Think Twice Before Making a Shake With Expired Protein Powder

Like many others, you might be tempted to buy a huge container of protein powder on your kitchen counter. Little do most people know that this ingredient can expire, and it does so quickly. Is it safe to continue using it for your post-workout protein shake? Here, you’ll find all about the topic. We’ve compiled the opinions of many experts on just how legit the powder’s expiry date is.

Expired Protein Powder – Toss or Save

A person looking at a jug of protein powder
Expired Protein Powder – Toss or Save

Of course, nobody wants to give themselves stomach problems by consuming an expired product. Plus, there is hardly any point in consuming something that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. So, is it safe to use it well past its expiration date, or should you toss it away as soon as it expires?

According to experts, you might be safe to drink the product past the date set on its container. However, keep in mind that, over time, its properties decrease substantially. To put it simply, drinking expired protein powder won’t help you reach your fitness goals. If you’re using it just to keep yourself toned, then continue including it in your shakes. But should you be looking to build muscle, you’re better off tossing it away as soon as it expires.

Is It Really All About Storing the Product Correctly?

A man holding a shake bottle
Is It Really All About Storing the Product Correctly?

Wondering when your container of protein powder will expire? The short answer is – when you see the expiration date on the container. The actual answer – it depends on how you store it. As nutritional experts put it, if you don’t do anything funny with your container, it should last for about two years. Sure, the product’s quality will diminish substantially past the date stamped on the container, but it won’t cause any health problems.

However, if something’s happened with the container or the powder smells funny, it’s best not to include it in your shakes anymore. Another thing to remember is that moisture can be detrimental to protein powder and can lead to a quicker expiration date.

Become an Expert on Protein Powder Expiry Checks

A person preparing a protein powder shake.
Become an Expert on Protein Powder Expiry Checks

If you have a container of expired protein powder and are wondering whether it’s safe to keep using it for your post-workout nourishment, time to find out how to check if it’s okay to consume it. As mentioned above, a foul smell is a definite sign that the product has gone bad. Apart from that, if you notice clumping or color changes, the powder has most likely expired.

Additionally, you can perform a taste test, but keep in mind that’s not recommended if the product has expired after more than a week. Put a small amount of powder on your tongue, and throw the product away if it tastes like cardboard.

Here Are Some Great Examples of School Bus Drivers Being Heroes

School bus drivers are among the unsung heroes of the nation, not only for transporting students to and from school and extracurricular events but also for helping out in times of need and during extreme situations. Over the decades, there have been many such situations, and some of those were truly etched in the memory of the people.

There Have Been Heroic School Bus Drivers Since as Early as the ’40s

A School Bus Driver

Robert Diedrich was a school bus driver in Oxnard, California, who received a handsome medal for heroism during a terrific windstorm. The storm felled power lines and confined the bus together with Diedrich and nine schoolchildren. After calming and quieting the children, Diedrich showed himself as one of the exemplary bus drivers by ignoring his safety and dashing from the bus to lift the power lines.

Driver Bernard Jakubowski also showed an incredible act of heroism when he evacuated 60 children from his bus in Michigan City, Indiana. The event took place after a gasoline tanker collided with a cattle truck and exploded, setting the rear of the bus on fire. Jakubowski wasted no time and ensured that his passengers escaped the fireball in an orderly fashion. According to the press at the time, none of the children were hurt.

School Bus Drivers Often Act in the Moment and Risk Their Own Lives

School Bus up close

Back in 1959, driver Charles Barber, who was just 17 years old, managed to save 35 high-schoolers in Lynchburg, Virginia. While Barber was one of the substitute bus drivers, he acted swiftly when his brakes failed on a steep grade. He quickly wrenched the gearshift into low and swerved the bus to the right to come to a stop. The students were going to visit a dance party that evening, and while it is unclear if they made it to the event, they danced beside the road while awaiting another bus to get them.

Robert Thomas was a bus driver in Troy, New York, who probably saved his passengers by shouting a timely get-down warning. This happened just as a logging truck was careening into the bus and some of the logs smashed through the windows. In the aftermath, Thomas noted that the bus now looked like a convertible.

kids getting on a school bus Vanessa Eaton was a school bus driver in Owosso, Michigan who hustled 47 children away from the downtown railroad tracks just before a freight train smashed into their stalled school bus. Following that traumatic experience, one high school student, two middle school students, and four elementary school students decided to go home for the remainder of the day.

George Schierer was a school bus driver in 2000 working in Bellevue, Kentucky. He managed to rescue five students with disabilities after smoke started billowing from the dashboard of the bus. Two were in wheelchairs that were secured to the interior of the bus so Schierer ordered the three ambulatory passengers off and extracted the other two just before an electrical fire broke out. Fortunately, everyone escaped injury.