Thursday, December 11, 2014

Vegan Protein

One of the biggest questions about a vegan diet is "what are the best sources of vegan protein?" And to me "best sources" means high quality. Some sources are high quality but low quantity, which is fine, as long as you get enough protein to maintain health.

For me, the bigger problem lately is getting more protein than I've been getting from seeds and nuts, my two main sources. I had tried and given up on pure brown rice protein powder. It sometimes made my digestive system a bit wonky - nothing horrible, just enough to keep me from using it on a regular basis.

So I hesitated when I considered a protein product I hadn't used before, in which one of the major ingredients was brown rice protein powder. I gave it a whirl... in my morning smoothies. I went through a whole container with nary a problem, and confidently ordered another.

Vega Sport Performance Protein is:
  • 26 grams of complete plant-based multisource protein (per serving)
  • Vegan with no dairy, gluten, soy, or added sugar
You can order it at Amazon, All Star Health (vanilla, chocolate) I order most of my vitamins and other supplements from All Star Health - they have a good selection and great prices. (I get a commission from all three of these sources if you purchase through my links to them - you won't pay any less going to them directly. I use the product myself, at least the vanilla version, and all three of these online shops at various times.)

So, what were my other reasons for ordering this particular product? For me, it was a process of elimination. Most other vegan protein powders either had soy, or sugar (the Vega protein powder is sweetened with stevia), vitamins I did not want (I easily show symptoms of too much vitamin A or D, and cannot tolerate ascorbic acid or other acidic flavorings or additives.)

It came down to this or hemp seed powder, and in the end I opted for this, though I have since also purchased some hemp seed powder and will start using it sometimes, too. (Note to self: put it where you will remember to use it!)

To see the full list of ingredients, click any of the links above, or google the product and find your own favorite source.