Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate Review

Of all the protein powders on the market, Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard whey protein may be the best-known and almost widely consumed. It'due south the number ane seller on Bodybuilding.com and Amazon, merely we were curious — is this really a smashing production, or is it just the most pop? Does it deserve its spot as the default whey protein powder used by millions?

We decided to take a harder look at the crowd favorite and found that information technology's well priced, has cracking macronutrients, and scores highly for label accuracy — 3 qualities that rarely intersect in the whey protein industry.

Optimum Nutrition Golden Standard Whey

Optimum Nutrition Aureate Standard Whey

The market's most popular whey lives up to its reputation as a solid all-rounder with a huge variety of flavors to choose from. It includes 24 grams of protein in each round scoop and mixes well with milk or h2o.

Editor'due south note: The content on BarBend is meant to exist informative in nature, merely it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended to diagnose, prevent, and/or treat health problems. Information technology's always a good idea to talk to your physician before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. Individual needs for vitamins and minerals will vary.

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Optimum Diet Whey Protein Nutrition Facts

Let'southward start with the nuts. One rounded scoop delivers 24 grams of poly peptide, 3 grams of carbohydrates, i gram of saccharide, and one gram of fat. Various independent tests have shown that it may be closer to 21 or 22 grams of protein per serving, a deviation that's really pretty negligible in the supplement world — Optimum Nutrition (ON) has a adept track record with third-party testers.

ON Gilt Standard Whey Ingredients

For something so popular and so inexpensive, the ingredients list is surprisingly brusque. Hither is the Double Rich Chocolate flavor'due south ingredients list:

Protein blend — whey protein isolates, concentrates, and peptides
Cocoa
Lecithin
Natural and artificial flavors
Acesulfame potassium
Aminogen
Lactase

And so what does all that mean? Of these iii kinds of whey, whey protein isolate has the highest percentage of poly peptide, though the process to make it reduces a lot of its other ingredients that tin can promote overall wellness and immunity, like peptides.

The concentrate is the cheapest form of whey. While it has less protein and more fatty per gram than isolate and peptides, it contains more ingredients with potential health benefits like conjugated linoleic acrid (CLA) — a potential weight loss aid — and phospholipids. Whey peptides are pricier merely besides more broken downward — some telephone call it "pre-digested" — so they absorb quickly. Each course of whey has its own benefits and drawbacks, so combining them all is a smart tactic.

Regarding the other ingredients, lecithin is used to improve mixability. Aminogen is a blend of enzymes that help assimilate the protein and reduce gas, and Lactase should make lactose easier to digest. The acesulfame potassium is a sweetener — nigh 200 times sweeter than sugar — that'due south controversial in some circles just appears to accept no negative effects at low levels.

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Gold Standard Whey Benefits and Effectiveness

Every bit mentioned above, the alloy of three kinds of whey helps make this a very well-rounded production. Contrary to popular belief, at that place'south no 1 "all-time " kind of whey. They each come up with their own benefits, and mixing them all was a smart move past ON. Many of the benefits of this production come from the fact that it contains whey, a high-quality protein containing Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), and other non-essential amino acid glutamine.

The macros make this a solid choice for folks on low-carb diets or low-fatty diets. Aminogen and Lactase should improve digestion, but besides that, there's not a lot else in this product. It's several kinds of whey and some enzymes to help you lot brand the most of it.

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Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein Price

In an boilerplate supplement shop, ON whey protein tubs vary from ii to five pounds. The latter offers 73 servings for $58. That's 79 cents per serving or ¢three.31 per gram of protein. If yous buy a standard 2-pound tub, it'southward $30 for 29 servings. That'south $1.03 per serving or ¢4.31 per gram of poly peptide.

That'due south pretty cheap for whey. Here are some comparisons to other whey proteins on the market:

Dymatize Elite — ¢6.24 per gram of protein, five-pound tub
Jym protein powder — ¢4.49 per gram, four-pound tub
Isopure Zero Carb — ¢3.82 per gram, three-pound tub
BPI Sports' Whey-Hard disk — ¢3.6 per gram, five-pound tub
Cellucor Cor-Performance Whey — ¢three.57 per gram, 5-pound tub
Musclepharm's Combat 100% Whey — ¢two.85 per gram, five-pound tub
GNC's 100% Whey — ¢2.69 per gram, two-pound tub

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Mixability

ON'due south Gold Standard mixes well with both h2o and milk, probable due to the lecithin, which helps improve mixability. It shakes well in a shaker or but stirring with a spoon — brand sure you lot're stirring fast — and dissolves nicely into the fluid.

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Optimum Nutrition Whey Sense of taste

Optimum Nutrition sells some twenty dissimilar flavors, and they know their chocolate. The line includes Double Rich Chocolate, Extreme Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Malt, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Kokosnoot, White Chocolate, and Rocky Route (that'south their chocolate and marshmallow flavor).

We purchased the most normal-sounding chocolate: Double Rich Chocolate. Despite the "double" in the title, it's tasty without being overwhelmingly sweet or intensely flavored. It's closer to a dark chocolate taste than milk chocolate. If you're after a sweeter, creamier, more than intense chocolate, you might prefer the every bit popular Farthermost Milk Chocolate season.

Some flavors from ON are overnice as a one-off but easy to get sick of after a few shakes (e.thou., Cake Donut). Double Rich Chocolate is ON'due south standard, basic chocolate. Information technology's reliable and mild enough that it won't overwhelm the palate, and consumers probably won't get tired of information technology. Note that the flipside of this "low intensity" chocolate is that it's very, very banal when mixed with water.

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The Takeaway

ON gives you what it promises: a no-frills, dependable whey protein powder. It's non just reliable; it's cheap and tasty, too. It'southward difficult to find fault with Optimum Nutrition'southward production; if in that location'southward an industry gold standard, this may deserve the title.