Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder

I used to like orgain’s peppermint hot chocolate protein powder. It’s seasonal, but should be on right now. No affiliation to them by the way, but they’re sugar free, clean ingredients, a good protein to calorie ratio (21gp = 150c), and the creator made it to recover from cancer. It also tastes nice and has cute packaging. I can’t attach a picture, but it’s a shiny red with silver snowflakes and gold shiny embelishments, and a little penguin with his protein hot cocoa.

Orgain natural unsweetened is the best/most neutral tasting one I've found.

Thank you for this thorough and reassuring breakdown. The point about "no protein powder will magically get you jacked" is so important. Building a masculine physique takes years of intentional heavy lifting and often a calorie surplus, protein powder alone won't do that. For a beginner, regular whey from a trusted brand like Optimum Nutrition is a safe, affordable start. If bloating is a concern, whey isolate or a good vegan blend (like Orgain or Naked Pea) can be gentler. The key is finding one that fits your budget and digestion so you can actually stick with it.

The orgain simple protein powder is pretty good. Good flavor, texture is actually pretty good, no weird ingredients. It mixes in liquid okay, but it's very smooth blended. (This is a common issue with vegan protein powders.) It has a couple grams of fiber as well, I think the regular orgain line has more fiber but something in it hurts my stomach so I don't do that one. It's cheapest on Amazon and at Costco. A simple soy protein isolate would also be creamy and have a good texture, and might mix better than something with pea protein. It probably depends on where you buy it from, but it can have a light soy milk/tofu flavor. It's not hard to cover it up with some cocoa powder or a stronger flavor though. I've bought it from true nutrition and it was very affordable. I like to make my protein smoothies sweet with a lot of fruit and sometimes that is satisfying enough for me, especially if I add some cocoa powder. Idk, sometimes you need a sweet treat though. A couple pieces off a dark chocolate bar (maybe 100-150 cals?) every now and then is necessary for me, even if it doesn't have a lot of protein. Have you tried a psyllium husk supplement to increase fiber? It's pretty much no calories and would definitely help lower the cholesterol. There's also research saying that soy can help lower ldl cholesterol, although some studies say by a larger amount than others.

Drinking is the easiest way to get food you don't love into you (or me at least). I like some Orgain tubs that Costco sells. Pea protein based mostly. I react to a number of things, including peanuts which are a common cheap protein source. Huel, a meal replacement aiming to be nutritionally complete has a higher protein version (black edition). Not amazing tasting, but could be more palatable to you. Not cheap, but if you buy a bunch each unit gets cheaper for you. And they have a number of flavors or varieties, even some "hot" stuff. Personally texture is really important for me. Like how it feels to take a bite, and chew it. Notice it in my mouth as I do. That's part of why cooking meat at home is so hard for me (haven't done it often enough to figure it out). Versus the basic tastes (sour, bitter, salty, sweet, umami, or spicy/hot). Or smells/aromas. Fake sugars sometimes can be combined to get closer to typical sugar sensations. Some protein powders are gritty or chalky. Often sugar makes things easier for me to happily consume. And fat helps me feel full for longer (it isn't as evil as most people think, in fact we need some). Same with fiber, so maybe you'd want a low fiber option like a whey protein or milk based protein powder (Muscle milk was pretty palatable and cheaper than many).