True Nutrition Vegan Wholefoods Replacement Powder

There are a ton of different meal replacement powders out there for vegans.  The ones that I have used the most in the past are the Garden of Life brand, from several of their different lines.  I have tried so many options for meal shakes, but am often disappointed by the high amount of carbs.  Carbohydrates are higher in meal shakes than protein shakes due to the fact that it's supposed to substitute a meal.  That's all fine and dandy, but when I'm trying to stick to a moderate amount of carbs and would rather get them from a piece of fruit, that simply doesn't work for me.


Enter stage right: True Nutrition's Vegan Wholefoods Replacement Powder; cue heavenly music and ethereal lighting.

This stuff is fantastic.  It's available in a huge range of flavors, everything from Natural Premium Vanilla to Corner Candy Store (which now I want to know, WHAT DOES THAT TASTE LIKE?!?!?).  The macros are out of this world; for a 30g serving size, 15 to a pound, you have 130 calories.  Of those 130 calories, you have 2.9 g of fat, 4.9g of carbohydrates, and a whopping 19.7g of protein.  If you need more carbs in a meal, it's easy to eat a piece of fruit with this and still have a reasonable amount of calories for a meal.  For more protein and fat, pair it with a handful of almonds.  Basically, you have options.

I make all of my shakes in Blender Bottles or Smart Shake bottles.  This formula is pretty smooth outside of the hemp protein found it in (the little black dots that people occasionally complain about).  Hemp protein is hard to get smooth, and the only company I've seen do it well was Manitoba Harvest.  The hemp protein is minimal in this, with the bulk of the protein coming from pea and rice, so there shouldn't be enough to bother you.

Outside of the pea, rice and hemp protein it has a few other ingredients to bulk it up and make you feel full.  It has Swedish Oat Starch, " a low glycemic, high molecular weight wholefoods powder that is high in the nutrient b-glucan."  It also has Psyllium seed husk fiber to bulk it up and help with elimination.  It has Medium Chain Triglycerides Powder (from coconut and palm oil), which are a fat source that is easily assimilated by the body and help prevent muscle breakdown.  Outside of needing to add in a raw supergreen powder for nutrients, this is the complete package.  Since I have plenty of raw supergreen powder, this is ideal for me.

Oh, the last reason why you should give this stuff a chance?  The price is better than anything else on the market.  For a pound of it, even in a tub, with a scoop, and premium flavoring at double strength, it's only around $11 a pound.  If you're not fancy with the flavoring or packaging (and you really don't need to be), you can get it for much closer to $9.  Using the code BBE100 will help get you there, too.

Quick breakdown:
1 scoop (30g)
15 servings per pound
Cost: ~$9-$11+ per pound

Total Calories: 130
Fat: 2.9g
Carbohydrates: 4.9g
Protein: 19.7g

Would I buy it again?  Absolutely.  The macros are spot on and other than the slight grit with the hemp protein, I have no complaints.  Some people expect their meal powders to have built in vitamins and supergreens; I add my own.  If you're one of those people, you may be a little disappointed, but the price should make up for it.

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Plant Fusion Phood!

Plant Fusion makes a delicious meal replacement powder called Phood.  It is smooth, it is creamy, and it is tasty.

In My Pantry: Raw Vegan Protein & Meal Replacer

I'm presently still stuck on the Garden of Life RAW Meal, this time in Vanilla.  I'm having a hard time switching to another brand because I know I like the taste and for the price, it's scary to jump into something new.  Also, it's raw.  Most of the other meal replacers are not a raw food.  For my protein, I just switched to the Hemp Pro 70 from Manitoba Harvest.

Why did I choose these two?  Keep reading!

Garden of Life RAW Meal Energy in Yerba Mate!

I get most of my produce and fresh foods at the local supermercado, but Whole Foods is right next to my work, so I frequent it for my specialty items, my bulk foods, and occasionally a slice or two of traditional vegan pizza when I'm feeling naughty.

My few visits ago, I saw containers of a new RAW Protein Energy from Garden of Life in the decompression zone of Whole Foods.  Of course my interest was sparked!  It came in two flavors, Marley Coffee or Guayaki Yerba Mate.  I debated momentarily, but picked up the Yerba Mate for it's lower caffeine and acidity.

But wait.. that says RAW Meal!

My Usual Breakfast.

This is how I start most of my days.

I have never been a morning person.  I've definitely never been a breakfast person.  As a matter of fact, I'm lucky if I can choke down a piece of fruit in the morning without feeling like crap.  Instead, I tend to drink some sort of tea or coffee (though even teas can be dangerous) and hit the ground running on empty.  As such, I've started putting my protein powder into my morning drink on the days that I can't make myself eat.  This isn't really much of a meal replacement, as I don't think my energy drink is meant to have any sort of satiety satisfying ingredients, but it works for me.

Ingredients:
12-14 ounces of coffee (cooled is best; mine is usually left over from Clancy's pot before his midnight shift)
4 ounces "milk" (don't use creamer, you'll go through it way too quickly & it'll be crazy sweet)
1 scoop Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean Protein Powder*

Directions:
Shake well.  The Blender Bottle does all of the work.

Nutritional facts (one serving; drink it all!):
Calories:  200k
Fat:  5g
Carbohydrates:  20g
Protein:  22g

* = I used Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean Protein Powder because it tastes amazing in coffee.  I recommend using a flavored powder to give it more of a latte/mocha texture and flavor, versus a plain, unflavored powder.

Plant Fusion's PR department sent me this 2 pound tub of their Vanilla Bean flavor for consideration.  This does not change my opinion of the product, and I reserve the right to my honest opinion.  Thank you to P.F.!