How To Avoid Stomach Pain From Protein Powder​ (2025)

Do you experience stomach pain from protein powder​? Discover how to supplement your protein intake without upsetting your stomach.

Can Protein Powder Cause Stomach Pain?

If protein powder upsets your stomach, you are not alone.

Protein supplements are notorious for causing digestive issues.

Common side effects include bloating, constipation, cramps, diarrhea, gas, nausea, and stomach pain.

The severity of symptoms can vary from person to person and from mild to extreme.

In most cases, they last for only a few hours, but some people have reported feeling sick for days after drinking a single protein shake.

How Do I Avoid Stomach Pain From Protein Powder?

Many protein powders contain ingredients known to cause stomach pain and even long-term gut health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can upset your stomach because ultra-processed ingredients like these are hard to break down.

Foods that are hard to break down feed your gut bacteria, which release gas as they eat, and too much intestinal gas can cause bloating and stomach pain.

Regularly eating certain food additives can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (the collection of microorganisms living in your gut).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which contributes to a number of painful digestive issues, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you could not find an ingredient in nature, or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder.

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause stomach pain.

This is in part because they contain lactose, a sugar most adults cannot fully digest.

Note that dairy-based proteins may cause digestive issues even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

Steer clear of protein concentrates and isolates too.

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein, including the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

Your digestive system therefore does not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, research suggests that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome.

How Do I Relieve Stomach Pain From Protein Powder?

If you just consumed protein powder and are experiencing stomach pain, try the following:

1. Hydrate. Drink lots of water, especially if your stomach pain might be due to constipation.
2. Eat ginger. Ginger tea, ginger ale, and even fresh ginger can relieve stomach pain.
3. Drink peppermint. Peppermint tea can relax muscles and allow painful gas to pass.
4. Use over-the-counter medication. Over-the-counter medications such as antacids, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can soothe stomach pain.
5. Try heat therapy. Applying a heating pad or hot water bottle to your abdomen can relax muscles and relieve cramps.
6. Rest. Stress and anxiety can exacerbate stomach pain. So practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation to calm your mind and body.
7. Consult a healthcare professional. If your stomach pain is severe, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms such as fever or vomiting, seek medical attention. It could be a sign of a more serious condition that requires professional diagnosis and treatment.

Although the tips above can help relieve protein powder stomach pain, the best course of action is always to avoid it in the first place.

Drink Wholesome Does Not Cause Stomach Pain.

If you are sick of stomach pain from protein powder, you have come to the right place.

Our Protein Powder does not cause stomach pain because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Protein Powder than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order samples to see for yourself.