Want to know one of the most annoying questions I hear when I tell people I’m a vegetarian? People love to ask me how I get my protein. They all of sudden become a protein expert. Turns out after about 10 years of being a vegetarian I have it pretty figured out, but thanks. In case you’re curious, a lot of it does come from animal products like eggs and greek yogurt and occasionally wild fish.
There are also plenty of fantastic vegan sources of protein like:
- hemp seeds
- sunflower seeds
- almonds
- cashews
- spinach
- kale
- peas
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
Although I do try to get a majority through whole, unprocessed foods I love adding vegan protein powder to my morning smoothies to add a nutritional boost.
When I was approached by SunWarrior to try out some of their protein powder and supplements I was excited to find out they fit the bill when it came to ingredients and nutrition. Their products are soy free, dairy free, vegan and non-gmo.
The brown rice protein is sweetened with stevia and only has 1g of sugar in each serving. Each 80 calorie package has 15g of protein so you get some bang for your caloric buck.
But what about taste? I tried the chocolate first when I made my cherry chocolate smoothie and I loved it. It had just the right sweetness and the right texture, not too chalky. Next I tried the vanilla. I’ll be totally honest, it didn’t live up to the chocolate. It tasted artificial and didn’t have the right vanilla flavor. By no means was it the worst vegan protein powder, but I much prefered the chocolate.
Along with the protein I also tried out some of their supplements including the “Ormus Super Greens” which is a combination of alfalfa leaf, barley grass, wheat grass, oat grass, spinach parsley, ginger, peppermint and moringa leaf. I mixed it with a frozen banana, 1 tbsp of cocoa powder and some coconut Bai. You could taste the “green” but I actually didn’t mind that. Sometimes it’s nice to have that combination of sweet creamy banana with the “green” taste.
Overall I’d definitely buy the chocolate protein powder and green powder again. To learn more about their products check out their site SUNWARRIOR
*While I was given free product to sample, all opinions are my own*
Your Turn:
- If you’re plant based, what’s your favorite source of protein?
- Do you like to use protein powder in your recipes/smoothies?
- Do you have a favorite protein powder brand?
I love my protein powders, but now I only used plant based ones, because the “other” kind have too much junk in them and honestly they make me feel like poop. My stomach will blow up like a balloon. I appreciate your honest opinions on this review and cannot wait to make that chocolate smoothies, because that combo ROCKS! XOXO
Thanks girl! I can totally relate to my tummy not loving certain brands of protein powders/bars.
Very cool! As I blogged about earlier this week – protein has been one of the biggest challenges during my vegan challenge. You’re right, there are plenty of plant-based proteins! I’ve been having fun trying to think outside the box and get protein in new ways.
I’ll have to try SunWarrior — I’m so particular about vegan proteins!
Found this post on greatist about complete proteins for vegetarians and thought of you: http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins
I’ve tried these, but can’t get past the aftertaste of stevia. I guess I’m really sensitive to it.
My fave plant-based protein powder is Spiru-tein
I can see that – the vanilla you could definitely taste the stevia but the chocolate was more subtle – I’ll have to check out Spiru-tein!
I’ve been a Sunwarrior fan for years. I also received a sample box, and have yet to try the chocolate!! I can’t wait to try it, your smoothie looks delish!
Nice! I was pumped to try the other supplements too like the green powder which can be so helpful for nutrition when you’re traveling – I think the chocolate would make a killer hot cocoa….
Nice post! Sunwarrior is definitely better blended with fruit rather than on it’s own lol! Have you been seeing all of the raw vegan vlogs that are freaking all over youtube? lol I tried going raw vegan for 3 days….it was cool but so so so expensive…especially in Michigan. Do you think you could ever go raw vegan?
I can only imagine! Eating a mostly plant diet is surprisingly expensive. I might be able to do it for…. a day…. maybe. Plenty of raw vegan food is delicious but that much restriction just isn’t realistic for most people (myself included) It would be a lot easier in the summer too
vegan protein has come so far these days! i do love the sunwarrior chocolate and hemp protein in general. all great sources! and of course, i’ll try the greens!
Hemp seeds are a new discovery for me and I am kind of obsessed. I’m excited to add more of the greens for my on-the-go snacking. Thanks for stopping by Lindsay!
SunWarrior is definitely one of my FAVORITES – however I am totally loving NuZest – have you ever tried it? I highly, highly recommend it! 🙂
Ooo I gotta try it!
It’s really interesting how a lot of people have a skewed perception of protein! Like either you need way more protein than you actually do (i.e. eating meat at all 3 meals per day FOR THE PROTEIN) or that vegetarians/vegans couldn’t possibly get enough. To be fair to them, there ARE some vegetarians who live off of pizza and cupcakes…but you definitely aren’t one of them 🙂
Very true- when first started being a vegetarian (around 12 years old) I knew next to nothing about nutrition and my favorite food was pasta (by a mile) – since then I’ve taken the time to learn what (and how much) my body needs – but I’ve definitely seen my fair share of “junk food” vegans/vegetarians