With so many proteins on the market, how do you choose the best and healthiest one for you? It all depends on so many factors: your individual nutrient needs, your goals, whether you’re on a special diet, and whether you have any allergies.
Are you looking for a protein powder that’s going to help you stay full throughout the day, or are you looking to gain weight, build muscle or lean out and burn some fat?
Here are 5 tips to get you started in picking the healthiest protein possible.
1) Short ingredient list: You’re buying protein. You want it to be mostly protein, not lots of fillers! The less ingredients on the list the better.
2) Higher protein, lower carb: Choose a protein powder with at least 20 grams of protein per scoop and less than 5 grams of carbs. Unless you are mixing it with just water, you are likely blending with other fruit and veggies, so you will get your fair share of carbs there.
3) Look for protein “isolate”. If you’re using whey protein, look for protein isolate rather than concentrate. Isolate is more than 90% protein. Some vegan sources now produce isolate options. AURA Plant Based Protein includes fermented pea protein isolate in our 4-protein blend.
4) No sugars, starches or artificial sweeteners. Make sure your protein powder doesn’t have artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Artificial sugars can wreak havoc on your digestive tract. You don’t need added sugar, because again, you are likely adding this in the form of fruit.
5) Pick a neutral flavour. If you buy a large tub of protein powder with a strong flavour, like birthday cake, it’s less versatile and you may get sick of it quickly. An unflavoured protein is a great place to start, or something with slight vanilla or chocolate flavour (those are common, versatile flavour options).
It’s that easy! Now we might be a little biased, but our Plant Based Protein fits the bill. We got sick of always searching for clean protein that was good for us, eliminated bloating, was versatile in recipes and tasted incredible. So, we created our own. Plain and simple!
We are loving this anti-inflammatory, protein rich, immune boosting smoothie: the GOLDEN TURMERIC.
BLEND THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS + ENJOY!
GOLDEN TURMERIC SMOOTHIE
½ frozen banana
½ cup frozen pineapple
1 tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
Small piece of fresh ginger
1 scoop AURA Unflavoured Plant Based Protein Powder
1.5 cups of water or non-dairy milk (we recommend coconut milk)
