This is the best protein powder for muscle building says Conor McGregor’s nutritionist

Protein builds muscles.

It's an immutable fact. We need the amino acids in protein to help repair and build muscle tissue. We all know it. But when it comes to supplementing with protein powders that's where it becomes a little murkier and confusing. There are so many different types of protein powder that it's hard to know which one is right. That's why it's always useful to listen to what the experts use to add extra protein into their diets on top of whole foods. Where sports nutrition is concerned they don't come much more experienced that Georges Lockhart. The man is a respected performance nutritionist for the likes of Conor McGregor and a host of UFC fighters, so he knows his stuff. He dealt with the issue of protein powders in a video blog with Tristar Gym coach Firas Zahabi and what he said took us by surprise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJMdyROKOD0 Everyone's go-to protein powder post-workout is probably whey - because let's face it, nothing tastes better than a protein-packed chocolate milkshake after you've just smashed the gym. But it might not be the best choice for everyone, according to Lockhart who is preparing McGregor for Nate Diaz II at UFC 202. He explained that a lot of people are actually lactose intolerant - in the UK around 5 per cent of people suffer the condition but in the US between 30 and 50 million people are. It basically means your body can't absorb lactose properly so it ferments in your system and causes symptoms like flatulence, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sickness.

"If they are lactose intolerant I want to give them a whey isolate. Isolate just means they removed all the lactose. "If they are and they want to keep on the whey concentrate, we want to give them the enzyme lactase."

Lactase basically helps the body process the lactose in milk and helps the body properly digest it - after all what's the point of having a whey protein, if you're not getting all the goodness? This is where it gets interesting, as Lockhart revealed what protein he gives to his elite fighters that their bodies can utilise most efficiently to help them repair and build their muscles.

"A lot of times I don't actually promote a protein, because I give kefir (a fermented milk probiotic) to a lot of people - kefir has the lactase. "It's got billions of probiotics which clean the system out and helps with the digestion process. "The one though that is digested the most proficiently is actually vegetable protein. Like pea protein.

Pea protein has been gaining a lot of attention recently because of its incredible properties. Contrary to popular belief, this plant based protein has a full spectrum of amino acids and holds its own against whey. It's particularly high in arginine and lysine. It's fat free, allergen free and digests easily because it contains no gluten or lactose. It also gave comparable muscle thickness gains to whey, according to this bicep study in . But one thing that Lockhart goes on to say is that there is no comparison between using protein powders and consuming your protein from whole foods. The bioavailability of nutrients from actual foods is greater than from protein drinks. According to , it takes just one and a half hours for protein in liquid form to pass through your digestive system, giving less absorption time of that protein. It's a double-edged sword though as only 10g of protein per hour can be absorbed from whey. So if you do the maths on 50g of whey, that would be just 15g of protein absorbed before it's passed through your gut. Lockhart explains it like this... So the bottom line is, try and get as much protein from actual food as possible and your body will take up more of the nutrients.