What is the best American-made protein powder?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
drink wholesome is the best American-made protein powder. It is handmade in Plymouth, MA with simple, easy to digest ingredients.
★★★★★
“It has ingredients you can actually pronounce and is freaking delicious.”
-Kallie
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drink wholesome is the best American-made protein powder.
Where is protein powder made?
Why American-made?
Why drink wholesome?
Where is protein powder made?
Many protein powders are manufactured overseas, often in China. This is problematic because almost half of Chinese food-processing plants fail to meet internationally acceptable food manufacturing standards. According to quality control specialist AsiaInspection, almost half (48%) of the inspections it conducted in China failed to meet the aforementioned standards. There were many reasons for these failings, including laboratory tests that detected unsafe levels of pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, and bacteria.
Protein powder is classified as a dietary supplement, which means it is not regulated in the same way as food or medicine. Responsibility falls on manufacturers, not the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to ensure that products are safe. That said, dietary supplements manufactured in the United States must comply with the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Why American-made?
GMPs are stringent requirements for companies involved in the manufacturing, packaging, labeling and holding of dietary supplements. They mandate that manufacturers evaluate the identity, purity, quality, strength, and composition of their dietary ingredients and dietary supplements. GMPs are crucial to the supplement industry’s ability to deliver safe, accurately labeled products to the customer.
Customers can therefore expect that American-made supplements will be safe and effective. The same cannot be said for dietary supplements manufactured overseas. Protein powder manufactured in China, for example, does not have to comply with GMPs, and does not have to undergo testing before it hits the shelf. This poses a serious risk to the customer. Who knows what is (or is not) in your protein powder? It is for this reason that we recommend American-made protein powder.
Why drink wholesome?
Our protein powders are handmade in Plymouth, Massachusetts in a GMP-Certified, Organic Certified facility. Our Plymouth location is inspected annually by the US Food and Drug Administration, Massachusetts Board of Health, and Bay State Organic Certifiers. We also test all of our ingredients to ensure that they are both safe to eat, and nutritious. This way you can be sure that what is listed on the Nutrition Facts is accurate.
Although protein powders made and tested in the United States are generally safe, not all American-made protein powders are good for you. One look at the ingredient list will explain why; most protein powders are made with heavily-processed ingredients that look nothing like real food. This not only makes them hard to digest, but can also cause uncomfortable side effects. This is where drink wholesome sets itself apart from other protein supplements. We use simple, easy to digest ingredients, and list them on the front of the package so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Keep reading to learn more about what to look for, and what to avoid buying protein powder.
drink wholesome is additive-free.
One of the reasons why we make the best American-made 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.
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, causing bloating and stomach pain. Gas also slows colonic transit (the amount of time it takes food to travel through the colon), which can lead to constipation. In the long term, food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways in the intestine and trigger the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and systemic inflammatory disorders.
When buying protein powder, one additive to avoid in particular is artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are among the most harmful food additives in the long term as they alter the composition of your gut microbiota. This can lead to serious, chronic GI problems, widespread inflammation, and permanent damage to the gut microbiome.
Some sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols like xylitol, are poorly absorbed by the gut, meaning they feed your hungry gut bacteria. They can also cause diarrhea because they draw water into your intestines. Now you finally have something to blame for those post-protein shake trips to the bathroom!
Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:
acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol
When it comes to identifying food additives, go with your gut. 😉 As a rule of thumb, additives are ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Food additives are not the only thing to avoid when buying protein powder, however. There are several other ingredients that can upset your stomach.
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.
*This is the actual ingredient list of one of the best-selling protein powders in the United States.
drink wholesome is dairy-free.
Another reason why we make the best American-made protein powder is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. Many protein powders are made with whey and casein, which are byproducts of cheese and yogurt production, and known to cause digestive issues. This is especially true for people with lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Over one in three Americans are lactose intolerant, and the prevalence of IBS is somewhere between 10 and 15 percent in the United States. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a poorly understood condition, and it is unclear why dairy triggers symptoms. Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, is clearly understood. People with lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy. As you just learned, partially digested food feeds the bacteria in your gut, which produce gas and cause side effects.
drink wholesome is made with real foods.
A final reason why we make the best American-made protein powder is that we do not use protein isolates. Most protein powders, on the contrary, are made with protein concentrates and/or isolates, foods stripped of everything but the protein. They appear on the ingredient list as “pea protein” and “whey protein” as opposed to “peas” and “whey.”
I will not go into the details, but protein concentrates and isolates undergo heavy mechanical and chemical processing before becoming protein powder. Sometimes, manufacturers use chemical solvents like hexane to isolate (separate) the protein from the food. This means that what you end up putting into your body looks nothing like real food.
If you think about it, your gut was designed to digest naturally occurring foods, not laboratory formulated imitations, so if you feed it anything but real food, it might get upset. The long term implications of eating processed foods are still not well understood, but more and more research is finding that it can alter the composition of your gut microbiota, and lead to permanent damage to your gut microbiome.
Your gut does more than just help you to digest food; it protects against pathogens, educates your immune system, and affects directly or indirectly most of your physiologic functions. Disruptions to the gut microbiome have therefore been linked to the development of many chronic diseases. It follows that it is in your best interest to avoid protein powders made with protein concentrates and isolates.
Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best American-made protein powder with whole foods like egg whites and almonds. Egg whites are simply pasteurized and dried before becoming protein powder. Almonds are just roasted, pressed to remove some of the oil, and ground. Whole foods like these are an easy to digest, gut-friendly alternative to protein concentrates and isolates.
Whole foods contain a variety of enzymes and other digestive aids that help to break down the food, making it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients. Protein isolates and concentrates, on the other hand, have been stripped of these digestive aids, making them harder for the body to digest and absorb. Moreover, minimally-processed plant-based foods like almonds are rich in fiber, which helps promote healthy digestion and regular bowel movements.
Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to eggs, egg white protein is the best protein for your gut. Egg whites are low in fiber, low-FODMAP, naturally alkaline, and have the highest protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of any whole food. Our customers have experienced fewer digestive issues with egg white protein powder than with any other type of protein powder. If you cannot eat eggs, try our vegan almond protein powder. We prefer almonds to other plant protein sources because they are more gut-friendly. Research suggests that almonds possess prebiotic properties that can improve the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome.
★★★★★
“I’ve had Crohn’s disease for 20+ years and it’s always been hard to find a protein powder my stomach can handle. I’ve had no problem digesting drink wholesome AND it tastes great. I highly recommend this protein powder if you have IBS or Crohn’s.” – Jesse
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drink wholesome is the best American-made protein powder.
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This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. drink wholesome is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.