Calling Vegan BariatricPal Members: Which Protein Powder Do You Use?

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

No matter how much you want to get your nutrients from “real foods,” you may not be able to, especially if you get the gastric sleeve or bypass. There may be a few days pre-op and several days or a few weeks post-op when you depend on Protein powders and shakes to hit your protein numbers.

There are a million different low-sugar, high-protein powders and shakes out there, but your choices are way more limited if you’re vegan. You may go for pea or hemp or soy Protein powder, but there aren’t that many choices.

My question for you is: which brand(s) and flavor(s) do you use, and where do (or did) you buy them?

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I used to buy Biochem vegan Protein Powder. I bought it from Whole Foods. I also like Orgain Organics RTD. They are sold online at their website and in stores like Walgreens and CVS.

[Tobeornottobe 89]

Plant fusion, Vega (in a pinch), Naturade.

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Thanks for the responses! We've received quite a bit of interest in when and soy free items in our BariatricPal Store.

How about vegan Protein bars and other vegan Protein foods?

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Also, what do you look for in a vegan supplement? Do you prefer pea powder? Hemp Protein? All-natural flavorings? And do you find it easy to get these powders at your local supermarket, or do you go online? Thanks for your answers!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I'm looking for minimal ingredients. I like pea Protein but hemp is a little higher in protein. No gmo's is a plus. Orgain RTD is available in Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc... I've seen the Orgain powder in GNC & Vitamin Shoppe. Whole Foods has a wide variety of vegan powders ( Vega, Raw, Biochem). I've seen hemp hearts sold in Target. I'm interested in trying Bobs Red Mill powders but as far as I can tell only sold on their website

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I mostly buy Kind or Larabars. All the Kind and some of the Larabars are vegan. Overall I'm not a big Protein Bar gal

[Tobeornottobe 89]

Thanks for the responses! We've received quite a bit of interest in when and soy free items in our BariatricPal Store.

How about vegan Protein bars and other vegan Protein foods?

Clif Builder Bars (20g) are vegan and available at most grocery stores. I also like Barre bars but they have limited availability and only 10 grams of protein, great in a pinch but a but expensive. I love chia bars but they are low in protein.

Honestly those are the only ones I use.

[Tobeornottobe 89]

Also, what do you look for in a vegan supplement? Do you prefer pea powder? Hemp Protein? All-natural flavorings? And do you find it easy to get these powders at your local supermarket, or do you go online? Thanks for your answers!

It's important for me to be able to read what's in it and low is sugar. My preferences are pea Protein and brown rice. I like the mix in Plant fusion which includes quinoa, amaranth and pea protein. I'm not a fan of hemp as it gives me stomach issues. I prefer the flavoring be natural but that's not always possible in powders.

I usually order my protein via the internet, Jet.com, Amazon.com or directly from the manufacturers site. Protein is available at local stores, Target, Harris Teeter, Giant, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe but I find the pricing to be higher than online.

[talkingmountain 83]

What I'm looking for is NO STEVIA!

I'll be starting a 10-day pre-op liquid only, high-Protein, low-carb diet soon. I've tried every vegan Protein Powder that I can find in sample packs. All of them make me gag. They are way too sweet and sweetened with stevia, which I just can't stand. All of them are pretty grainy, too, though I can actually handle that better than the flavor.

My ideal flavored vegan Protein supplement would contain:

- Minimal ingredients (most have all kinds of veg & fruit additives, which affects flavor and increase the chances of allergies).
- Sweetened with a mixture of fructose, xylitol or ertythritol, and Monk Fruit to get a natural low-glycemic sweetness without too much sugar alcohols. No stevia.
- Not overly sweet! You can always add sweetener if desired, but once it's in there you can't take it out!
- Available in chocolate, vanilla, & berry favors.
- Dissolves well without a heavy grainy texture.
- Has at least 15 g protein and no more than 8 carbs per serving

[Kindle 8,667]

Raw Protein, Raw Fit and Spirutein.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Bobs red mill soy Protein - 17 gms soy isolate, 80 calories, 1 fm fat & nothing else

Bobs red mill hemp Protein 14 gms protein, 120 calories, 3 g fat, 10 carbs, 8 dietary Fiber, 2 sugar

They also have these new chai, chocolate & vanilla protein powders sweetened with Monk Fruit

20 protein, 180 calories, 3 fat, 1 sugar

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

With plant based powders I strongly advise using a nutra bullet or similar device. The only one I ever tried that was not at least a little gritty was Biochem vegan

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

With plant based powders I strongly advise using a nutra bullet or similar device. The only one I ever tried that was not at least a little gritty was Biochem vegan

I suggest using a Nutrabullet or a similar device with any Protein powders. It's almost impossible to get it to a decent consistency with a spoon or even a shake bottle.

[Tobeornottobe 89]

Just wanted to add Naked Pea Protein 27 grams of Protein. I bought it from Amazon 5 pounds (76 servings) for about $54. The great thing is since it has no sweeteners it can be used in sweet and savory dishes.

The pea protein I used before was awfully expensive.