Short answer: For a cold, clear, drinkable protein that builds and keeps muscle, whey isolate is the best fit. Collagen is an incomplete protein. Casein is excellent but turns thick. Plant proteins score lower on digestibility and come with their own testing questions. Each of those has a job where it's the right pick. This is the job whey is right for.
We sell a whey drink, so weigh that. We'll tell you where the others win.
Three things matter for a protein you drink:
That third one is the one most protein articles skip.
Collagen is the most popular protein in the wellness aisle and the weakest for muscle. It contains no tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids, so it is not a complete protein. It is also low in leucine, the amino acid most associated with triggering muscle building.
The head-to-head evidence points the same way. A randomized trial led by Oikawa and Phillips gave older women equal amounts of whey or collagen protein alongside resistance training. Whey produced greater gains. (We found this through a dairy-industry summary, so read the original: PubMed 31919527.)
Collagen is not a bad ingredient. It's just not a muscle protein. If the goal is muscle, count it as zero toward your target.
This is the honest one: casein is also a complete, high-quality milk protein. Both come from milk.
The difference is behavior. Casein digests slowly and thickens when it meets liquid. That's useful in a pudding or a bedtime shake. It's a problem in a clear sparkling drink, and it's the opposite of the "light" format people finish. Whey stays dissolved and stays clear.
Whey isolate is also filtered further than whey concentrate, which removes most of the fat and lactose. That matters if thick, heavy shakes are why you stopped drinking protein. (See why protein shakes make a lot of people nauseous.)
On the numbers, whey isolate scores a DIAAS of 1.09. Soy protein isolate scores 0.90 and pea protein concentrate 0.82 (Rutherfurd et al., 2015). Rice protein scores far lower.
Plant proteins are the right choice if you avoid dairy, and a good plant protein can still contribute. The score gap means you need more grams to get the same usable protein.
There is also a testing question. Consumer Reports found plant-based protein products averaged roughly nine times the lead of dairy-based ones. We covered the full picture, including the caveat that about half of dairy-based products also tested high, in the lead problem in protein.
It means MYND is built on the one protein that is complete, scores above 1.0 for digestibility, and stays clear and light in a carbonated can. 20 grams of whey protein isolate, zero added sugar, one sweetener, named plainly. Browse the flavors.
MYND contains milk. If you have a milk allergy, this is not your protein, and a plant option is the right call.
For building and keeping muscle, yes. Collagen lacks tryptophan and is low in leucine.
They are close in quality. Whey is lighter and stays clear, which is why it fits a sparkling drink. Casein is slower and thicker.
It can contribute, but pea and soy score lower on DIAAS, so you need more grams for the same effect.
A score of how much of a protein's essential amino acids your body can digest and use. 1.0 or higher meets the reference requirement.
The MYND take-away: The best protein is the one that does the job you need. For a light, cold drink that builds muscle, that's whey isolate.
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