Can whey protein be cooked? This is another question that many bodybuilding enthusiasts ask themselves when trying out whey-based recipes. Many of them would like to cook their protein powders in a variety of ways, to combine the useful with the pleasurable. However, it is often reported that heat denatures whey and that, once cooked, it is less rich in amino acids.
Can cooking protein powders and whey recipes keep you from your goals? Well, yes and no! Cooking whey does not reduce the nutritional value of this protein supplement. However, this doesn't apply to all the products you'll find on the market.
We don't know what happens to certain synthetic ingredients when exposed to high heat. You need to be particularly careful with additives. We therefore strongly advise you to opt for a whey without additives, to preserve your health while building muscle. Read on before preparing your pancakes and other whey-based delights.
Does cooking denature the proteins in whey?
Denaturation is the main reason why athletes don't cook whey. The heat would damage the molecular structure of the proteins, making them less useful for muscle building.
This persistent belief among bodybuilding enthusiasts is not entirely untrue. Heat actually changes the configuration of protein molecules.
However, this change has little impact on their nutritional values.
For example, egg white changes texture when heated. This change in texture is the result of denaturation. The ovalbumin molecules unfold to form a modified chain of amino acids. This chemical reaction does not change the fact that eggs are a complete food. The proteins and amino acids it contains are still valuable nutrients for our bodies.
In fact, mankind has been eating cooked and therefore denatured proteins since the dawn of time. When meat or fish is cooked, the same reaction occurs. Heating or cooking whey would therefore not be an abomination. But you still need to know whether this practice puts your health at risk.
Note: some people wonder whether it's possible to take whey with hot water or hot milk. As the nutritional quality of proteins under heat is a priori unaffected, this poses no problem if the whey contains no additives or sweeteners.
Cooked dishes containing whey: a health hazard?
In addition to concerns about protein denaturation during cooking, many athletes are also worried about the new compounds that may appear. Indeed, bodybuilding enthusiasts believe that protein powders are the result of chemical transformation. Logically, therefore, heat would encourage the appearance of new substances potentially dangerous to health.
On this point, it's important to remember that wheys, the main protein powders on the market, are derived from milk. The manufacturing process does not involve any particular enrichment. To obtain whey, producers (usually) mechanically filter the milk to isolate the whey proteins.
This whey filtrate is then freeze-dried using a particularly complex process. At the end of the process, when the finished product is formulated, additives are often added to improve various aspects of this high-protein food supplement (we'll come back later to what happens to additives when they are cooked).
From the point of view of the raw material, consuming cooked whey is ultimately equivalent to consuming heated whey. Since the main ingredient in this protein supplement is of natural origin, consumers have nothing to fear from cooking.
Cooked whey as a supplement?
There's nothing to stop you adding whey to your dishes to top up your protein intake. There are plenty of recipes on the Internet, and it's perfectly possible to prepare tasty, yet low-calorie dishes.
However, whey is prized above all for its high bioavailability. Milk whey contains rapidly assimilated proteins. However, it tends to lose this characteristic when mixed with a carbohydrate source.
Pastries, sweets and smoothies containing whey therefore tend to be less suitable for post-workout supplementation. In this case, the body will take longer to absorb the amino acids and your recovery will be less effective than with a classic shaker, even if the difference remains minimal.
These formulas are ideal before bedtime, in the morning, or as a mid-day snack. If you'd like to delve deeper into the subject, our article on the best time to take your whey may help.
For athletes looking above all to speed up their recovery on a one-off basis, fast-assimilating proteins should be preferred. Even if cooking tends to remove this quality from whey, these athletes can still indulge in a protein pancake or a pancake with whey.
It's important to understand that, in order to take full advantage of whey's muscle-recovery benefits, it's best to consume whey conventionally, in a shaker with 200 ml of liquid.
Which whey is right for high-protein recipes?
Of course, not all whey products are created equal. Each producer advocates different values, and their visions are reflected in the composition of their whey products. In many cases, these protein powders feature a long list of additives.
These additions are designed to improve whey's taste, texture and solubility. While these compounds make the product easier to use for consumers, their safety has been called into question. Medical and scientific studies alert athletes to certain dangers.
Scientists have focused in particular on sucralose, one of the most widely used sweeteners in the industry. This substance, hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, habituates the brain to excessively sweet flavors1.
Although it is calorie-free, it paradoxically pushes athletes to eat more sugar in their conventional diet, ruining their diet and metabolism in the long term. What's more, these molecules have been implicated in metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, as well as disturbances to the intestinal microbiota.
Additives, and sucralose in particular, are even more deleterious after cooking. Sucralose, when exposed to high heat, transforms into toxic compounds2. So you'd better choose your whey carefully, especially if you're planning to cook it. Find all the arguments for choosing a sweetener-free protein powder here .
We can only advise you to opt for a whey without additives and produced in France. Due to the absence of sweeteners, the whey will have a less powerful sweet taste, which may be surprising at first for some regular consumers of sweetened whey. On the other hand, whether cooked or raw, you'll be consuming a totally healthy and natural whey.
