If you are looking for a whey protein powder without the artificial sweeteners, then you've probably come across Australia's two major natural products:
- Dymatize All Natural Elite Whey Protein Powder
- Optimum Natural Whey Protein Powder
Both of these products are big sellers within our supplement store and I have had the pleasure of trying them both. As a result, I felt it appropriate to compose a comparison article on the two very similar products.
Both Optimum and Dymatize are big (BIG) international companies renowned for high quality products. Although both products may seem similar at first glance being free from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, the two products cater to two very different markets within the health and fitness industry.
Let's take a closer look at how each product performs in various categories!
Natural Protein Powder Price
Why not begin with product price? Optimum is a more expensive brand internationally. They have a very good reputation for high quality products and their natural whey protein powder is no exception. On the other hand, whilst Dymatize also has products of an exceptionally high standard, they cater for customers at a lower price point. Consequently, the Dymatize Natural Elite Whey is about $13 cheaper than the Optimum Natural Whey in our supplement store at the time of writing.
If you have consumed a variety of protein powders, you'll be well aware that price isn't everything. Price is not always a reliable indicator of how well the product suits you and your goals.
The Size of the Natural Whey Tubs
Although these tubs are typically marketed as 5lbs tubs, supplement companies will often adjust the tub volume slightly to attract more business. This is the case here as the Optimum Natural Whey is 5.11lbs (2,324g), being 2.5% larger than the Dymatize Natural Whey at 5lbs (2,268g). Admittedly, not a significant difference as the cost per gram equals 0.0387 and 0.0338 cents/gram respectively. Optimum is still more expensive gram for gram.
Moving onto serving sizes, the Optimum Natural Protein contains 74 serves (31.4g each) and the Dymatize Natural Protein contains 68 serves (33.35g each). This equates to $1.22 and $1.13 per serve respectively. Again, Dymatize being cheaper in this regard.
The Nutritional Composition of Each Natural Protein Powder
Let's look at each individually, starting with the Optimum Natural Whey:
- Serving size: 31.4g
- Energy: 130 cal
- Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrate: 5g
- Protein: 24g
And the Dymatize Natural Whey:
- Serving size: 33.35g
- Energy: 125 cal
- Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrate: 4g
- Protein: 24g
Let's manipulate the Optimum Natural Whey Serving size to 33.35 so we can compare these figures head to head:
- Serving size: 33.35g
- Energy: 138 cal
- Fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrate: 5.3g
- Protein: 25.5g
Based on this data we can conclude that:
- The Optimum has significantly more calories based on weight
- The Dymatize is slightly higher in fat
- The Optimum is higher in carbohydrate
- The Optimum is higher in protein
If we consider current pricing, the Optimum equates to 5.1c/gram of protein, while the Dymatize Natural Whey comes to 4.7c/gram of protein.
The reason why the Optimum Natural Whey contains more carbohydrate is because it contains both fructose (fruit sugar) and stevia (a natural sweetener). Meanwhile the Dymatize Whey contains no sugar and stevia as the sweetener.
Both protein powders contain digestive enzymes including Lactase.
The proteins contained within each product are similar in nature:
- Optimum Natural Whey contains (in order) whey protein isolate (both cross flow ultra filtration and ion-exchange), cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides
- Dymatize Natural Elite Whey contains (in order) ion-exchange whey protein isolates, cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides
Ion-exchange proteins can have a lower bio-availability as compared to other whey proteins. Consequently they are generally regarded as less desirable proteins.
How the Natural Protein Powders Taste & Mix
When I first tried natural protein powders, I wasn't sure what to expect. Actually, I was expecting a bitter and somewhat unpleasant taste. Well, I was very surprised upon trying both of these products.
The Dymatize Natural Elite Whey was the first natural protein powder that I had ever tasted. Initially, it tasted quite different due to the presence of stevia (of which I had never knowingly tasted before). While it is sweet, it isn't quite like sugar and has a distinct taste to it. Initially it was nice and then the taste grew on me. My favourite of the three flavours (chocolate, vanilla, berry) would have to be the chocolate.
Meanwhile the Optimum Natural Whey did not take any time to become accustomed to. The first taste of this product and I was hooked! It tastes fantastic. The reason why is because they have utilised fructose as a sweetening agent which replaces the more distinct stevia taste that you obtain with the Dymatize product. I was particularly impressed with the vanilla in the Optimum Natural Whey range, it is a particularly good flavour.
Both brands mixed into milk and water exceptionally well using a spoon and shaker bottle. The Dymatize tends to mix better than the Optimum.
Conclusion of the Natural Proteins
There is no doubt in my mind that both of these products are excellent. As mentioned within the introduction, both products do have their place in the market. Here are my conclusions as to the benefits of both products:
Optimum 100% Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:
- More better quality whey protein isolates (as not all WPI's are ion-exchange derived)
- Better taste
Dymatize Elite Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:
- More cost effective
- No fructose sugar added
- Mixes more easily
If you are considering purchasing either of these exceptional products, please be sure to visit our supplement store where we offer them for the best value within Australia! The links to each product are below:
- Dymatize All Natural Elite Whey Protein Powder
- Optimum Natural Whey Protein Powder
