What is the best paleo protein powder?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
Our unflavored protein powder is the best paleo 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 with gut issues and sensitive stomachs, as well as for people just looking to boost their protein intake without the processing and added junk. Order samples to see if our protein powder is right for you.
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drink wholesome is the best paleo protein powder.
What is the paleo diet?
Is protein powder paleo?
What is the best paleo protein powder?
Why drink wholesome?
What is the paleo diet?
The paleo diet is all about eating like our ancestors ate 10,000 years ago – during the Paleolithic era. In a nutshell, it stresses eating whole foods over processed ones. Paleo-friendly foods include meat, fish, eggs, seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
Is protein powder paleo?
If you insist on avoiding processed foods altogether, then protein powder is not an option. If you are willing to compromise somewhat on what constitutes “processed food,” however, then protein powder can be a great addition to your diet.
Most protein powders are made with either whey (dairy), soy (legume), or pea (legume) protein, all of which are decidedly not paleo. Most protein powders also contain food additives, which were definitely not on the menu during the Paleolithic era. Finally, most protein powders are made with protein concentrates or isolates, foods chemically or mechanically stripped of everything but the protein. Protein concentrates and isolates appear on the ingredient list as “pea protein” and “whey protein” as opposed to “peas” and “whey.” Because the paleo diet is all about eating fewer processed foods, protein concentrates and isolates are not particularly paleo-friendly, even if they are derived from paleo-friendly sources.
Basically, the vast majority of protein powders are not paleo-friendly. There are a few exceptions, however, and they are made with simple, whole foods.
What is the best paleo-friendly protein powder?
Our vanilla protein powder is made with egg whites, coconut, vanilla, and monk fruit. Egg whites are an excellent source of paleo protein, and unlike protein isolates, simply pasteurized and dried before becoming protein powder. Instead of thickening our protein powders with gums, we use coconut. Instead of flavoring our protein powders with flavorings or extracts, we use pure ground vanilla beans. Instead of sweetening our protein powders with sugar or artificial sweeteners, we use monk fruit, a small, melon-like fruit native to Southeast Asia. Ingredients like these are as paleo-friendly as they get, and we list them right on the front of the package. For those of you who cannot eat eggs, you will be pleased to learn that we also make paleo-friendly almond-based protein powders. Keep reading to learn more about why drink wholesome is the best paleo protein powder.
Why drink wholesome?
drink wholesome is additive-free.
One of the reasons why we make the best paleo 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 made with real foods.
A final reason why we make the best paleo protein powder is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Most protein powders, as you just learned, are made with protein concentrates and/or isolates, foods stripped of everything but the protein.
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 paleo protein powder with paleo-friendly 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.
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“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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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.