What is the best paleo protein powder?

drink wholesome is the best paleo protein powder.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

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.

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 there are a few paleo protein powder options. Two of them are egg white protein powder and almond protein powder.

Is protein powder paleo? 

---

Finding a protein powder for the paleo diet is hard because 99.99% of protein powders are not paleo. For starters, most protein powders are made with either whey, soy, or pea protein, none of which are paleo. Whey protein comes from milk, and soy and pea protein come from legumes. Milk and legumes are not allowed on the paleo diet.

The real reason why most protein powders are not technically paleo, however, has nothing to do with the type of protein. Save for a handful exceptions, most protein powders are not paleo because they are made with protein concentrates or isolates. Protein sources like these heavily-processed ingredients stripped of everything but the protein. They were absolutely not on the menu during the Paleolithic era, and cannot be part of a Paleo diet.

Another reason why most protein powders are not compatible with the paleo diet is that they contain added ingredients like emulsifiers, thickeners, flavors, and sweeteners. Food additives like these, including natural flavors and natural sweeteners like stevia, are not paleo.

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

Why egg whites and almonds?

---

Here are the four reasons why we use egg whites and almonds in our paleo protein powders.

1. Both egg whites and almonds are allowed on the paleo diet. They are excellent sources of paleo protein, each with its own unique health benefits.

2. Egg whites and almonds require very little processing to become protein powder. Dried egg whites are basically nature’s protein powder. All that is required to turn an egg white into protein powder is pasteurization and dehydration. As far as food processing goes, this is about as minimal as it gets. Almonds, on the other hand, require more processing, but not much more. The almonds we use are simply roasted, pressed to remove some oil, and ground.

3. Egg whites and almonds taste good. Because they have not been stripped of their non-protein components (fats, carbs, etc.), egg whites and almonds do not have that chalky aftertaste characteristic of protein powders made with protein concentrates and isolates.

4. Egg whites and almonds are easy to digest. Unlike protein concentrates and isolates, whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds contain enzymes and other digestive aids that help you break them down easily.

What is the best paleo-friendly protein powder?

---

We make the best paleo protein powders with a short list of simple ingredients. In case you were wondering, the other ingredients that we use to flavor and sweeten our paleo protein powders are also paleo. For example, to our vanilla protein powders, we add coconut for texture, vanilla beans for flavor, and either maple sugar or monk fruit for sweetness. Monk fruit is a melon-like fruit native to Southeast Asia.

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

If you are looking for a single ingredient paleo-friendly protein powder, we also have you covered. Our unflavored egg white protein powder is made with only egg whites, and our unflavored almond protein powder is made with just almonds. Both make great additions to smoothies and other recipes.

Finally, our almond protein powder is, as far as we know, the only vegan paleo protein powder on the market. If you are on a plant-based paleo diet, you have come to the right place.

★★★★★

easy to digest

“Just wanted to pop in and say thank you for creating a simple protein that has real ingredients, I hope you never change the formula!!” – Emily

Read more reviews or take the quiz.