and carbs, which disqualifies it from any low-carb diet.
The fats are partially from MCTs, which are good for energy. Combined with the carbs, this product works better for someone looking for a meal replacement. It’s also helpful as a source of extra calories to fuel their workouts.
It’s not a good choice for anyone trying to lose body fat. It’s OK for anyone that needs fast and slow-digesting protein. Yet there are choices out there that are of higher quality with fewer calories.
Give it a shot, but take a look at our alternative selections for other options that may be a better fit.
Currently, Muscle Milk features a blend of fast and slow-digesting proteins. One serving = 2 scoops and provides 32g protein. As noted, the sources are whey concentrate, caseinate, and milk isolate. This provides a sustained delivery that makes Muscle Milk ideal for post-workout and nighttime use.
You can also use Muscle Milk at the start of a long day. Many people lead busy lives and can’t always sit down to a whole food meal. That means a shake like Muscle Milk will provide slow-digesting protein that stays in your system for hours. This makes Muscle Milk a good choice for bodybuilders or fitness enthusiasts that want to hang on to their muscle mass.
The sustained delivery of the protein blend in Muscle Milk makes it a great meal replacement. You can consume a serving and be set for hours. There are no worries about losing muscle mass if you have to miss a meal. It tastes good, it’s filling, and one serving supplies 20 vitamins and minerals. The fact that it contains carbs and fat makes it a complete, well-balanced meal.
Also, it does not contain much sugar. This can be a problem with many higher calorie powders. Some meal replacements have too much sugar. If you want to replace a meal, you should have a balance among the macronutrients. Also, there should be a low sugar content.
Muscle Milk provides this balance and gives you ingredients that serve a purpose. As noted, most of the fats are MCTs. They burn fast so they’re used for energy, but not stored as fat. There are carbs as well to help fuel your workouts. A balanced ratio of protein, carbs, and fats, plus the added vitamins/minerals, support recovery.
Muscle Milk isn’t only for your shaker or blender. Yes, you can mix it with your morning shake or smoothie. Or you can bake with it. There are quite a few Muscle Milk recipes. These include protein cookies, protein pancakes, and protein bread. You can also add Muscle Milk to your yogurt or oatmeal.
It’s easy to find recipes. You only have to go online to their website. They have quite a few recipe selections that appeal to anyone’s tastes. Muscle Milk helps control hunger and provides the energy you need to get through your workout. It also will help you get through your day without feeling hungry.
If Muscle Milk has drawbacks, it’s the use of artificial ingredients. There are artificial flavors and sweeteners. The other problem with this product is the frequent nutrient profile changes. Do a Google search for Muscle Milk Genuine and it’s hard to find the same nutrient content twice.
One of the reasons for different nutrient profiles is the flavor. Compare Vanilla Creme to Natural Vanilla. The Natural Vanilla bumps up the sugar to 16g per two scoop serving. This also increases calories. Total carbs drop to 20g. This means less complex carbs for the sake of added sugar. There’s no good reason to add this much extra sugar.
The only thing that does not seem to change is the 32g protein. Yet depending on the site you go to, the protein sources change. Sometimes the labels list whey protein concentrate. It’s combined with caseinate and milk isolate. The problem is, the label seems to frequently change. Sometimes, there’s no whey concentrate listed at all. That makes Muscle Milk an exclusively slow-digesting protein.
There’s no reason for this. It’s the “Genuine” version of Muscle Milk. There’s either whey concentrate or there isn’t. For the sake of consistency, Muscle Milk needs to be an unchanging formula. What is the most up-to-date version? That fact seems to be a little cloudy.
Ultimately, Muscle Milk is a good source of protein, and it works well as a meal replacement. However, the carb content eliminates Muscle Milk from any low-carb diet. If you’re not on a fat loss program, Muscle Milk can be a useful addition to your nutritional arsenal.
Despite Muscle Milk’s advantages, some users may want a cleaner formula with fewer carbs and fats.
Back when Muscle Milk first came out, the emphasis was on a low-fat diet for fat loss. People looked at MCTs as a fat that was good for quick energy. Carbohydrates were also considered important for energy.
Since then, the low-carb diet approach has kicked in. MCT’s may still be viewed as a “lean lipid”, but not everyone understands how MCTs work. In fact, Muscle Milk has faced several lawsuits, usually for making false claims. The term “lean lipid” was their term for the MCTs in Muscle Milk. Still, Muscle Milk has not stopped using MCTs in their formula, but they have stopped calling them “lean lipids”.
The bottom line here is that it’s difficult to use Muscle Milk and follow a low-carb diet. Also, if you don’t agree with their use of fats, or any other ingredients, this isn’t the protein powder for you. Here are some alternatives that may be a better fit.
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BSN Syntha 6 was the original competitor to Muscle Milk. Syntha 6, like Muscle Milk, provides more carbs and fat than a regular protein powder. This means you can use it as a meal replacement. In this case, one serving equals one scoop and provides 200 calories. There are also 15g carbs with 3g sugar and 6g fat. That’s less than a serving of Muscle Milk.
In addition, there’s 22g protein per serving from a blend of seven sources. The first three sources are whey concentrate, whey isolate, and calcium caseinate. Plus, there’s micellar casein, milk protein isolate, egg albumin, and glutamine peptides.
As you can see, Syntha 6 has a superior protein complex. This is a fast, medium, and slow-digesting protein blend. Also, while Synth-6 works well as a meal replacement, not all users may want the extra carbs and fat. In addition, Syntha 6, like Muscle Milk, contains artificial ingredients.
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PES Select is a low carb, low fat protein powder. One serving provides 24g protein from a blend of milk protein isolate, whey concentrate, and leucine peptides. This is a good alternative to Muscle Milk for anyone that wants a low calorie protein.You can use Select with any low carb diet.You can also use it as part of a lean bulk diet. It has a high BCAA content and works well any time of the day. If PES Select has a drawback, it’s the use of artificial ingredients.
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This is another meal replacement that competes well with Muscle Milk. Macrolution MRP features 21g protein. The blend is EFA whey, which is a whey protein/high-phospholipid complex. There’s also whey concentrate and whey isolate. Macrolution MRP supplies 195 calories with only 8g carbs and 6g fat. This meal replacement works well for someone on a fat loss diet. It will work for some low carb diets. In comparison, Muscle Milk is a poor choice for anyone following a fat loss program.
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This is a strict protein powder that features 25g of micellar casein, the highest quality casein protein. There are 120 calories, and less than 1g of fat. Also, there are only 2g carbs which include 1g sugar. This is a premium quality casein protein powder that fits any need. You can use it for fat loss and muscle growth.
NutraBio Micellar Casein is ideal for nighttime. Also, it’s a great powder to use before you begin your long day at work or school. This is natural but does contain 70mg of sucralose. Also, It’s not meant to be a meal replacement powder.
Muscle Milk is a good source of slow digesting casein protein. One serving provides 32 grams. It’s a good meal replacement powder for those users that may not have time to eat a regular meal. It can also be a good choice for bodybuilders and fitness minded people that want a slow digesting nighttime protein.
Yet the high carb content makes it a bad choice for anyone following a low-carb diet. Also, while there’s MCTs and they support energy, not all users want the extra fat. Also, this product contains a lot of “other ingredients”. These include artificial flavoring and sweeteners.
There are other choices available that are higher quality products. This is true whether you want a meal replacement or protein powder. You’ve seen several of these choices in our “Alternatives” section.
Still, if you’re interested in trying Muscle Milk, you can find the Genuine Powder almost anywhere. Check your favorite drug store, grocery store, or discount store. Chances are, it’s there. Or shop online. You can also check out the rest of the Muscle Milk line. This includes their other powders, RTDs, and bars. Give Muscle Milk a try if you feel it fits your goals.
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