What is the best protein powder for IBD?

drink wholesome is the best protein powder for IBD. It is made with a short list of simple ingredients, making it perfect for people with IBD and other gut issues. If you are looking to boost your protein intake without the extra processing and added junk, you have to come to the right place. Order samples to see if our IBD protein powder is right for you. 

drink wholesome is the best protein powder for IBD.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is IBD?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe two conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both conditions cause symptoms like diarrhea and stomach pain, and can lead to severe weight loss and malnutrition. For some people, IBD is only a mild illness. For others, it is a debilitating condition that can have serious complications. If left untreated, IBD can result in permanent damage to the GI tract. 

Although IBD is not caused by what you eat, doctors and dietitians agree that food plays an important role in managing symptoms, especially during flares and periods of remission. Certain foods can aggravate symptoms, while others can mitigate them and promote healing. Paying attention to what you eat and how your body responds to different foods is therefore an essential part of living with IBD. 

Is protein powder good for IBD?

Curating a diet specific to your condition, whether it is Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, is complicated. There is no one Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis diet, and the foods that trigger your symptoms may be different from the foods that trigger symptoms for someone else.

Moreover, specialized IBD diets are controversial because they do not work in every case and can be restrictive, and can contribute to weight loss and malnutrition. The best diet is thus one that meets your individual nutritional needs and helps you manage your IBD symptoms. That said, there are several key ingredients to every IBD diet, and one of them is protein.

As mentioned above, getting enough protein is important because chronic inflammation can impair your ability to absorb nutrients from food, which can lead to serious problems like malnutrition and weight loss. It is therefore imperative that you get enough protein – 1-2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day – between flares. 

I recommend that you get as much protein as you can from normal food. Getting enough protein this way can be challenging for some people, however, which is where protein supplements can help. Adding a protein powder to your diet is an easy way to boost your protein intake and stay healthy. That said, not all protein powders are created equal. 

What is the best protein powder for IBD?

There are several reasons why most protein powders are not good for IBD. Firstly, the average protein powder is chock full of emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, sweeteners, and flavors. Ingredients like these can cause uncomfortable side effects and long-term gut damage, especially for individuals with IBD. For this reason, I recommend that you start your search by looking for a protein powder with a short list of simple ingredients. Keep reading to learn more. 

Why drink wholesome? 

drink wholesome is additive-free.

One of the reasons why we make the best protein powder for IBD is that we do not use food additives. Even in small amounts, added ingredients like these can lead to various gastrointestinal (GI) side effects including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and stomach pain.

These symptoms occur because food additives are hard to digest. Unlike real foods, additives are hard to break down and tend to linger in your gut for longer than food should. This gives your gut bacteria extra time to eat and release gas. Excessive gas, in turn, causes bloating and stomach pain. It also slows down colonic transit, which can result in constipation.

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

Over time, food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways in the intestines, leading to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other systemic inflammatory disorders. Additives like artificial sweeteners can also disrupt the composition of your gut microbiota — the community of microorganisms living in your gut. This can result in severe and persistent gastrointestinal issues and widespread inflammation.

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 IBD protein powder is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. Many protein powders, on the contrary, use whey and casein proteins, which are derived from cheese and yogurt production. We avoid these ingredients because they are known to cause digestive discomfort, particularly for individuals with lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance, which affects many people with IBD, occurs when you lack the enzymes needed to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy. As a result, dairy feeds the bacteria in your gut, leading to the production of excessive gas and associated side effects.

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the best protein powder for IBD is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Nearly all other protein powders are made from one or both of these protein sources, which are foods stripped of everything but the protein. Protein concentrates and isolates undergo extensive mechanical and chemical processing, at times involving solvents like hexane. The end result is a protein supplement that bears little resemblance to real food.

Your digestive system is naturally designed to handle unprocessed or minimally processed whole foods, rather than highly refined protein concentrates or isolates. This is precisely why a growing body of research is uncovering that regular consumption of such heavily processed ingredients can disrupt your gut microbiome. 

In addition to helping you digest food, your gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in shielding your body from harmful pathogens, educating your immune system, and directly or indirectly influencing a multitude of bodily functions. It is important to recognize that an imbalanced gut microbiome is a matter that should not be taken lightly.

In lieu of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best IBD protein powder with real food protein sources like egg whites and almonds. Egg whites undergo a simple process of pasteurization and drying, while almonds are merely roasted, pressed (to reduce oil content), and ground. These minimally processed ingredients result in protein powders that are exceptionally gentle on the digestive system. This is partly because real foods, unlike protein isolates and concentrates, contain natural enzymes and digestive aids that contribute to efficient digestion.

For individuals who do not have egg allergies or sensitivities, choosing egg white protein is an excellent way to support gut health. Egg whites are low in fiber, low in FODMAPs, and have been shown to increase the number of healthy bacteria in the gut. Our satisfied customers often point out that they experience fewer digestive issues when consuming our egg white protein powder compared to other protein supplements.

For those following a vegan diet or unable to consume eggs, our vegan almond protein powder serves as an outstanding alternative. Almonds have prebiotic effects, promoting the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome. They also support healthy and regular bowel movements. In conclusion, we take great pride in making protein powders with minimal processing so that you can enjoy the benefits of protein supplementation without compromising your gut health.

★★★★★

easy to digest

“This protein powder saved my life. It’s one of the only things that I can eat these days, and I am so grateful. drink wholesome helped me gain some weight and recover from what has been a serious and scary flare-up. I would recommend it to anyone with IBD.” – Anthony

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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.