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?
I’ve never tried protein powders, but looking at the list of ingredients it seems like it wouldn’t be too difficult to make your own. At least that way you could tailor it to your needs/preferences.
That’s an interesting idea!
Daily Garnish did this a while back. Great post!
Thanks I’ll check it out!
I am a big fan of Spiru-tein. I have currently tried the vanilla and the chocolate ones. Big thumbs up. I love the extra nutrients in the powder. I feel good about drinking it. I don’t find it too chalky either.
I like Vega, but I stopped drinking protein powders about a year and a half ago. I find my body builds & repairs muscles just fine the way I eat, and protein powders cause digestive distress for me. To each their own, though. I’m not knocking protein powders, they’re just not my thing
I’ve tried some that were hard on my stomach too! It’s def. personal preference.
I am the same way with protein. I haven’t found one good enought to actually stick with. The current (and beat) one I’ve had so far is the Vega Shake and Go Smoothie powder. The best flavour is Vanilla Almondilla. It is not earthy like Vega’s other products. You should give it a try. I’ve tried Sun Warrior as well and absolutely hated it. Both flavours tasted like a mix of dirt and grass to me!
Angela- Have you tried the GOL powder in overnight oats? I also purchased it based on Ashley’s rave reviews, and although I have no issues with adding it to my smoothies, I thought it made my overnight oats taste absolutely horrendous! This was a huge bummer for me, as I rarely make smoothies for breakfast (it’s too cold out there!) and only for snacks. I don’t usually sweeten my overnight oats (just add some berries in the morning) but I even tried adding maple syrup to counteract the GOL powder and I didn’t think it helped at all- Not sure if anyone has any tricks they can recommend for using it in overnight oats without ruining them?
No I havent tried that yet, but thanks for the warning! I’m sorry to hear that!
I’ll have to try GOL Raw. I currently have a container of Hemp and it is very much like eating dirt!
I used to put raw protein in my smoothies and stopped after I realized I can get enough protein from plant based meals. I tried going back to it once, but I got a horrible stomach ache so never again.
Really appreciate this review! Just ran a marathon and I felt awful. I think my diet lacked protein and iron so my legs weren’t recovering from my long runs towards the end!! I have only been vegan for about 5 months and didn’t realize I wasn’t getting enough till it was too late–next time I will supplement with a protein powder for sure!
InterACTIVE Nutrition is the brand name :)
I do a Boathouse Farms Mango Protien smoothie in the morning as I never get up early enough before my crazy early work hours to make one myself. I love it, as it is full of fruit, protien and read to go!
This was great I’ve been trying different ones out by buying the little packets before I commit to a giant tub.
Have you looked into Sun Warrior? It’s a vegan, raw sprouted brown rice protein powder.
I’m a big fan of the Garden of Life Raw Protein because it is such a neutral taste and you can flavor it as you wish. Some of the other sweetened or flavored ones have a gritty taste or don’t mix with other ingredients too well.
I actually love plain hemp powder as a protein add-in for my shakes/pancakes etc. Bob’s Red Mill makes a great one and it’s the most affordable vegan protein powder I’ve come across! It’s pretty mild, so no weird taste…that or I just have weird taste buds!
My go to vegan protein powder (and I’ve tried a LOT) is Peaceful Planet Super Spirulina Protein Shake French Vanilla Unsweetened made by VegLife. I get it cheap online thru Lucky Vitamin after finding it one time only at a going out of business health food store. 25g protein per scoop.
I like the Metagenics rice protein powder. It is sweetened, but I only use one scoop in my smoothie, so it’s not bad. I also eat a high protein pita for breakfast. I find them at Zehrs, they are by Haddad Bakery and there is 10g of protein in one! Not too shabby!
I really like the Vegn Whole Food Optimizer. It’s a little expensive, but it packs a punch and has been doing wonders for my energy levels and hunger.
I’ve been using vega for the last 3-5 months and won’t change unless it’s for something amazing…. but I guess I won’t find it if I still to vega :(? Let me know if you find something to die for and I’ll switch!
T
I’m actually a big lurva of the “Garden of Life Raw Protein”. Rather than using it by the scoop, I get tons of mileage out of it by sprinkling 1/4 – 1/5 scoop to any veggie hodge-podge dish/stir fry that I make! It turns a bit like gravy and absorbs whatever spice/seasoning I have flavored my meal with! :) Also (although it contains milk & soy so not vegan) after a good weights workout for legs, I use -Jarrow Formulas “100% natural Whey Protein unflavored” 18g of protein & 94 cal, there is literally 1 ingredient, and zero horomones, gluten, egg, nut, fish, or artificial anything! (www.jarrow.com) ! :)
This was such a thorough and informative review! Thanks, Angela. :-)
Like you, I’m so so so picky with protein powders. As a college student (read: broke), I feel as though if I’m going to stretch my dollars for a powder, it better be a darn good one! I’ve yet to find a powder that isn’t too chalky and doesn’t taste like feet. The hunt continues!