My Search for the Perfect (Vegan) Protein Powder - Part 2

First, to recap part 1- personally, I was not a big fan of Life Time Life's Basic Plant Protein and Vega. They had a nice mix of proteins, but they also had "characteristic protein powder tastes," probably due to the addition of powdered vanilla and stevia. Living Harvest's hemp protein original flavor was the most natural, with only one ingredient: 100% certified organic hemp seed. However, it has a very strong and district greens/hemp flavor. (If you are interested, they also have vanilla and chocolate flavors sweetened with unrefined whole cane sugar). I would highly recommend PB2, but with only 5.65 g protein per 2 tbsp, it's mostly a low-fat peanut butter alternative rather than a protein supplement. And at $7 for a 6.5 oz jar, it is not a purchase that I will be repeating any time soon.

For me, I guess there currently is no perfect vegan protein powder. Each has its pros and cons and is good in its own way. I think something that I forgot when I began this search was that protein powder is a supplement and not a whole food. I was trying to find a powder to count as a major source of my protein intake (apparently healthy adults optimally have around .8 g protein per kg of body weight per day*). However, I enjoy getting most of my nutrients through complete foods and not isolates, because a whole food is more than the sum of its parts.

After this search and after experiencing several slight headaches, slight dizziness, tiredness, some weight gain, and a strength training workout during which I simply could not lift the weight due mostly to (I believe) lack of enough protein, I think I will be straying further away from the vegan path. (I can only consume so many beans [fiber!] and soy in my diet!)

According to Nina Planck's Real Food, humans are "omnivores with bodies designed to eat plant and animal foods...[and] [t]here are no traditional vegan societies" (Planck, 21-22). Of course, everyone has their own opinion, and what works for one person may not work for another. While many people have successfully gone vegan, at the moment, a vegan diet is not for me. Remember, the right kind of diet is one that works for you, and there are many diets out there. However, I will try to keep animal products in my diet at a minimum for now. (Things can always change. And it's too bad I can't afford local meat from a farm like Stillman's more often!) In future posts, I hope to discuss veganism, vegetarianism, industrial meat, etc.!

And as a last note, all is not lost in my vegan protein powder world! I will probably continue to incorporate vegan protein powder in my diet, but just in small and unnoticeable amounts (baking?!). Most likely, I will continue with hemp protein; but whenever I'm feeling up to it, I have heard some good things about NutriBiotic's rice protein. Their plain rice protein only has one ingredient, too!: "enzymatically processed rice protein from whole grain brown rice."

*Brown, Judith E. Nutrition Throughout the Life Cycle. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.

My Search for the Perfect (Vegan) Protein Powder - Part 1

Because I have been trying to eat primarily vegan for the past couple of months without much success, I felt buying a good vegan protein powder was in order.

To preface, I hate the taste of whey protein powders. My brother and I overdosed on vanilla and chocolate flavored whey powder in the past- the smoothies tasted great at first, but after 6 months-1 year, I couldn't handle it anymore!

I also wanted to avoid a soy protein powder, because I already consume a lot of soy and don't want to develop an allergy/intolerance to it.

So my protein powder search began with hemp from Living Harvest. Each 4 tbsp contains 120 calories, 3 g total fat, 10 g total carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 13 g protein, 600 mg of omega-3's, and all of the essential amino acids! The only thing about hemp protein is that it has a very strong and characteristic greens taste.

Next I tried Life Time Life's Basic Plant Protein with my friend Elizabeth. She really liked it! This powder was nice because it contains a variety of plant proteins (rice, pea, hemp, and chia), with each scoop containing 120 calories and 22 g protein. The chia also helped the powder to form a gel when it was only mixed with water! However, to me, this vanilla flavored protein powder (which was sweetened with stevia) was reminiscent of whey powder (I hope I'm not scarred for life!)

Via Elizabeth's recommendation, I tried the natural flavored and chocolate flavored protein powder by Vega next. It also has a nice combination of plant proteins, from hemp, yellow peas, brown rice, and flax. Each serving contains 26 g protein and 15 g fiber! Both powders had very "earthy" tastes to them, and I was not particularly fond of either. And even though Vega calls one of its powders "natural," vanilla flavor and stevia are still added.

Last but not least, I tried PB2, which has been receiving a lot of buzz lately. Verdict- I actually liked it!! Each 2 tbsp serving has 53.2 calories, 1.87 g total fat, 3.4 g carbs, and 5.65 g protein. However, PB2 is used mostly as a low-fat alternative to peanut butter, rather than as a protein powder/supplement. You just add 1 part water to two parts PB2, stir, and presto! You have some low-fat peanut butter. And PB2 even looks and spreads somewhat like real peanut butter! Although PB2 can never truly replace real peanut butter in flavor and taste, it can be great when you're hiking, in baked goods, or if you are a peanut butter junkie. I would not recommend eating PB2 by itself, however. For full enjoyment, eat it with something- such in a PB&J sandwich or in a smoothie.










Unfortunately, there are a few cons:

• PB2 is only sold in a few select locations or online.
• PB2 is expensive!!!, and can come out to around $6ish each when you include shipping costs. I picked mine up at My Healthy Fit in Woburn, MA, but it still costs $7 for one. This is about 3 times the cost of regular peanut butter! (and it's not like it's organic, either)
• PB2 is sweetened with sugar. There are currently no sugar-free or salt-free versions of PB2! Contact Bell Plantation so we can increase customer demand so this will change! :)

Look for my post tomorrow about my overall comments and thoughts on this protein powder adventure!