Edition of September 30, 2026Everyday active nutrition · Hydration · Fuel · Recovery
Health News Weekly
AfterWhey protein powderSold on Amazon

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 lb

A long-selling whey powder that people mix in a shaker after a session; this entry reads one scoop's label, sets its cost against the bottled shakes, and checks what the testing seal on the tub does and doesn't tell you.

Health News Weekly Editorial Team

Box score

Per serving · from the label · Sep 30, 2026
ServingCaloriesCarbsSodiumProteinCaffeineCost / serving
1 scoop (31 g powder), Double Rich Chocolate, mixed in water1203 g130 mg24 gNot listed$1.39

Source: Nutrition Facts image on the Amazon listing, read Sep 30, 2026; serving count and protein per serving also shown on optimumnutrition.com. Cost: $102.81 for 74 servings = $1.39 per scoop, or about $0.06 per gram of protein. Cost is the amber cell because price per gram of protein is where a powder differs most from bottled shakes. Mixing with milk instead of water adds that milk's calories, protein and cost.

Before

Not a pre-session food; 3 g of carbohydrate is almost no fuel.

During

Not a during-session drink.

After

A cheap-per-gram protein serving when a meal with protein is hours away.

All Day

Not a replacement for regular meals.

Scouting report

Facts, not hype

Strengths

  • 24 g protein in 120 calories per 31 g scoop, per the label.
  • $1.39 per scoop on Sep 30, 2026, well under the $2.23–$3.49 per bottle of the ready-to-drink shakes on this scoreboard.
  • An Informed Choice logo appears on a listing image, and the brand states the product is Informed Choice certified (details below).
  • 74 servings per tub, sold and shipped by Amazon.com on the day we checked.

Limits

  • Contains milk and soy (label allergen line).
  • You need a shaker, a liquid and a sink; it is less convenient than a sealed bottle.
  • Sweetened with acesulfame potassium plus natural and artificial flavor.
  • A $102.81 upfront outlay, and the listing marks the tub non-returnable.

Best use

  • Regular exercisers who want a routine protein serving at the lowest cost per gram.
  • If your meals already include protein foods, you may not need a powder at all.

What the label shows

We read the Nutrition Facts and ingredient panel pictured on the Amazon listing for the Double Rich Chocolate 5 lb tub on Sep 30, 2026 [1], and checked the serving count, sizes and directions on optimumnutrition.com [2].

Nutrient or ingredientPer servingWhat to know
Serving size31 g (about 1 scoop)74 servings per container; net weight 5.05 lb (2.29 kg) on the front of the tub.
Calories120Powder only; add your liquid's calories if you use milk.
Protein24 g (48% DV)From a blend of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate and hydrolyzed whey protein.
Total carbohydrate3 gDietary fiber under 1 g, total sugars 1 g; the panel says it is not a significant source of added sugars.
Total fat1.5 g1 g saturated; cholesterol 55 mg (18% DV).
Sodium130 mg (6% DV)Low next to the 2,300 mg Daily Value [5].
Calcium / iron / potassium130 mg / 0.7 mg / 200 mg10%, 4% and 4% DV.
Other ingredientsCocoa, lecithin, flavor, sweetenerCocoa powder (processed with alkali), sunflower and/or soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, acesulfame potassium.
AllergensMilk, soy"Contains: milk, soy."

What the evidence shows

Cost, shown in full. On Sep 30, 2026, one scoop cost $1.39 for 24 g of protein, about $0.06 per gram. On the same day the Premier Protein bottle cost $2.23 for 30 g (about $0.07 per gram) and the Fairlife Core Power bottle $3.49 for 26 g (about $0.13 per gram). Mixed with water, the powder is the cheapest protein of the three; mixed with milk, the gap narrows by whatever your milk costs.

What whey is. Whey is one of the two main protein fractions of milk. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand on protein and exercise lists whey among the faster-digesting protein sources and notes that dairy proteins are among the highest in leucine, an amino acid researchers track in studies of muscle protein synthesis [3]. It suggests about 20–40 g of high-quality protein per serving, spread every 3–4 hours, within a daily range of 1.4–2.0 g/kg for most exercising people [3]. One 24 g scoop falls inside that per-serving range. The same document says whole foods can meet protein needs and that supplements are a practical way to do it, which is the right way to read a tub of powder: a convenience, not a necessity.

Timing. The ISSN's nutrient-timing position stand names meeting total daily protein, with feedings spaced about every 3 hours, as the primary area of emphasis [4]. The brand's suggestion to drink it 30 to 60 minutes after a workout is a convenient habit, not a deadline.

The testing seal. A listing image shows an Informed Choice logo, optimumnutrition.com lists "Banned Substance Tested," and the brand's own support page states that Gold Standard 100% Whey is Informed Choice certified [2][6]. Informed Choice is a batch-testing program for banned substances; it is not the same as Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport, and it says nothing about taste or results. On Sep 30, 2026 the Informed Choice directory page for ON Gold Standard 100% Whey blocked our direct access, but a search engine's index of that directory page listed it with Double Rich Chocolate batches (most recent test date shown: June 2026). We could not open the batch records ourselves, so read this as likely but not personally verified. If testing matters to you (for example, you compete under an anti-doping code), look up the batch number printed on your tub in the directory [7]. The label explainer covers how the programs differ.

Before you buy

This powder contains milk and soy [8]. Also note that the Double Rich Chocolate tub appears in several sizes on the same Amazon page (0.68 lb to 10 lb on Sep 30, 2026); cost per serving changes with size, so compare the per-serving math, not the sticker price.

Game plan: using it in a session

A simple sequence for a normal training day; it describes how to use the tub, not what it will do.

  1. Measure one scoop

    The label serving is 31 g, about one scoop. Level it rather than heaping it if you are tracking cost or protein.

  2. Pick the liquid

    The directions say 6 to 8 fl oz of cold water, milk or another beverage. Water keeps the numbers as printed; milk adds its own.

  3. Shake or stir

    Stir, shake or blend until dissolved; the brand says a glass and spoon is enough.

  4. Fit it around meals

    Use it when a protein-containing meal is hours away. If dinner is in an hour, the meal covers it.

  5. Keep the tub dry

    Close the lid after each use and store the tub somewhere cool and dry.

Price and where it is sold

On Sep 30, 2026 the Amazon listing for Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 lb (74 servings) showed $102.81 for a one-time purchase, shipped and sold by Amazon.com, in stock. A lower Subscribe & Save price was also shown; we used the one-time price. The listing marked the item "Non-returnable due to food safety reasons." Check the live price before buying: ON Gold Standard Whey, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 lb on Amazon.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Anyone with a milk or soy allergy, or anyone avoiding dairy; a plant-protein powder is a different product category.
  • Anyone told to limit protein, or who takes prescription medicines, should ask a clinician or pharmacist first.
  • Anyone who will not bother with a shaker; a ready-to-drink bottle such as Premier Protein costs more but needs no prep.
  • Anyone who wants a different flavor or a smaller first purchase; those are separate variations on the listing and are not what we priced.

Sources

  1. Amazon listing, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 LB (ASIN B000QSNYGI): Nutrition Facts and ingredient image, directions, price, seller and return note. Accessed Sep 30, 2026. (Linked in the price section above.)
  2. Optimum Nutrition. Gold Standard 100% Whey product page (sizes, servings, suggested use, "Banned Substance Tested"). Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
  3. International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (PMID 28642676). link
  4. International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (PMID 28919842). link
  5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels. Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
  6. Optimum Nutrition support. "Are your products Informed Choice certified?" Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
  7. Informed Choice (LGC). Certification program home page and product directory. Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
  8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Allergies: what you need to know about the major food allergens. Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link

This entry is educational and is not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before changing how you eat, drink or supplement around exercise, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have an existing condition, or take medication.