Diary of a Fit Mommy: Top 10 Best Protein Powders

Protein powder is essential whether or not you are looking to put on muscle or to lean up and are great for lots of reasons.

They are:

• More convenient than high-protein foods like meats, fish, eggs and dairy;
• Either fat and cholesterol-free or contain only a small fraction of the fat
and cholesterol found in high-protein foods;
• Money-savers when compared to high-protein foods like meats and fish;
• Beneficial in ways beyond merely supplying extra protein;
• Great-tasting and can be used by the whole family.

So why do we need protein? Of the 21 amino acids coded for by the DNA of multicellular organisms, adult humans can only synthesize 12 of them. The other nine must be consumed in the diet, so we call them essential amino acids.

Some nutrients, like vitamin B12, are stored within the body and released when needed—so though we must consume a certain amount on average, we don’t have to do so every day in order to keep ourselves healthy.

Back in my GNC days, you wouldn't believe how many guys came in, claiming to be "bodybuilders" and had zero clue of: 1) why they needed protein and 2) which protein to get. I wanted to beat them over the head with a shakeweight-which was equally as worthless, in my own opinion.

Luckily, for those who have no idea of what protein to purchase, BodyBuilding.com has put together a huge list of the best tasting, best quality, and best selling protein powders out there.

According to BodyBuilding.com, here are this year's top ten selling & ranked protein powders:

1. Optimum Nutrition: Gold Standard 100% W hey; Rated 9.2/10