Welcome to this review of the Garden of Life Raw vegan protein powder page. Whey protein powder is one of the most popular sports nutrition supplements for fitness enthusiasts as well as for bodybuilding and powerlifting aficionados as well. In fact, it’s a core bodybuilding supplement.

Not all, though, want to use whey protein as they are either lactose intolerant or believe whey protein is too much for their digestion to handle. Whatever the reason, there are excellent vegan protein powders on the market that can provide the necessary nutrition that athletes and even non-athletes need.

Let’s now get into this offering by Garden of Life and their RAW vegan protein powder beverage supplement product.

Product Essentials Regarding Garden of Life’s RAW Vegan Protein Powder

It comes in three flavors, chocolate, vanilla and “non-flavored,” which is very unique. That way, you can flavor it with whatever added foods you desire.

The product canister is 4.9 x 4.9 x 6.9 inches  with 1.6 pounds of the vegan protein powder inside (shipping weight is 1.7 pounds so you really are getting 1.6 pounds of powder).

Each serving or scoop of Garden of Life’s product comes with 17 grams per scoop. In addition, the protein is dairy free and is certified organic. It also provides:

Side Effects & Health Benefits

One of the “side effects” of this product could be digestion problems for those who have a particular sensitivity to the probiotic enzymatic blends. Some experience nausea when taking it but the vast majority don’t. That is really the only known side effect that is being reported on a consistent basis. Overall, the product’s health benefits of highly assimilable protein.

Many vegans and health conscious fitness enthusiasts, and even non-fitness enthusiasts, don’t get the amino acids or protein they need to combat cellular breakdown. Those who lead an athletic lifestyle or workout need good protein to help with muscle synthesis and cellular breakdown.

That is probably the key, foundational stone of this supplement product.

How Much Should You Expect to Pay for This Vegan Protein Powder?

Currently, on Amazon.com, this product is $20.14 to $24.87 with free shipping. You can check it out on Amazon.com here. The highest I’ve seen it is $28.83. So, Amazon is offering a good deal.

Does It Include a Guarantee?

Yes, it does. Amazon.com, where I recommend people purchase it, offers a superb guarantee. (You can read about it here.) The reason many, including myself recommend Amazon.com is due to the fact that almost always you get the best deal possible on the Internet.

Why? Because you have multiple vendors, ecommerce store outlets and independent resellers competing. The result is that you get a better deal.

What Others Are Saying About Garden of Life’s Raw Vegan Protein Powder

There are 618 reviews on Amazon.com for this product, earning a 3.9 or 4.0 out of a 5.00 rating.  Normally, one should stick with a product review average of 4.0 out of 5.0.

Here is a small sampling of the reviews of this product.

It is really good–if you blend it with bananas!
By Susan R. Doddy on July 13, 2011
Flavor Name: Unflavored

I have been on Amazon and other sites for a day and a half now reading all the reviews on vegan protein (the main three brands–this one, Sun Warrior and Vega). I too, was hesitant to try it, but I went to my local health food store and bought a couple of the sample packets to try. I honestly think it is really really good! Here’s a little background on me and what helps: I have a Vita Mix, which I think is essential, or at least a blender, but a Vita Mix will turn any graininess into something smooth (anyone who has one probably knows what it will do to cashews). It took me a while to learn how to make and drink a decent green smoothie as well, so I have consumed green things and stuff that many people do curl their noses at, including raw brownies which I thought were good, but someone used to eating crap thought it tasted like crap.

First, I really think if you are someone who is used to highly sweetened and artificially flavored processed foods, you may not like this. But if you are someone who has experimented with making interesting healthy concoctions or someone who’s dabbled with a raw vegan diet and green smoothies, I really think you will find this pleasing. Now, I’ve only made this once, but all I did was put about 10 oz or so of water in my Vita Mix, add some frozen bananas (which may have equaled about 1 1/2 bananas), started blending, then added the whole packet of Raw Protein (which I believe is the full 22g 2 scoop serving) and maybe a little more water to get the consistency that I wanted. I waited with bated breath until it was blended and creamy and then I tasted it and wouldn’t you know, it’s pretty darn good! To me, made this way, it tastes like banana flavored baby cereal.

I was tempted to add in more fruit, but I really wanted to see what the least amount of fruit was that I could make this with and have it taste decent. The banana made it sweet enough for me and maybe it was ever so slightly chalky, but to me, I hardly noticed it. I found it to taste way better than whey protein, which to me has a sour milk kind of taste. Now, this is the first totally vegan, non-soy kind of protein that I’ve tried, but I think it’s darn good. I can see adding a little raw cacao powder to it and maybe like I think someone else suggested, adding a little almond butter or organic peanut butter just for something different, but really, you need to blend it to get rid of whatever graininess it may have and bananas to me have such a strong flavor that they are very good at masking other flavors.

So, that’s it. Buy some samples and experiment with it. I’m going to try adding cacao next and maybe some peanut butter, but I’m perfectly happy with how this came out with just bananas. It kind of happened that way with my green smoothies–at first I was putting in all this stuff and making them so complicated and it got to the point where bananas and spinach or bananas and kale with maybe a couple berries tasted great.

Update: I tried it again this morning (in my Vita Mix) with a couple tablespoons of raw cacao powder, frozen bananas, and a little bit of agave (which is all I had), but honey would be better and it was really really good, almost delicious! Plus, I have had absolutely no gastrointestinal issues whatsoever (not even one little gurgle) and I was worried about that because I have poor digestion although I did still take a digestive enzyme with it, but still, if something is going to react badly with me, the digestive enzyme won’t always help. I feel light, but satiated with a nice amount of energy from this. I’m pretty excited about this protein powder and I’m also hoping that it will help me quit my morning coffee habit! I think adding the cacao powder made it really good and gave it a mocha kind of flavor, but again, I put it in my Vita Mix, so I really think a blender of some sort is necessary with this. Later I think I’m going to try a little bit of orange juice and bananas and see how that is, but to me, the powder itself has a tiny bit of a nutty flavor, so mixing it with things that go with nuts is probably better. But certainly, this is far from being horrible tasting if it’s blended with other things, but I can definitely imagine that just mixing it in water in a glass would be fairly distasteful. For those without a blender or for using it \”on the road,\” I would suggest mixing it in orange juice or apple juice and using some sort of shaker cup or container with a lid.

Additional update: This stuff is awesome! I have started to blend it with a little coconut milk, a couple pieces of frozen bananas, a whole fresh banana, raw cacao and a little mesquite powder (adds sweetness and a caramel/malty flavor) and it is so good that I truly do crave it. Another fantastic combo is coconut milk, bananas, and frozen mangoes or really, any frozen berries and bananas is really good. I did try it in a shaker jar with just some coconut milk and cacao powder and it was a little lumpy–not that I couldn’t drink it if I had to, but for the best experience, throw it in the blender with your favorite stuff and enjoy! [It is one of the best vegan protein supplements.]

***One more additional update for those who do not have a blender– I had a morning when I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to use my blender, so I just mixed this with vanilla almond milk (I use unsweetened, but for those who like things sweeter, use a sweetened one) and it was pretty darn good. The smoothness and flavor of almond milk blends perfectly with this and reminds me of baby cereal, so for those who can’t use a blender, just try almond milk and I think you’ll be fairly pleased.”}”

Great Stuff
By N. Alejo on January 6, 2011
Flavor Name:  Unflavored
Size Name: 28 Servings

I take protein supplements daily and this was recommended to me by an employee at the local Feel Rite Fresh Market. I think it’s a great product, I’m a huge fan of anything oranic, raw and sprouted and to get all three in one product is fantastic. This doesn’t have much of a flavor, it’s kind of plain/neutral and chalky tasting but that doesn’t bother me at all. I usually mix it with water since I don’t drink juice being on a controlled calorie diet but I could probably mix this with green tea and a little stevia, which I actually think would taste fine. This also has zero net carbs so those of you on a low carb/glycemic diet might find this product fits your needs as well.

Supplement facts –
Total calories 80
Calories from fat 10
Total fat 1g
Trans fat 0g
Sodium 10mg
Potassium 10mg
Total carbohydrate 3g
Dietary fiber 3g
Sugars <1g
Protein 18g
_______________________
Vitamin A 200IU
Vitamin D 400IU
Vitamin E complex 5IU
Vitamin K 5mcg
_______________________
Organic raw sprout blend 21,925mg
RAW Probiotic enzyme blend 270mg

One of The Best Vegan Protein Powders
By Christopher Barrett TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on April 18, 2012
Flavor Name: Unflavored
Size Name: 28 Servings

My partner and I are on the Clean Program at the moment, and we discovered that Vega Proteins and meal replacements now have Goji, which is not permitted on Clean or an elimination diet. We instead bought some of this from our local Whole Foods (on sale $29 – wouldn’t have paid the $49 regular price when it’s $27 on amazon). We bought the chocolate. The base ingredients are the same, but there is no listing for the chocolate on amazon.

First: this is technically vegan, though the source of the vitamin D is questionable. It is actually made from lanolin, but the extraction process qualifies it as vegan. I have read on many other reviews and blogs about this, but it’s a vegan gray area. The other issue with this on Clean or an elimination diet is the inclusion of a small amount of natto (fermented soy). But the Clean people specify that a tiny amount of soy in acceptable while on their program (about the amount in one serving of soy sauce per day – which is not a lot). The soy is fermented, so it is a little better than just soy protein or other soy filler.

The taste is great. I mix it with unsweetened almond milk and it makes a great shake. Again, I have the chocolate flavor, so it’s a little more tolerable. It is made with vegan cacao and other natural flavorings.

But my main reason for loving this is that it is USDA Certified Organic. Yay!

I have tasted a lot of vegan protein powders, and some you just have to gag down (looking at you hemp protein!), but the health benefits are worth it. Kind of like drinking the apple vinegar, lemon, powdered habanero drink. This is among the better tasting options that are not soy based and probably the best that is organic.

Good ProductBy John Rutledge, January 26, 2014Flavor Name: Unflavored
Size Name: 28 Servings

I like using vegan recipes and follow good wellness tips for my raw meal product purchases. I’ve tried a lot of protein powders and have used Country Life Vitamins for endurance and Wellness. I don’t particularly like specialty foods as I don’t like the food processing industry as their products and even their food photography is fake. But I like this product. It doesn’t cause digestion problems for me. I like it and the MRM product, too.

You can read more reviews here. Just scroll down to about the halfway mark.

Any Customer Complaints?

One Three1263 on Amazon said, “[It’s] real chalky and doesn’t taste at all like chocolate, but it is the best alternative for natural/organic protein supplement I’ve found.” Some of the complaints about the product revolve around its taste.

Some say it’s “chalky” others that it doesn’t taste good. As mentioned earlier, with some, and it’s a small number, it doesn’t agree digestively. Overall, though, the product is well received and

does what it’s been designed to do — provide a highly assimilable, bio-available protein powder that is vegan based.

What is the Popularity of Vegan Supplements?

Vegan supplements are certainly gaining in popularity for those who do stamina exercise training for building strength. People need good quality dietary supplement nutraceuticals and want whole food nutrition without being extreme. Many analysts believe vegan supplements are “medical food” and that due to the vitamins and whole food raw elements that its nutritional supplements will likely continue to grow more popular.

Organic nutrition is a core part of most health program or health education curriculum today. Many today want organic raw materials and natural products instead of synthetic recipes that wreak havoc on the Digestive System. Yes, they — vegan supplements — are growing in popularity. One supplement maker actually said on his health site, “Welcome to the revolution”! People like Jordan Rubin and those who espouse, “The Maker’s Diet” endorse going back to vegan food and a raw diet, including their protein supplement.

Where Can I Buy It?

You can buy it here, but you are free to choose. You can alternatively click on the graphic image to the left of this area and buy it there.

I hope this review of the Garden of Life RAW product has been helpful.  It is one of the best vegetarian protein supplements on the market today. It’s quality vegan protein powder supplements that are worthy of consideration.

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