Oh, protein powder. Such a contentious thing. I've definitely tried my fair share of vegan protein powders. I'm definitely not an ...

Protein Powders

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Oh, protein powder. Such a contentious thing.

I've definitely tried my fair share of vegan protein powders. I'm definitely not an expert, because I'd rather not eat enough of them to become an expert, but I'll add my two cents to the myriad of online opinions.

General pros and cons:
+ much easier than pressing and frying tofu or eating 4 cups of broccoli
+ usually provide complete proteins, often with no limiting amino acids
+ can be added to a lot of foods
- can taste tremendously terrible
- work best in sweet applications, and I'd rather save my sweets for things that are actually tasty
- are usually very processed

Conventional Protein Powders
My two favorite protein powders are the SunWarrior Vanilla
http://www.sunwarrior.com/product-info/warrior-blend/

and any kind of generic hemp protein powder.

The SunWarrior seems to disappear into smoothies and hot cereals, adding a hint of stevia flavor and subtle vanilla notes. I only use this in sweet things because of the stevia and vanilla flavors. (I highly recommend vanilla over chocolate—the "chocolate" flavoring is usually pretty awful. If you really want chocolatey protein powder, add cocoa powder to the vanilla flavor.)

Hemp protein powder is great for more savory foods. I mix it into savory oatmeal along with nutritional yeast. I will also use it in sweet hot cereals with richer flavors like molasses and ginger. It's less than stellar for smoothies.


Unconventional Protein Powders
I'm also a big fan of PB2 as a protein supplement.
It's not a complete protein, but it works superbly in both savory and sweet applications, just like normal peanut butter. It's also relatively simple (the ingredients are roasted peanuts, sugar and salt).

Nutritional yeast rounds out my list of supplemental protein sources. It's best in savory dishes, and gets bonus points for being rich in Vitamin B12. The flavor marries incredibly well with curry.


Save your $$$
As I mentioned earlier, skip the chocolate protein powders (and the chocolate PB2) and just add cocoa powder yourself. 

You can probably also skip the soy protein powder. Although I don't eschew soy proteins, I also understand that moderation is key in everything. I drink soy milk and consume tofu regularly. I would rather supplement my protein intake with a non-soy protein powder.


Any other brands I ought to try? What are your thoughts on pea and brown rice protein powders?


About Post Author

Michaela is a lightweight rower based in New Milford, CT. She writes about life as an elite athlete and always travels with snacks.

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The Lightweight

The Lightweight

About Michaela

An Olympic hopeful training out of the GMS Rowing Center in New Milford, CT, documents her training, eating and life in general. Follow along as she gets faster, fitter and wiser.

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