The notion that women shouldn’t consume protein containing products (like powders) because it’ll make them bulky is absolutely not true. The only thing that can make women ‘bulky’ is an excess of calories combined with a strict and intense weightlifting routine. Protein powder by itself does not make women bulky, just as weightlifting by itself does not turn women into female versions of the Hulk!
As Jim White, registered dietician and American Dietetics Association spokesman notes,
Males have more testosterone and are more capable of developing muscle mass than women. The idea that eating more protein will create a bulkiness or more muscle mass in women just isn’t true.
Women simply don’t have the testosterone to put on muscle mass very easily. In fact, it takes several months for most women to gain muscle, and this is while adhering to a strenuous strength training program and a strict diet. Protein alone cannot make women ‘bulky.’ If it could, untrained women who consumed a lot of meat, eggs, and/or dairy would all be walking around looking like bodybuilders! It just doesn’t happen.
So, ladies, please, keep enjoying your protein-containing products: they will help in keeping you full, they will maintain your lean muscle tissue, and, when combined with a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, and well-designed exercise program, they will help you feel and perform your absolute best.