Alright, ROUND TWO.
In my first blog I talked a lot about the digestive issues I have with protein powders and why my search started for either a dairy-free or lactose-free version. So if you missed that wild and enlightening info coaster, please click here.
Otherwise, you may join me as I continue *our* protein journey. (*we're in this together, you and me)
Also feel free to follow along daily with my stories (@ninatreemonkey).
Commence Research ROUND 2:
First on the list for this week was;
*shudder*......Hi!
no literally, it's called HI (stands for Human Improvement)
CHOCOLATE & VANILLA
Santa Monica, CA
I mean, they say that we should try new things and experience stuff... right?
Maybe. But just maybe not EVERYthing. Maybe protein powder made out of dried pulverized bugs can be at the top of the list of experiences we are allowed to skip.
Well I didn't, and you are welcome to watch the experience here, if you so choose.
It wasn't BAD. And I think the conceptual idea is kinda cool? I don't know, I am not going to be hired as their salesman. I do not want to be Improved as a Human in this way.
Summize it to say that there is absolutely no way, beyond being paid large sums of money, that I would EVER have finished that entire protein shake.
The initial taste is surprisingly decent. The color is off-putting. It's green with black specks...(we'll get back to those specks) But it honestly tastes - ok. The problem is you KNOW what it is, and the more you drink it, and the more it slides down your throat while you look at those rather large black specks, *Shudder* uh uh. nope. No thank you, no you're welcome. We are done here.
I have eaten a lot of bugs in my day, and this was somehow the strangest bug eating experience to date.
(Side Note: the vanilla tastes better than the chocolate, liz and chris are wrong. the end)
Lets move on. Quickly please:
PLANT PROTEIN
Austin, Texas
This one was sent to me as a recommendation from a friend and I gotta say. WOW. I PERSONALLY did not taste the cookie butter in it, but I did taste that it was DELICIOUS. Definitely the best tasting and easiest drinking vegan protein powder I've tried.
It DOES kinda taste like sweet chalkboard. Stop yelling at me. MY GOOD GOLLY did I get a lot of slack on instagram for saying it tasted like a sweet chalkboard and then giving it an 8/10. But hear me out .....It was still really good. It was a tasty chalkboard treat. And compared to all the other vegan proteins I have tasted which are generally nasty, this one is exceptionally drinkable. Also holy wow does it make a good protein coffee.
When I first tasted it, with 8 oz of cold water and my Double Helix Water, of course, I was unsure, possibly disappointed It didn't taste exactly like diving into a jar of cookie butter like my hopes and dreams had told me it would. (My boyfriend said it tasted like cookie butter to him, so maybe my tastes are broken) BUT I was not disappointed in the protein, that's for sure. Its super smooth and drinkable, and I had zero stomach issues throughout the day. A definite go-to tasty gentle tummy protein. VERY SWEET though.... You have been warned. VERY SWEET.
I wanna try their whey protein flavors now because they get really good reviews for being super yum and gentle, birthday cake, snickers, fruitloops, etc.
Update: I did get to try their snickers flavor whey protein and its good... tastes like snickers. But I think I actually like their vegan protein BETTER. (Who am I?)
onward:
Cinnamon Toast Crunch & Key Lime Pie & RootBeer Float
Light Lactose & Lactose free
St Louis, Missouri
Ahhhh, we meet again First Phorm... But THIS time, we meet with a lactose free protein which is not vegan. I have to say it's such a nice variation for me, as I am not vegan, to find lactose free protein that isn't made from pea protein.
Their Keylime, Watermelon & Cherry-lime flavors are all lactose free and the one I tried, Key Lime, was delightfully tasty. NOT super creamy like a normal protein powder, which makes sense. More almost like drinking BCAAs or something. Anyways it's great. Tastes just like Key Lime Pie and I'm happy as a clam with it.
Next two I tried by the same company are not lactose free but are low lactose and claim to be gentle on sensitive systems. The CTC or (cinnamon toast crunch) is freaking delicious. Especially when mixed with the Ignition which is what everyone told me I had to do for a post workout. The only problem with this protein powder is you might blow up like a balloon when you just keep making more and more shakes because you want to keep chugging it until you drown in cinnamon glory. The Rootbeer float is similarly amazing. Super drinkable, tastes exactly like a Rootbeer Float, guaranteed to cure your sweet tooth.
Lastly for this episode of "Nina's Blog":
Palo Alto, California
Let me begin by saying how much I LOVE companies who sell sample sizes of their protein powders. And also be obnoxious for a second while I yell that EVERY PROTEIN COMPANY SHOULD SELL SAMPLES OF THEIR PROTEIN POWDERS.
Are samples expensive? Yes. But $12 for a handful of samples is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a $50+ giant container that you MAYBE will like.
Anyways, I loved Momentous Chocolate & Vanilla Grass Fed Whey proteins. They mixed smooth, tasted great and were easy on the stomach as promised. They are very NOT sweet, when compared to other brands. So are perfect for people who don’t like mega sweet or mega flavorful beverages. Highly recommend.
The plant protein tho….ehhhhhh, its mega "ugh". The vanilla chai tasted like if someone ate a jar of house paint, washed it down with old cinnamon gum and then spit in a blender bottle for you. Ok, I’m being dramatic, but for real. It has such high reviews that I really expected it to be amazing but any flavors that aren’t bland in it are just plain not good. Masked by a banana and some almond milk maybe it would be fine but I definitely do not recommend it by itself. Wouldn’t buy.
Summation: My favorite protein this week: Vegan Creations Cookie Butter! I loved it and have reached for it more than any other protein since I bought it. Its the best plant protein I've tried and you cannot rip it from my cold, but very alive hands.
Nina Gann Meyer is an artist and employee at Double Helix Water. She has two children and loves working out with her friends at Crossfit Believe.
You can also find her on instagram as @ninatreemonkey trying to get sponsored by Starkist Tuna
or as @ninagannart selling pet paintings
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