Tastes okay, but not very healthy
The taste of this meal-replacement powder is palatable. It also mixes well, and as advertised, it is very filling.<br /><br />If you are used to supplementing your diet with vegan protein powder, it is important to note that this product is not the same thing. It has about three times the calories of vegan protein powder (such as plain, unadulterated, organic, rice protein powder) for about the same amount of protein, and a lot of other ingredients as well. Two rounded scoops have 400 calories. They provide 20 grams of fat (about 1/2 the average, daily allotment of fat calories), 41 grams of carbohydrates (with 15 grams of sugar and 6 grams of fiber, which is 1/5 the daily fiber requirement), and 20 grams of protein (about 1/3 to 1/2 of the daily requirement for protein).<br /><br />This expensive product is advertised as being a healthfood and, on the surface, it has some of the elements of a healthy product, including vitamins and minerals. However, for my money, as a frugal and health-conscious consumer, it has too many issues to deserve to be called healthy.<br /><br />First, this product is NOT organic, and its protein content comes entirely from soy. Over 93% of non-organic soybeans grown in the USA are GMO. There is a similar problem with non-organic canola oil. Since 1995, the notorious chemical giant, Monsanto, has been consistently genetically modifying rapeseeds, the source of canola oil, until currently about 90% of the world's canola crop is GMO. (The leading producers of rapeseed include the European Union, Canada, China, India, and Australia. The USA is the largest importer of rapeseed in the world and receives the bulk of its rapeseed from Canada.) Note that, if organic, canola oil is not a bad choice in and of itself. It consists mostly of healthy monounsaturated fat (61%, which is almost as much as olive oil) and a relatively low percentage of unhealthy polyunsaturated fats (32%). It contains a relatively small amount (7%) of saturated fats.<br /><br />Second, in and of itself, even if organic, soy can have a negative impact on the thyroid, particularly in women. So it is not a good idea to consume soy products, such as this one, on a regular basis.<br /><br />Third, this product contains the artificial sweetener, sucralose. Health conscious individuals avoid it because there are strong indications that it can reduce beneficial gut microflora. It is also harmful to the liver, kidneys, thymus and lymph nodes. For these reasons, it should rarely, if ever, be ingested, making it a bad idea to include it in a product such as this, which is intended for frequent consumption.<br /><br />Fourth, I try to avoid products which include natural flavor. The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: "The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional" (21CFR101.22). That essentially means that natural flavor is derived from a real food, but the process by which it is derived is unexplained and there is no way to know how safe or healthy a natural flavoring is.<br /><br />Rather than using this product, I think it would be cheaper, healthier, and definitely safer, to simply take a multivitamin pill and drink some plain protein powder in water, juice or in a smoothie and consume healthy, organic fats, such as coconut oil, nuts or olive oil, rather than the GMO canola oil in this product. I certainly would not consider buying this product again.<br /><br />Ingredients: Soy protein isolate, high oleic canola oil, maltodextrin, isomaltulose, soluble corn fiber, modified food starch, potassium chloride, magnesium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, dipotassium phosphate, mono & diglylceride, salt, choline chloride, natural flavor, xanthan gum, sodium ascorbate, mixed tocopherol, DL-alpha tocopheryl acetate, ferrous gluconate, zinc sulfate, D-calcium pantothenate, niacinamide, sucralose, thiamine hydrochloride, copper gluconate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganese sulfate, riboflavin, vitamin A palmitate, potassium iodide, chromium chloride, biotin, folic acid, sodium molybdate, phytonadione, sodium selenite, vitamine D2, vitamin B12.
Rating: 2 stars