Economy Whey Protein Powder Review

Protein powders are a popular supplement used by fitness buffs to increase their muscle mass. They are also used by people to gain or maintain wait, or to add some extra protein to their diet. But since more and more people are hitting the gym, the protein powder industry has expanded. Just typing “protein powder” into Google will generate thousands of results. However, out of all the options, Canadian Protein stands out as one of the best protein powder companies in Canada.

In this review, I will be focusing on the Economy Whey protein powder made by Canadian Protein. I’ll give my thoughts on the various aspects of the powder. Plus, I’ll provide my overall thoughts on Economy Whey and whether I would recommend it to others. But first, lets look at what whey protein is and how it’s used.

According to Wikipedia, whey is the remaining liquid after milk has been curdled and strained. It is the byproduct of the cheese making process. But what is most known for is its use in protein powders.

Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to muscle growth. During a workout, the body’s muscles are damaged and/or destroyed. Proteins and amino acids help the body produce new muscle proteins (this is called protein synthesis). The new muscles will be larger and stronger than before. Protein is found in whole foods like meat and seafood. However, protein powders are usually absorbed more quickly by the body. That’s why bodybuilders and other athletes use protein powders as a an effective way to build or maintain muscle mass.

Whey protein powder is generally mixed with a liquid (e.g., water, milk, juice, etc.) in a blender bottle. It can also be combined with ingredients like frozen fruit or yogurt to make a shake or smoothie. For the best results, consume the protein drink immediately after your workout.

Outside of muscle repair/growth, whey protein has been linked to weight loss as well as improving conditions like asthma and diabetes. However, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

Economy Whey can be bought on the Canadian Protein website or on Amazon. If you do buy from Amazon, you can only purchase the 1kg package and there are only three flavours to choose from: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Canadian Protein uses Canada Post to ship nationwide. My orders were usually shipped within one week. However, shipping times can vary; other people have waited several weeks for the order to arrive. Canadian Protein provides the tracking number for your order, which is helpful. The company also does international shipping to many countries across the world.

The price for Economy Whey will depend on the size you order.  As of 2022, the cheapest price is $14.99 CAD for a 250g package. The 6kg package is the most expensive at $159.99 CAD. I purchased the 1kg container at $29.99 CAD and the 2kg container at $39.99 CAD. This did not include shipping or taxes, which was about $10.00 in total. These prices are much more affordable than other protein powders. On average, a 2lb container of whey protein usually costs $44.99-$50.00 CAD. This does not include shipping fees or taxes, which can add an extra $10.00 or more to the price. Canadian Protein also offers incentives to lower the price. For example, if you buy three containers, you get 10% off your order. Or if you subscribe to the company, 5% will be taken off the price and you can schedule regular orders (e.g., every 30 days). These incentives make Economy Whey even more affordable.

Unlike other whey protein powders, Economy Whey comes in a plastic container. Usually, protein powders come in barrel shaped containers. The container for Economy Whey resembles the packaging used for mixed nuts or flour. Its design makes it easy to store. When the powder is halfway done, you can fold the container up and store it in a tight space. This worked well for me since my kitchen is already cramped with utensils, tools, and containers.

Source: Rank-It

Protein powders have a reputation for not mixing well with liquids. Large clumps will stick to the bottom or sides of a bottle, or tiny undissolved particles will remain in the drink. While this is true of some brands, this is not the case for Economy Whey. I used water with my Economy Whey, and the powder fully dissolved into the liquid. Most times, I was not left with clumps stuck to the bottom of my shaker, or tiny undissolved particles floating in the water. However, there were instances where the powder did not completely dissolve. For example, tiny clumps would stick to the side of my bottle. But as long as I shook the mixture well, the powder blended completely. You can also wait an hour or two before consuming your protein drink. This will give the protein powder time to fully mix. I often did this and found it to be an effective method, even if it takes some patience.

Economy Whey before it completely dissolves. Source: Rank-It

Economy Whey fully mixed in water. Source: Rank-It

One scoop (31g) of  vanilla Economy Whey has 133 calories, 3g of carbs, and 21g of protein. There also 2g of sugars. For me, the low amount of sugar is a plus. Some protein powders and protein bars have high amounts of sugar in them, which is obviously unhealthy. But Economy Whey manages to be low in sugar while still having a sweet taste. The protein count is good, but it is still lower than other brands. I would have liked the protein amount to be a at least 3g higher. The other whey powders made by Canadian Protein have a higher protein count. For example, their Whey Protein Concentrate powder has 24g of protein.

The nutrition label for vanilla Economy Whey. Source: Canadian Protein

The ingredients listed on the back of the package include:

• Whey protein concentrate
• Natural and artificial flavours
• Xantham gum
• Sucralose
• Soy letchin

The powder also contains milk, and it may contain gluten, shellfish, soy, peanuts, and other tree nuts. This is something to consider if you have allergies or intolerances to any of those ingredients.

I had no issues with the ingredients used in Economy Whey. I didn’t mind that there was artificial flavouring added to the powder. I saw at as way to make the powder taste better. However, there may be some people who do not like the artificial ingredients used in Economy Whey; they would prefer a protein powder that was all natural. But the truth is that there are very few protein powders that are made from natural ingredients. Most will have some amount of artificial ingredients. Brands that are in fact all natural are typically expensive.

Out of the four options, I bought the vanilla flavour. Overall, I liked the taste of the vanilla Economy Whey. When mixed in water, the powder still has a vanilla flavour that is not overly sweet. Plus, there is no chemical/artificial aftertaste that is present in some protein powders.

The vanilla Economy Whey also works well in baking. I used the powder to make protein granola and protein cookies. The flavour blended well with the other ingredients, and both items ended up tasting great. Additionally, I added the vanilla Economy Whey to plain Greek yogurt and oatmeal. Again, the flavour worked well and actually enhanced the overall taste.

I have yet to try the other Economy Whey flavours. But based on some customer reviews, they may not be worth buying. Several people said that the flavours do not even taste like they are supposed to. For example, one person said the chocolate and peanut butter flavour tasted like watered down chocolate. Another person said they had to add sweeteners to activate the peanut butter flavour; even then, the results were not satisfying. Other reviews said the flavours were quite bland. Still, these complaints could just be subjective. Other people might like the flavours.

To test the efficacy of Economy Whey, I drank the protein powder immediately after my workout. I did this for about four weeks. There were days where I did not drink the protein powder. Instead, I added it to unsweetened Greek yogurt. At first, I did not see any changes. However, as the weeks went by, I did notice some subtle differences. I could see my muscle mass slowly increasing as well. Even though it was not a dramatic increase, the difference in my body composition was evident. I also noticed that my body was not as sore after the next day. This indicates that Economy Whey helped my body repair and recover faster after a workout. Based on my trial run, I can safely say that Economy Whey achieves its primary goal of building and repairing muscles.

As I mentioned earlier, there are countless protein powder brands to choose from. The following are two different protein powders I have tried.

Vega Proteins and Greens is a vegan protein powder that uses plants instead of whey as the protein source (e.g., pea protein). It comes in five flavours:

• Chocolate
• Berry
• Salted Caramel
• Vanilla
• Coconut Almond

There is also a plain unsweetened option.

Per one 30g scoop, there are 110 calories, 5g of carbohydrates, and 20g of protein. The sugar count is also low (1g total). Vega Proteins and Greens only come in two sizes: medium (614g), and small (526g). The price for this protein powder is relatively low: $29.19 CAD for the small version and $36.79 CAD for the medium container.

I did not have the best experience with Vega Proteins and Greens. For starters, the powder never mixed well, no matter how hard I shook my bottle. Even if I let the mixture set for a couple of hours, I still found clumps sticking to the sides and bottom of my blender bottle. I did not enjoy the taste. While it wasn’t terrible, it tasted artificial and had a grittiness to it. This might be the result of the plant ingredients and the use of Stevia leaf as a sweetener. When compared to Economy Whey, the two are worlds apart in terms of quality. If I had to choose between the two protein powders, I would pick Economy Whey over Vega every time. I would only recommend Vega Proteins and Greens for people following a vegan diet. With that being said, there are better vegan protein powders out there.

The other protein powder I have tried is the Whey Chips Ahoy! protein powder from Ghost Protein. This protein powder is the result of a partnership between Ghost Protein and Chips Ahoy! It is one of the specialty flavours offered by Ghost Protein. The protein powder is only available in a 2lb container at $44.99 CAD. In terms of nutrition, one 39g scoop nets:

• 160 calories
• 7g carbohydrates (4g total sugars, 2g added sugars)
• 25g protein

I liked the Whey Chips Ahoy! protein powder. It mixed well in water, and it did taste like chocolate chip cookies. The only thing I had to be carful with was the amount of water I used. If I added too much, the flavour was watered down. As a bonus, small chocolate chip pieces are added to the powder to enhance the flavour. The downside to this is that they often ended up at the bottom of my shaker bottle after I finished my drink. To fix this issue, I used a spoon to fish out the pieces and ate them. I thought of it as a niece little treat. The 25g protein count was a plus, but I did not like the high amount of sugar. Still, Whey Chips Ahoy! is a good alternative to Economy Whey. In the future, I will probably try the other Ghost Protein flavours, especially the Nutter Butter and Milk Chocolate versions.

Click here to see more protein powders.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Canadian Protein’s Economy Whey protein powder. The vanilla flavour tasted great, whether it was in a drink or in foods like oatmeal or yogurt. However, several customers have said that the other Economy Whey flavours do not taste good. While this is probably a subjective opinion, it is something to consider. I had no issues with mixing the powder with liquids. The only negative was having to wait a 1-2 hours for the powder to completely dissolve. But the wait was worth the reward. I was pleased with the results I achieved in using Economy Whey. While I did not get sudden changes, I noticed a slow and steady growth in my muscle mass. I can confidently say that using Economy Whey will help you build up your muscles. If there was one thing I would improve for Economy Whey, it would be its protein count. I would bump it up by 3-4g.

I would definitely recommend Economy Whey protein powder. It is the ideal combination of great tasting flavour and quality nutrition/ingredients with an affordable price tag.