What is the cleanest protein powder?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
drink wholesome is the cleanest 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 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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-Kallie
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drink wholesome is the cleanest protein powder.
What is protein powder?
What is clean protein powder?
What is the cleanest protein powder
Why drink wholesome?
What is protein powder?
Protein powder is a concentrated form of dietary protein, in powder form. Common types include whey protein, egg white protein, and pea protein. Protein powder can be used to make protein shakes, and added to other recipes. Although people use protein powder to achieve different wellness goals, they all use it for the same basic reason, to increase their protein intake.
What is clean protein powder?
The term “clean” has many different meanings when used to describe food, but it is generally understood to refer to foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. A banana, an egg, and an almond, for example, are all examples of clean foods. A Big Mac and Diet Coke, on the other hand, are not.
If you are trying to “eat clean,” you should make your meals from scratch, and prioritize fresh ingredients. It therefore goes without saying that you should also avoid processed foods made with artificial ingredients, added sugar, and additives.
Protein powder is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “clean eating,” as all protein supplements have undergone some amount of processing. That said, the convenience of a protein supplement is hard to beat, and for many people, it can be the difference between not getting and getting enough protein. If you are thus willing to accept that without processing, protein powder would not exist, you can use it as part of a “clean diet.” That said, not all protein powders are created equal.
The average protein powder is full of heavily-processed ingredients like flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners. Ingredients like these are precisely the reason why most protein powders are not “clean.” It follows that the only way to tell if a protein powder is clean is to read the ingredients. A clean protein powder is made with 100% real foods: foods that are either minimally processed, or not processed at all.
What is the cleanest protein powder
As you just learned, most protein powders contain food additives. A food that contains food additives is not clean, as food additives are heavily-processed derivatives of real food.
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
Food additives are not the only thing to avoid when buying protein powder, however. There are several other ingredients that disqualify the vast majority of protein powders as clean. Most protein powders are also made with protein isolates, foods stripped of everything but the protein. They appear on the ingredient list as “pea protein” and “whey protein” as opposed to “peas” and “whey.”
I will not go into the details, but protein 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. Again, going with the definition of clean = natural, protein powders made with protein concentrates and isolates are off the table.
If you eliminate protein powders that contain food additives and protein isolates/concentrates, there are hardly any options left. This is where drink wholesome comes in.
Why drink wholesome?
drink wholesome is additive-free.
One of the reasons why we make the cleanest protein powder is that we do not use food additives. Not only are food additives incompatible with “clean eating,” but they can also cause uncomfortable side effects and long-term gut damage. Basically, because they look nothing like real food, food additives are hard to digest. They therefore 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.
Over time, food additives can add up (especially if you drink a protein shake every day), and disrupt regulatory pathways in the intestine. Eventually, this can lead to 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 may finally have something to blame for those post-protein shake trips to the bathroom!
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.
Another reason why we make the cleanest protein powder is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. 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 like protein isolates 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 cleanest protein powder with 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 a clean, 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.
★★★★★
“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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drink wholesome is the cleanest vegan protein powder.
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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.