MyProtein is the default whey for most of Europe.
Cheap. Available everywhere. 30 flavours. The Impact Whey Protein tub is in millions of European kitchens, including ours for years before we started Mindful Crumb.
The reason most people start looking for alternatives is not the price. It is the gut response. Bloating, brain fog, weird aftertaste that sticks around for hours. The bag says 80% protein and the body says something different is happening.
Almost always, the issue is not the protein. It is the four other things in the bag -- sucralose, sunflower lecithin, an emulsifier, and a flavouring system that masks the rest. Switch to a protein without those four and the symptoms usually go away in a week.
This piece compares six MyProtein alternatives that we have actually used. Ranked by ingredient cleanliness, with honest notes about what each one does well and where it falls short.
Why MyProtein Specifically Triggers Issues for Many Users
Three known issues come up repeatedly in user reports.
Sucralose. Most MyProtein flavoured products contain sucralose. Suez et al. (2014) showed that sucralose can disrupt gut microbiota in sensitive users within a week. Some people are sensitive, some are not. The MyProtein scoop is large -- 25-30g -- which means a noticeable sucralose dose per serving.
Sunflower lecithin. Added as an emulsifier so the powder mixes in a shaker bottle. Lecithin is a seed-oil derivative; if you are avoiding seed oils for inflammation reasons, MyProtein is not consistent with that goal.
Third-party testing history. MyProtein has had multiple incidents over the past decade involving label discrepancies on protein content (Labdoor and Clean Label Project audits). The most recent issues are largely resolved, but the brand's reputation among label-conscious users never fully recovered.
The product is fine for what it is -- a low-cost mass-market whey. It is not the right product for someone who started reading labels.
The 6 Alternatives, Ranked
1. Mindful Crumb Primal Core (Portugal, EU)
Ingredients: 1 (grass-fed whey protein concentrate)
Sweetener: None
Lecithin: None
Format: 450g tub or 30g sachets
Price: ~EUR 40 / 450g (15 servings)
The strictest ingredient profile in this list. One line on the label. No emulsifiers, no gums, no sweeteners, no flavourings. The trade-off is that it is unflavoured -- you add real flavour through coffee, cocoa, or vanilla rather than getting a chocolate-flavoured bag.
Primal Core is the only product in this comparison that is single-ingredient AND ships across the EU from inside the EU (Porto, 2-3 business days). Naked Whey is comparable on cleanliness but ships from the US with significant delays and customs.
Best for: label-conscious EU buyers, GLP-1 users, anyone with gut symptoms on flavoured proteins, bakers.
2. Naked Whey (Naked Nutrition, US)
Ingredients: 1 (grass-fed whey protein concentrate)
Sweetener: None
Lecithin: None
Format: 5lb tub
Price: ~USD 90 / 5lb (76 servings) before shipping
Functionally identical to Primal Core on the cleanliness axis. The only US-based single-ingredient whey worth recommending. The bag is much larger, so the per-serving cost is lower, but EU shipping turns that economics around fast -- expect EUR 25-40 in shipping plus customs delays.
Best for: US-based buyers. EU users should stick with Primal Core.
3. AGN Roots Grass-Fed Whey (US)
Ingredients: 2-3 depending on batch (whey + lecithin + sometimes a thickener)
Sweetener: None in unflavoured; stevia in flavoured
Lecithin: Usually yes (sunflower)
Format: 1.85lb tub
Price: ~USD 50
Cleaner than most but not single-ingredient. The lecithin is the main concession -- it is there for shaker-bottle mixing. If you mostly use a shaker, AGN Roots is fine. If you mostly use coffee or baking, the lecithin is a problem (see our coffee guide).
Best for: US buyers who want close-to-clean and prefer a slightly thicker mouthfeel.
4. Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Isolate (US)
Ingredients: 4-5 (whey isolate + cocoa or vanilla + stevia + natural flavours + sea salt)
Sweetener: Stevia + monk fruit
Lecithin: None typically
Format: 2lb tub
Price: ~USD 60
The cleanest stevia-sweetened isolate on the market. If you want a flavoured product without sucralose, this is the strongest pick. The downside is that isolate strips the bioactives that concentrate retains -- immunoglobulins and lactoferrin, which have small but real gut and immune benefits.
Best for: users who want flavour without sucralose, low-fat protein, post-workout shakes.
5. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Naturally Flavored (US/Global)
Ingredients: 7-9 (whey isolate + concentrate + cocoa + stevia + sunflower lecithin + natural flavours + xanthan gum + lactase + salt)
Sweetener: Stevia
Lecithin: Yes (sunflower)
Format: 2lb tub or 5lb tub
Price: ~USD 50 / 2lb
This is the cleaner sister of the regular Gold Standard line (which contains sucralose). Removed the sucralose, kept everything else. Workable mid-tier choice if you cannot find anything else and want a recognisable brand.
Best for: mass-market shoppers who refuse to give up flavoured products and accept some additives.
6. Bulk Pure Whey Isolate Unflavoured (UK/EU)
Ingredients: 1 (whey protein isolate)
Sweetener: None
Lecithin: Sometimes added (check batch)
Format: 500g-5kg
Price: ~GBP 25 / 500g
Bulk's unflavoured isolate is single-ingredient on most batches -- but they do not always disclose lecithin, and the supply chain has shifted ingredients without notice in the past. The clean-label users we have heard from say it works for them about 80% of the time and surprises them with lecithin the other 20%.
Best for: UK buyers willing to trust batch-to-batch consistency.
How They Compare on the Five Things That Matter
| Brand | Ingredients | Sucralose | Lecithin | Source | EU shipping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primal Core | 1 | No | No | Grass-fed, EU | Yes, fast |
| Naked Whey | 1 | No | No | Grass-fed, US | Yes, slow + customs |
| AGN Roots | 2-3 | No | Yes | Grass-fed, US | Yes, slow |
| Transparent Labs | 4-5 | No | No | Grass-fed, US | Yes, slow |
| ON Gold Naturally | 7-9 | No | Yes | Multi-source | Yes, fast |
| Bulk Pure Isolate | 1 (usually) | No | Sometimes | Multi-source | Yes, fast |
| MyProtein Impact | 4-7 | Yes | Yes | Multi-source | Yes, fast |
Which One to Pick
If you live in the EU and want the cleanest single-ingredient option, Primal Core is the answer. EU-made, ships from Porto, label is one line.
If you live in the US, Naked Whey is the closest equivalent. AGN Roots is one tier down if you want shaker-bottle convenience.
If you must have flavoured protein and refuse to give up the chocolate taste, Transparent Labs is the cleanest stevia-sweetened option.
If you are price-shopping and willing to accept additives, Optimum Nutrition Naturally is the cleanest mass-market choice.
MyProtein remains the cheapest and most flavourful option on the market. For label-conscious users it is no longer recommended, but if you only use protein as a post-workout shake and have no gut symptoms, the case against it is mostly principled rather than functional.
What to Test When You Switch
A few practical pointers from people who have switched.
Give it 7-10 days. The taste of single-ingredient or stevia-sweetened protein feels underwhelming for the first few days because your palate is calibrated to sucralose. Most users adjust within a week. If you switch back to MyProtein after 10 days of clean protein, the sucralose tastes obviously chemical.
Watch your gut symptoms. If bloating or brain fog were your main reasons for looking, those should start improving within 5-7 days on a cleaner protein. If they do not, the issue is probably not the additives -- it could be lactose (try isolate), or it could be unrelated to protein entirely.
Track the cost honestly. MyProtein is ~EUR 25 / kg. Primal Core is ~EUR 88 / kg. The cost difference is real. The question is whether the additives matter to you. If they do, the price difference is the cost of the cleaner ingredient profile. If they do not, MyProtein is fine.
Where to Get Primal Core
Primal Core 450g ships across the EU from Porto in 2-3 business days. 15 servings per tub.
Primal Core 30g sachets are individual portions, ideal for travel or testing the product before committing to a tub.
The 4.9 star Trustpilot rating from 1,200+ verified buyers is the closest signal we have to "people who switched do not switch back."
