Staying Healthy and Reaching my Goals: Vegan Protein Review

I love fitness and nutrition. Four years ago I began my fitness journey, and since then I have never looked back, now I can't imagine life any other way. Since January I have been re-evaluating my fitness goals and having a big nutritional shake up, literally.  One of the newest additions to my life is drinking a crazy amount of protein shake, and I aim for two every day. This has proved difficult to keep up, and I'm finding it hard to stick with it, to be honest. One of the biggest problems I have found as I am dairy and gluten free is finding a nice vegan protein that tastes good and mixes well.  Finding a good vegan protein that mixes well and tastes good is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I have been searching now for the last year for a vegan protein supplement to help me reach my goals in the gym. The more I seem to cut down on products derived from animals the harder it seems to be to keep my macros steady and get all my daily protein. If like me you have been struggling with finding a nice vegan protein then I hope this post is helpful; if you have found any good protein powders or good vegan sources of protein, please let me know and comment below!

The stripped Vegan lean protein I found on Amazon and cost about £15 for 490g. It is made from pea and hemp protein which I was excited to try as I have heard hemp is an excellent protein source. Per serving there is 21g of protein which I was very happy with, but it also contains 9.3g of carbs which I thought was a bit high.

When I opened the box a beautiful vanilla smell drifted out, smelling very promising.  The packaging is plain but I like it, and it reminds me slightly of protein worlds packaging. The first time I tried stripped  I blended it with almond milk and a banana for a good post workout drink. The consistency was ok, not too thick but there wasn't much flavor and it didn't blend that well. The flavor isn't bad but because of the smell my expectations were high, it is sweet but plain.

The second time I tried it on its own and blended it for longer which got rid of more lumps but the flavor wasn't great. I will be happy to carry on using this but I don't think I will get it again in this flavor, I would maybe try another flavor from STRIPPD to see if the flavor is stronger.

Reflex Nutrition is a really good reliable protein brand so I was hopeful with this purchase. I  bought 2.1kg for £35! Such a good price! Reading the label on the back the macro breakdown looks good with 18.5g of protein with 1.4g of fat and 1g of carbohydrates very promising. This protein also contains the addition of digestive enzymes, which is good for me as I take them anyway to promote a healthy gut.

The taste of this protein is what I can only describe as the taste of cheap chocolate mixed with artificial sweetener. I have had other people try this one and they don't find the taste as bad but it really wasn't for me. On the plus side, it does mix really well with almond milk, but the texture is slightly grainy. I have tried making protein flapjacks with this, as I didn't want to waste it but the taste is too strong for me. I have heard amazing things about Reflex Nutrition's whey protein, but wouldn't get the vegan one again.

The third protein I have tried recently is Natures Garden 90% soy protein £13  for 454g that I bought from Holland and Barret. This protein is not vegan! But it is suitable for vegetarians or people who don't eat dairy as it contains some egg solids. Looking at the back of the pot this protein also contains amino acids and 14 different vitamins and minerals. I was pretty pleased with this as I feel that in the fitness world people often neglect either their macros or their micros depending on goals, but it's always good to have a well-balanced approach. This protein is made from soy and boasts 18g of protein with 0.7g of fat and 0.5g of carbohydrate! Natures Garden has by far the best nutritional profile I have seen so far. I bought Vanilla flavor and had a little sniff in the shop and it smelled delicious.

The packaging for this protein is not that good but I have to say it is the best one I have tried so far! It is thick and creamy and blends well in both a shaker and a blender with minimal lumps. The flavor is a little blander than expected but tolerable and goes well in smoothies or if you want to bleed it with just a banana post workout it's good! I will be getting this again but I might try a different flavor if I can find one. I have seen results since I increased my protein intake and am happy moving towards my 2017 fitness goals! More healthy yummy vegan protein sources would make this a tastier journey though!