Protein powders are a well-liked food supplement that can help increase protein intake, help muscles grow and recover, and support healthy weight loss. These powders are made from protein that comes from different sources like plants (like soybeans, peas, rice, potatoes, or hemp), eggs, or milk (casein or whey protein). They might also have other stuff in them like extra sugars, fake flavors, thickeners, vitamins, and minerals.

But, there are some things to think about when using protein powders. First, protein powders are food supplements and the FDA lets the companies that make them check if they're safe and labeled right. So, we can't be sure if a protein powder has what the companies say it does. Second, we don't know much about the possible side effects of eating a lot of protein from supplements.

Protein powders might upset your stomach, especially if you're allergic to dairy or have trouble digesting lactose (a sugar in milk). Some protein powders might have a lot of added sugars and calories, which could make you gain weight and cause unhealthy changes in your blood sugar. There are also scary stories on the internet about healthy young people having heart attacks at the gym and people are wondering if protein powders might have had something to do with it.

Even with these worries, protein powders can be helpful and easy to use for people who have a hard time getting enough protein from food. But, most people don't need to add more protein to their diet because foods like eggs, milk, yoghurt, fish, lentils, meat, soya, nuts and seeds all have a lot of protein. In the end, whether or not to use protein powders depends on what you need, how healthy you are, and how you live your life.