My Naturopath recently suggested that I increase my protein intake at breakfast after looking at my daily food log and finding that I was coming up short on occasion. Breakfast is usually my meal that’s lowest in protein (lunch and dinner are fine) and he thought that an increase in breakfast protein could help with my energy levels and workout recovery. Knowing that I’m a vegan, he suggested using protein powder as an easy way to sneak in more protein.
I’ve tried all kinds of protein powders and tend to go through phases with them. Sometimes I use them every day for a week and other times I fall off the wagon or just forget to buy it when I run out. I think part of the problem is that I’ve never been able to find one that meets all of my needs. I’m really picky with protein powders! Sometimes they have sneaky artificial sweeteners, too much sugar, taste like dirt, or they just don’t have as much protein per serving as I’m looking for. If I’m going to fork money over for powder, it better be high in protein!
I said I would give his protein-boosting breakfast challenge a try and set out to find the perfect protein powder once again. I remembered Ashley saying that she was really happy with the Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder, so I thought I would give it a try since she gave it rave reviews.
The specs of this protein powder:
- 17 grams of protein per serving (per 1/4 cup scoop)
- Only 80 calories per serving
- Less than 1 gram of sugar per serving
- No fillers, artificial flavours, or synthetics
- USDA Organic
- Probiotic and enzyme blend
- Recyclable container
That is a lot of protein per serving for very few calories!
Ingredient list:
The nutritional profile:
One thing I really like about this protein powder is that there’s no added sugar. I like to be able to control my own sweetener in my smoothies (hello, frozen bananas), so this is a nice change.
What about the taste?
Well, let me just say that it’s pretty earthy, but certainly not the worst protein powder I have tasted (hemp, I’m looking at you).
Don’t expect to add this protein powder into a smoothie without any fruit/sweetener and enjoy the taste. That’s to be expected because there’s no sugar to cover up the taste like in other powders. I would say it’s quite easy to mask the taste with a frozen banana or other fun ingredients. Once I added my normal smoothie ingredients, it was fine!
What I don’t like about this protein powder:
- I’m sure there is iron in this powder, but they don’t report it. As a vegan, this is crucial info for me to know.
- It’s expensive to buy from a natural food store ($40-45), but I found it online from Iherb for $27.97 and you can probably find it cheaper.
- Very slightly chalky and earthy tasting, but again, I don’t think this is a deal breaker for me. It’s much less chalky than some powders I have tried.
I also picked up this Heartland Gold Brown Rice Protein Powder to compare it to the Garden of Life Brand. Compared to Garden of Life, this gives me much more bang for my buck. It has 40 servings per container vs. Garden Of Life’s 28 servings. It’s also about $8 cheaper too.
At less than $1 per 16 grams of protein, I’d say this is a cheap source of protein!
This protein powder has just one ingredient: Organic Compliant, Sprouted, Non-GMO, Brown Rice Protein Concentrate! It’s vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. I think this would be comparable to the popular Sun Warrior Protein Powder as it’s 100% sprouted brown rice.
It’s 80 calories per scoop and 16 grams of protein. It also has 40% of the RDA for iron which is good for me to know as a vegan.
I also love that it’s a Canadian company based out of Toronto. I was not able to find a website for them though! Suspicious…
The cons?
It’s a bit more chalky than the Garden of Life protein powder, but only slightly more chalky. This was me comparing them side by side, mind you. The flavour is still earthy (remember- it’s unsweetened), but it’s less earthy tasting than the Garden Of Life powder. Unlike GOL, it’s not a complete protein source, but as long as I get a balance of protein sources over the day, it shouldn’t be an issue.
I still have yet to find my perfect protein powder, but I think these are two decent options weighing the pros and cons. I will definitely buy them again.
With one scoop of powder you now have a high protein smoothie base of 17 grams of protein. Add some chia seeds and other smoothie ingredients and you have yourself a smoothie that’s 24-25 grams of protein per serving.
As for my energy levels? I’ve noticed that I don’t get as hungry before lunch as I used to and I seem to be more focused and alert in the morning. I think it’s probably a better balance of carbs/protein/fat for my body’s needs.
Are you a protein powder fan? Which ones have you tried and loved or tried and hated?
The one I liked the best is a President’s Choice one, it’s soy protein (non-GMO, I do believe), unflavored and has only a few ingredients. And it’s around $20 bucks. I find it’s very easy to hide in a smoothie. I usually do almond milk, chia, cocoa powder, one stevia packet, almonds and strawberries with one scoop of the powder. There was another one my naturopath recommended b/c it has no crazy ingredients or sugar/sweeteners. I’ll get back to you with that one, as it was pretty good as well.
I’m a big Vanilla Sun Warrior fan, it tastes great and its slightly sweetened with stevia. I find it works well with just about any smoothie and I sometimes blend it onto my almond milk and pour it over my cereal. It doesn’t have a lot of add-ins so it gives you freedom to add whatever superfoods and supplements you want.
Vega is good if you are doing a simple smoothie with just almond milk and a banana because it comes in a lot of flavors and has superfoods/supplements already added to it.
Its really cool you found a local brand, I’ll have to check it out!
My family goes with Genuine Health Vegan Proteins Plus – Dark Chocolate. Soy free, sweetened with stevia, it is DELICIOUS. They also make vanilla and strawberry, which are both ok, but the chocolate is insane. It is creamy, not chalky, blends well, and can be purchased at most grocery stores that have a “natural” section.
We used to do Vega, but we have totally converted.
Oh cool, I didn’t know they made a vegan powder! Do you remember how much protein is in it per serving?
That is really good to know, thanks! I did a quick googling of it, and it’s 20 g of protein per serving.
Yep, 20! Plus we often make a chocolate/peanut butter smoothie that adds even more protein – powder, chia, banana, spinach, natural pb, ice and water. It’s like dessert for breakfast! And then of course there are the chocolate coffee smoothies :)
Thanks I am going to buy some as I have looked at it often but never bought it. Vega is expensive and I need a good alternative.
I just purchased my first tub of this (buy one get one 50% off at vitacost.com) in the vanilla and am super excited to try it out. Does anyone know if it’s considered raw?
I was always kind of skeptical about protein powders, but I thought they might help me recover after a long run more quickly. I like Spirutein. Specifically the chocolate peanut butter kind. I think it has about 14g protein and 80 calories without the soy milk I add.
I am so guilty of not doing protein at breakfast and I know I need to get better with that. I need to try to incorporate more options than just my oatmeal or at least be more creative with my oatmeal add ons!. I like TJ’s hemp protein powder, but never seem to get there to get it. I’ll look into this one too. I like the fact that there’s no added sugar too. Big bonus for me. Thanks for the review.
Addendum to my first post: I wasn’t diggin’ Vega’s other protein powders (Vegasport or the Whole Food Health Optimizer). They were expensive and uber-chalky, and I wasn’t trying to spend mucho denero on something I had to choke down. I was about to write off Vega entirely until I tried the Shake & Go line, which has turned out to be awesome.
That said, though, plenty of people love the other Vega powders – so clearly this is a matter of personal taste! :)
I def. think that protein powders are a personal taste/preference!
I enjoyed the taste of shake & go quite a bit too.
Protein powder is so hard! I like to get the sample packets from Whole Foods and do taste tests. Still haven’t found the answer yet.
I know that I don’t like Sun Warrior or Vega… and that too much sugar is a turn off and chalkiness must be hidden with lots of banana. Stevia and vanilla and/or almond extract works wonders on flavors!
Great info. I’m always tempted by the chocolate flavored varieties, but this is a good reminder to avoid added sugar! And I am also really looking forward to the Part 2 on your naturopathy experience–I’m seeing one for the first time in a few weeks.
Too funny! The Raw Protein isn’t really earthy to me. Everyone is so different when it comes to protein powders. :) I think it tastes like when I mix oats into a smoothie and the same kind of texture too. Have you tried Sun Warrior? That was THEE most chalky protein powder I’ve ever had! I love mixing it into oatmeal or even just with almond milk and a little cinnamon, after a workout. But maybe I’m weird because I also like hemp protein, hehe.
No I haven’t but I remember you saying that! :) I think this Heartland Gold is comparable to the Sun Warrior being 100% brown rice protein and all.
I wouldn’t say it’s earthy when mixed with ingredients, so overall not a big deal to me. :) Def a great find!
Love love love SunWarrior brand protein. It is raw and vegan as well and seems to be easier on the digestive system than some other we’ve tried!
I use Garden of Life Raw Code Vitamins and have been really happy with them! Im almost out of my Vega protein so Ill give this a try next :)
I finally broke down and bought Sun Warrior (Vanilla). Vega was too green for me, and most others remind me of pancake mix flavour. It was $10 off at Whole Foods (Oakville location) on Thanksgiving weekend.
I know they have an original flavour, maybe it is unsweetened?
How do you like the Sun Warrior?
Your review has been helpful! I always shy away from the protein powder aisle because I don’t know which one to buy. I’ll need to try a few and see which brand works for. It’s a great excuse to make lots of smoothies!
I also go through phases with protein powder, but lately I’ve been making my smoothies without it. I’ve been ordering from a website called True Protein, that allows you to design custom protein powders and supplements:
http://www.trueprotein.com/custom_product.aspx
It looks like they ship to Canada too, so it might be worth checking out. My favorite is a mix of their brown rice and pea protein, in the vanilla flavor (sweetened with stevia). I’ve also tried some of their other flavors, like coconut, which was good, but not something I’d regularly want to put in my smoothies.
I’m all about Manitoba Harvest hemp protein powders. I love that there is no added “stuff” in them and I find the taste good… a little butty if anything which I am cool with. My 14 month old son even gobbles them down!
Did you mean nutty? : p
I agree that you have to find a protein powder that suits your tastes. My husband and I are okay with the Vega Sport Performance Protein (not to be confused with the Sport Optimizer). We use the chocolate flavour (not that I would personally associate it with chocolate). I don’t use it every day, but always use it before I exercise. It can be lumpy, so I let it sit a few minutes and then stir again. Eventually, the lumps will come out. Expensive for sure, though.
oops that should be nutty
I’ve been looking into buying a protein powder but haven’t found a tasty one yet. Thanks for the reviews!
Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for doing all the legwork on this important subject! Like you, I’m really picky about protein powders, but I know I could probably use more in my diet. Thanks for checking some out and sharing the results; I will definitely be using this info!
I was sooo bummed when they took Jay Robb’s brown rice pp off the shelves. That used to be my favorite. Now I use Sun Warrior, though I’m still not 100% pleased with the chalkiness of it.
No offense folks but are you reading the labels? As an example, Sun Warrior has what, around 16G protein in 2TBS? I use Jarrow ISO rich soy PP. It has 43G per 2 Tbs! It also tastes great.