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!

Since I stopped eating raw...

As the holiday season geared up in retail, it became increasingly difficult for me to stay on track with my raw diet.  I started eating more and more processed foods, and more importantly, more and more empty carbs, and specifically wheat.  Although I have not gained much weight (three or four pounds), the main differences I see are constant bloating and my face is broken out SO bad.  I haven't been this broken out in so long.  My face had very nearly cleared up, and now it is worse than ever.

What does this mean?  It means I need to get back on track with eating a primarily raw diet.  If that means keeping my blender bottle and Garden of Life RAW Meal mix in my locker at work again, so be it.  It worked well before, I am happy to do it again.  More importantly, I have a good blender now, so morning smoothies should be easier, but with hitting snooze more than I ever should, it's been harder and harder to get back on track.

Recently, since incorporated cooked, processed foods and wheat back into my diet.

As you can tell by the smoothie in my hand, this was when I was eating a primarily raw, vegan diet.