Do protein powders add instant mass?

You see it advertised everwhere, you know what i mean, all those advertisments for 'instant mass' or weight gain 3000. All these products promise to add massive amounts of muscle overnight.

Despite what so many people believe...simply taking protien powder doesn't result in instant weight gain to any degree...infact, protien powders don't really result in any weight gain what so ever. It's already been covered that diet is the only thing that does that. Now..what is protien powder? Protien powder is about as much a miracle drug as a chicken breast is...both are simply sources of protien. Please understand that it is by no means a neccesity.
The principle behind it is, if you can not get enough protien throughout your diet from solid food, you can make a shake which can be quickly consumed when you may not have the time to eat a whole meal. Protien powders are strickly for convenience purposes, and should never be chosen over real food. Now lets get down to the 2 most common kinds: whey, and casien.Whey: Simply put, Whey protien is a quickly digested protien. This product is idealy used upon waking up, and post workout. The only time i'd say that you SHOULD use whey protien is post workout when your body needs the nutrients quickly (as whey is quickly digested).

As far as upon waking, real food should always be your number one choice, but if in a hurry, a protien shake can always be consumed.Casien: Casien is a slowly digested protien. The ideal time to consume this is before bed, and throughout the day. The only time i'd advocate using it would be before bed. The reason being that (as it is slow digesting) it will supply your body with protien while you are asleep. Again throughout the day it is much better to take your protien from real food, there is NO substitute for it. Though again, if you don't have the time for a meal, a casien protien shake will do. So to sum it up; protien powders are great for filling gaps in your diet, but can not be a replacement for solid food.
Use them in moderation and make sure the clear majority of your daily diet is made up of real food