drink wholesome is the best simple protein powder.
What is simple protein powder?
Simple protein powder, to put it simply, is protein powder made with a short list of natural ingredients. By “natural” I mean found in nature. 99% of protein supplements are made with ingredients that cannot be found in nature. The ingredients in most protein powders are either synthesized in a laboratory, or derived from natural foods. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium are examples of ingredients made in a lab. Pea protein isolate and whey protein isolate are examples of ingredients derived from natural foods. Although they may sound natural, protein isolates cannot be found in nature; they must be extracted from natural foods (peas and milk) using mechanical and chemical processes.
Finally, even ingredients like natural flavors are not really natural. While food manufacturers are required to disclose their ingredients, flavor manufacturers are not. They can add solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers, carriers and other additives to a flavor that qualifies as “natural” under current regulations. This means that the natural flavors in your protein could just be a catch-all term for everything that a manufacturer would rather not spell out on the ingredient list. The point here is that the average protein powder is anything but simple. Just take a look at the following ingredient list:
Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Acacia Gum Fiber, Cereal Pieces (Sugar, Corn Flour, Whole Grain Oat Flour, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Cocoa (processed with Alkali), Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Fructose, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Ascorbate, Zinc Oxide, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Retinyl Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cholecalciferol, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Cyanocobalamin, Folic Acid, Wheat Starch), Medium Chain Triglycerides, Oat Flour, Cocoa Powder (processed with Alkali), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Whey Protein Isolate, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sucralose, Lactase, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Molybdenate, Protease, Amylase, Zinc Oxide, dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate, Cholecalciferol, Niacinamide, Manganese Gluconate, Seleniomethionine, Beta Carotene, Copper Glucon ate, d-calcium Pantothenate, d-biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Chromium Picolinate, Cyanocobalamin, Folic Acid. Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, and Coconut.
This ^ is one of the best-selling protein powders in the United States. It looks more like a science experiment than anything else. I count just almost 50 ingredients, most of which I cannot pronounce. It is truly mind boggling to consider how artificial and processed the foods we eat have become.
If you are anything like me, and would like to get back to the basics, you have come to the right place. We make protein powders with truly natural ingredients, which we list on the front of the package (so you know exactly what you are eating). Our chocolate protein powder, for example, is made with egg whites, coconut, cocoa, and monk fruit. Our vegan chocolate protein powder is made with almonds, coconut, cocoa, and monk fruit. You cannot find simpler ingredients. Keep reading if you would like to learn more about what is NOT in our protein powders, and why you should avoid ingredients like these.
One of the reasons why we make the best simple protein powder is that we do not use food additives. Most protein powders, on the other hand, are full of food additives. Although not necessarily bad for you in small quantities, additives can add up quickly (especially if you drink a protein shake every day) and cause gastrointestinal (GI) side effects like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and stomach pain. This is because food additives are hard to digest, and sit in your gut for longer than food should, which gives your gut bacteria more time to eat. As they eat, these bacteria produce gas, which causes bloating and stomach pain. Gas also slows colonic transit (the amount of time it takes food to travel through the colon), and can lead to constipation. In the long term, food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways in the intestine, which can result in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and systemic inflammatory disorders.