How to Find the Best Protein Powder Without Natural Flavors

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder without natural flavors.

Discover how to supplement your protein intake without flavorings.

Last Updated
Jan 29, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jennifer is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Protein Powder Without Natural Flavors

What Are Natural Flavors?

Everyone seems to agree that artificial flavors are unhealthy, which explains why so many brands go out of their way to remind you that they do not use artificial flavors.

The average consumer does not seem to mind that most of these companies use natural flavors, however, which makes no sense at all.

Whereas food manufacturers are required to disclose their ingredients, flavor manufacturers are not.

They can add synthetic solvents, preservatives, and carriers to a flavor that qualifies as “natural” under current regulations (FDA regulations 21 CFR §101.22).

The term “natural flavor” could therefore be a catch-all term for everything that a manufacturer would rather not spell out on the ingredient list.

In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, a scientist at the Environmental Working Group stated, “there does not seem to be much of a difference between natural and artificial flavors.”

And he was right.

Just look at how the U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA) defines a natural flavor:

the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

This does NOT sound natural to me.

It is also an indication that most, if not all, natural flavors are ultra-processed ingredients.

Are Natural Flavors Bad for You?

Food, beverage, and supplement manufacturers use natural flavors because doing so is cheaper than using real foods.

Some of this savings is passed on to you, the consumer, but you also have to pay the price of consuming ultra-processed ingredients full of undisclosed additives.

For some, one such consequence may be digestive issues.

Because they are ultra-processed, regulating consuming natural flavors might cause digestive issues like bloating and diarrhea.

They might also alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019), which can lead to gut dysbiosis (Microorganisms, 2022).

Dysbiosis, in turn, contributes to wide range of chronic diseases, including obesity and type 1 diabetes (J Exp Med, 2019).

Natural flavors also lack nutritional value.

Unlike real foods, they do not provide any vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients.

What Is the Best Protein Powder Without Natural Flavors?

To know if a protein powder contains natural flavors, read to the ingredient list on the Supplement or Nutrition Facts panel.

And while you are there, check to see if there are any other food additives listed.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

In addition to natural flavors, most protein powders contain emulsifiers, thickeners, and artificial sweeteners.

None of these ultra-processed ingredients look anything like real food, and all of them are probably bad for your digestive health.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Cornell Law School. 21 CFR § 101.22 – Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives.
2. The New York Times. Are Natural Flavors Really Natural?. 2019.
3. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
4. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
5. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
6. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
7. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.