What is the best protein powder without lecithin?

drink wholesome is the best protein powder without lecithin.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is lecithin? 

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If you read ingredient lists, you have almost certainly come across lecithin. Lecithin, to put it simply, is a group of fatty substances. It is one of the most common food additives, and is made from either soy beans or sunflower seeds. If a manufacturer does not specify which type of lecithin it is using, it is probably using soy lecithin, the cheaper of the two. When in doubt, check to see if soy is listed as an allergen. If it is, your protein powder contains soy lecithin.

Why is there lecithin in protein powder?

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Manufacturers put soy and sunflower lecithin in protein powder for several reasons. For starters, lecithin is a great emulsifier, meaning it can be used to create and stabilize emulsions. Emulsions are mixtures of two or more immiscible (unmixable) substances like oil and water. Without emulsifiers, oil and water would naturally separate over time.

Emulsifiers work by reducing the surface tension between these two substances, allowing them to mix more easily and stay mixed. Putting sunflower and soy lecithin in protein powder thus increases solubility, prevents separation, and improves texture and mouthfeel.

Is lecithin bad for you?

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Lecithin in protein powder is something you want to avoid. People avoid soy lecithin in particular for three reasons: 1) soy is a common allergen 2) soy is derived from one of the most genetically modified crops on the planet and 3) chemicals, including acetone and hexane, are used to extract lecithin from soybeans.

Sunflower lecithin, on the other hand, is less problematic, but still has its fair share of downsides. For instance, both soy and sunflower lecithin can cause painful gastrointestinal (GI) side effects and long term gut health problems. 

Basically, because lecithin is a heavily-processed food additive, it looks nothing like real food. This makes it hard to digest. 

Foods that are hard to digest tend to linger in your digestive tract, feeding your gut bacteria, which release gas as they eat. Excess intestinal gas can cause bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain. It can also slow colonic transit (the amount of time it takes food to travel through the colon), leading to constipation.

Partially digested food also causes your colon to absorb extra water. This can trigger osmotic diarrhea, and may very well be the reason why protein shakes make you run to the bathroom. 

Worse yet, regularly eating food additives like lecithin can alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut. This, in turn, can cause widespread inflammation and even the onset and progression of several chronic diseases.

What is the best protein powder without lecithin? 

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drink wholesome is additive-free.

drink wholesome makes the best protein powder without lecithin because we do not use any food additives whatsoever. Even in small amounts, ingredients like these can add up and wreak havoc on your gut health.

Here is a list of the most common food additives used in protein powder:

acacia fiber, acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, ascorbic acid, aspartame, calcium carbonate, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dicalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, ‘natural’ flavors, rice bran extract, rice dextrin, rice hulls, rosemary extract, silica, silicon dioxide, sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, soluble corn fiber, soy lecithin, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, tocopherols, tricalcium phosphate, xanthan gum, xylitol, zinc oxide

our ingredients: 

egg whites, coconut, maple sugar, vanilla

the alternative:

Protein Matrix Comprised of (Whey Protein Concentrate,  Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumen, Glutamine Peptides), Polydextrose, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids,  Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Nonfat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide), Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain

drink wholesome is dairy-free.

Another reason why we make the best lecithin-free protein powder is that we do not use whey and casein. Dairy-based proteins like these contain lactose, a sugar that most adults cannot digest. This, as you just learned, can cause painful GI side effects.

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the best protein powder without soy lecithin is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Nearly every other protein powder is made from one or both of these protein sources.

Like lecithin, protein concentrates and isolates undergo tons of mechanical and chemical processing, sometimes involving solvents like hexane. What you put into your body thus looks nothing like real food.

Your gut is designed to break down minimally or unprocessed or real foods, not protein concentrates or isolates. This is why eating ingredients like these can alter the function and composition of your gut microbiome. Once again, an altered gut microbiome is absolutely not something you want to deal with. 

Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best protein powder without sunflower lecithin using egg whites and almonds. Minimally-processed ingredients like these are gut-healthy alternatives to protein concentrates and isolates. 

Unlike protein isolates and concentrates, egg whites and almonds contain enzymes that help you break them down. What is more, egg whites are low fiber, low FODMAP, alkaline (they maintain healthy pH levels in your gut), and bioactive (they promote the growth of good gut bacteria). Our happy customers have reported fewer digestive issues with our egg white protein powders than with any other type of protein powder.

For those who cannot eat eggs, our vegan almond protein powder is the best vegan protein powder without lecithin. Almonds are prebiotic, meaning they improve diversity of your gut microbiome. They also promote regular and healthy bowel movements. 

★★★★★

no additives

“I use and love your protein powder! I love that its made from real and wholesome ingredients with none of the icky stuff like additives, gums, artificial sweeteners/ flavors, etc.” – Julie

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