What is the best low calorie high protein powder?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
drink wholesome is the best low calorie high protein powder. It is additive-free, dairy-free, and made with real foods, not protein isolates – 99% of supplements fail to meet at least one of these criteria. This makes it perfect for people looking to boost their protein intake without the processing and added junk. Order samples to see if our protein powder is right for you.
★★★★★
“It has ingredients you can actually pronounce and is freaking delicious.”
-Kallie
EGG WHITE PROTEIN POWDERS
PROTEIN POWDER SAMPLES
drink wholesome is the best low calorie high protein powder.
Why use low calorie protein powder?
Why use egg white protein?
Why drink wholesome?
Why use low calorie protein powder?
Some people are looking for a protein boost without the extra fats, carbohydrates, and calories. This is where low calorie protein powder can help. You can add unflavored egg white protein powder to smoothies, oatmeal, and your favorite recipes for an easy, low calorie protein boost.
Why use egg white protein?
With only 90 calories per serving, unflavored egg white protein powder is one of the lowest calorie protein powders on the market. It also has a generous 20 grams of complete protein per serving! As you can see in the table below, egg white protein has more protein per calorie than whey and pea protein.
A dried egg white is 80% protein, which gives it, pound for pound, the most protein of any whole food. Most other dietary protein sources (peas, whey, etc.) have to be stripped of their nutrients (fats, carbs. etc.) before they can be used as protein powder. What is left over is called a protein isolate. Protein isolates are used in almost every other low calorie protein powder, and are listed on the ingredient list as “pea protein” and “whey protein” as opposed to “peas” and “whey.” I will not go too much into the details, but they 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. The problem with ingredients that look nothing like real food is that they are hard to digest (more about this later).
Egg white protein is complete. Protein is made up of 20 different types of amino acids, attached to one another in long chains. The human body can make 11 types of these amino acids on its own, the other 9 must come from food. These 9 amino acids are called essential amino acids, and if a dietary protein contains all of them, it is considered to be a “complete protein.” Examples of complete proteins include eggs, fish, and meat. If a dietary protein contains all 9 essential amino acids, it is considered an “incomplete protein.” Examples of incomplete proteins include whole grains and legumes. If you eat a variety of proteins on a daily basis, you should not have to worry about complete proteins, but it certainly does not hurt to add them to your diet.
Egg whites are easy to digest. Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to eggs, egg white protein is the most gut-friendly. It is dairy-free, low in fiber, low-FODMAP, and has the highest protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of any dietary protein. Our customers have experienced fewer digestive issues with egg white protein than with any other type of protein. A word to the wise – if you have gut issues or a sensitive stomach, avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein. They are known to cause digestive issues, especially for people with lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Egg whites taste good. Our unflavored protein powder, when added to a smoothie, is virtually undetectable. Most protein powders, on the other hand, have a chalky aftertaste because they are made with protein isolates, which have been stripped of the nutrients that make food taste good. If you have ever had a chalky protein shake, you know exactly what I am talking about. It is important to note that this last point is not just about your taste buds. If using protein powder is a chore, it is not sustainable in the long term, which defeats the purpose of using it in the first place. Remember, a diet is not a six-week affair, it is for life.
Why drink wholesome?
Our egg white protein powders are made with pasteurized eggs whites, not protein isolates. They therefore do not have the chalky aftertaste characteristic of many protein powders. The eggs that we use are also broken less than twenty four hours from when they were laid. Other eggs sit for days, sometimes weeks before being processed, which causes them to release a chemical called hydrogen sulfide known for its potent sulfur (eggy) odor. drink wholesome is also additive-free. Most low calorie protein powders, on the other hand, are full of food additives. Keep reading to learn more about why you should avoid ingredients like these.
drink wholesome is additive-free.
One of the reasons why we make the best low calorie high 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.
When buying protein powder, one ingredient 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 (the collection of microorganisms that help you digest food). 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 also poorly absorbed by the gut (meaning they feed those hungry gut bacteria), and cause diarrhea because they draw water into your intestine. 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, they are the ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Food additives are not the only thing to look out for 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 high protein low calorie 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, especially 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. It follows that you may be lactose intolerant or have IBS and not even know it. 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 stomach pain.
drink wholesome is made with real foods.
A final reason why we make the best low calorie high 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 are listed on the ingredient list as “collagen protein,” “pea protein, and” “whey protein” as opposed to “collagen,” “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 the gut microbiome. It is therefore in your best interest to avoid protein powders made with protein concentrates and isolates.
Instead of protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best low calorie high protein powder with egg whites. Egg whites are simply pasteurized and dried before becoming protein powder. Minimally-processed ingredients like these are an easy to digest, gut-friendly alternative to protein concentrates and isolates. 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 than with any other type of protein.
★★★★★
“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
Read more reviews or take the quiz.
drink wholesome is the best high protein low calorie protein powder.
CHOCOLATE PROTEIN POWDERS
PROTEIN POWDER SAMPLES
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.