Sun Warrior Vegan Protein Powder Review
We’ve all heard protein powders bad-mouthed by some ‘pure-foodists’. This is ignorance in my opinion. If whey protein, a derivative of milk, is ‘not real food’, then neither is butter, also a milk derivative. But as with all food choices, protein powders are of course not all equal. Highly processed, heat-treated, unnecessary artificial additives, cheap fillers – some protein powders are actually protein ‘junk’.
Whey protein is the sport and fitness industry’s favourite supplement, but vegan options are often not a high priority for manufacturers, leaving vegans or people who don’t tolerate dairy-derived proteins with a limited selection of mostly poor quality powders that are equally nasty in texture and taste.
Thankfully Sun Warrior have come to the rescue. I am intolerant to casein, and can only have whey in limited amounts, so vegan blends are my way of knocking up a convenient, tasty, nutritious breakfast, snack, or pre/post-workout shake. In fact as a very busy business woman, wife and mother who would love to make homemade protein bars every day but doesn’t have time, I get through quite a lot of Sun Warrior protein!
A few years ago when I was researching vegan protein powders I came across Sun Warrior after it was recommended by a few nutritional experts ‘in the know’. Never would I advocate consuming protein supplements instead of whole foods day in day out, but find a decent one and they can be as good, if not more nutritious, than any meal you might cook up yourself.
We’ve all heard protein powders be bad-mouthed by some ‘pure-foodists’. This is ignorance in my opinion. If whey protein, a derivative of milk, is ‘not real food’, then neither is butter, also a milk derivative, ‘real food’.
But like with all food choices protein powders are of course not all equal – highly processed, heat treated, unnecessary artificial additives, cheap fillers; yes some protein powders are protein ‘junk’.
And when considering that whey protein is the sport and fitness industry’s favourite supplement, vegan options are less considered or prioritised by manufacturers, leaving vegans or people who don’t tolerate dairy-derived proteins a limited selection of mostly poor quality powders that are equally nasty in texture and taste.
Thankfully Sun Warrior have come to the rescue. I personally am intolerant to casein, and can only have whey in limited amounts, so vegan blends are my way of knocking up a convenient, tasty, nutritious breakfast, snack, or pre/post-workout shake. In fact as a very busy business woman, wife and mother who would love to make homemade protein bars every day but doesn’t have time, I get through quite a lot of Sun Warrior protein!
Sun Warrior vegan protein powders are made from high quality pure vegan foods like peas, rice, and hemp, and can boast this list of benefits:
- Created with a low temperature, natural enzyme process that uses neither chemicals nor acid hydrolysis.
- Free of solvents, GMOs, radiation, artificial flavours, artificial preservatives, or artificial colours.
- Naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, and other essential nutrients such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorous, iron, and potassium as well as fibre
- Easily digested by children, the elderly, and adults, and unlikely to cause allergic reactions
- Increases absorption and effectiveness of vitamins and minerals
- Contains no animal products, dairy, egg, gluten, soy, added sugar, wheat, or yeast
- Great source of energy
- Heart healthy
- Consuming protein increases metabolism to burn fat while building muscle
- Easy to digest and creates a feeling of satiety – great for weight loss
- Promotes healthy kidney and liver functions
- Improves mental clarity
- Helps relieve candida
Personal Trainers who have their own customised Gymbag store have the option to sell two types of Sun Warrior Protein:
Sun Warrior Classic Protein
Not to be confused with the high carbohydrate rice you boil on the stove, Sunwarrior Classic Protein combines the endosperm and bran from raw sprouted whole grain brown rice, to create a completely hypoallergenic protein. Brown rice protein powder contains all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize but still needs in order to produce all the muscle tissue, enzymes, and hormones we require to survive. Rice protein offers a balanced amino acid profile comparable with the industry favourite whey protein.
Medium Chain Triglyceride fats from coconut, and natural fenugreek and konjac fibres, provide low carbohydrate energy and contribute to feeling satisfied as well as contributing to digestive health.
Sun Warrior Warrior Blend
Warrior Blend is a nutrient filled raw superfood blend made from high fibre and omega oil rich pea, hemp and cranberry proteins, using cold extraction processes. It is naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, and pea protein is rich in glutamic acid to help convert carbohydrates into energy rather than store them as fat. It has a complete amino acid profile meaning not one amino acid is missing, and it is exceptionally high in Arginine and Lysine, as well as the branched chain amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine.
Like the Classic Protein, Warrior blend contains added MCT oils and fibre for energy, heart and digestive benefits.
Taste and Usage
Despite the different protein bases I really can’t tell the difference in taste between the Classic or Warrior blends. However what I will say is that vegan blends are very different in taste and texture to whey or casein protein. Vegan powders used in a shake thicken quickly, so you’ll need more liquid than when using whey (that suits me fine though as I like my shakes nice and thick!). Rice and especially pea protein can taste quite earthy, and this makes the natural, unflavoured version ideal for savoury protein breads, pancakes, muffins, and I’ve even used it to make protein pastry! In fact my baked goods taste much more like the real deal when I use Sun Warrior than when I use whey, which can turn out a bit rubbery.
The chocolate and vanilla varieties are naturally sweetened with cocoa, vanilla extract and the natural plant sweetener stevia (my favourite non-caloric sweetener since there appears to be no health problems associated with it unlike artificial sweeteners). They aren’t cloyingly sweet unlike some brands of whey, in fact in my opinion I think they’ve hit the sweet spot (pun intended), but blending with fruit or adding a little extra stevia is of course perfectly acceptable if you’ve got a super sweet tooth.
Bonus feature – Sun Warrior powders mix really well hot! Whilst whey can go clumpy and rubbery if you’re not careful, Sun Warrior is as smooth mixed with hot water, milk, or nut milk as it is with cold, and that’s not even using a smoothie maker to blend it – just mix with a spoon or mini whisk and you have a protein ‘hot chocolate’ to keep you warm on cold winter evenings, with a little cinnamon added, and topped with whipped coconut cream and some grated dark chocolate for extra indulgence with a healthy twist!
Both types are available in 500g packs available in the following flavours:
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Natural