Whey Protein PWO pros/cons
 

I'm running low on cash and am looking for ways to cut down on nutrition-related costs while maintaining high quality.

For a while now I've been mixing two cans of wild-caught sardines <-- link (bone-in, skin-on) with a big sweet potato and putting it down w/in 30 mins. post workout (I work out in fasted in the morning).

It's fucking great — two cans provide a cool 65 grams of protein, plus of course a TRUCKload of minerals, EFAs, etc. and the myriad benefits of whole unprocessed food.

But I don't think I can afford to keep dropping ~$8 for each post-workout meal (I eat two other quite-large meals ~1.5hrs later and around 6pm).

So I'm thinking of using a whey shake (perhaps with a bit of cod liver oil—thoughts?). The cost would end up around ~$1-2 per shake.

This is what I'm looking at: http://www.vitacost.com/Optimum-Nutr...d-Natural-Whey

I'm plenty lean with no metabolic problems.

Is this a safe thing to do?

What red flags should I be looking out for?

What about the carb issue? should I not worry about getting starch in during the 30 minute window and just go with 1 or 2 sweet potatoes during my first full meal ~1.5-2hrs PWO?

Are there any other brands that offer similarly-priced products with better qualities than the ON one above? (it has xanthan gum and lecithin, blehh)

thanks in advance.

That's a great deal if you add something to get the free shipping.

I don't think you need to worry about carbs if you're eating a large meal when you are. If you drink it with milk, it'd be even better. You can optimally go with 5-15 g or so of CHO (e.g., some fruit) with your shake, but if it's inconvenient for you I wouldn't sweat it.