I love a good protein drink when I’m on-the-go and want something nutritious but easy. I also love them after my workouts when I need to jump right on a Zoom call and don’t have time to make a protein shake. However, it can be pretty hard to find a protein shake with clean ingredients. There are a lot that are marketed for pure muscle gain (don’t trust the ingredients in those) but also many that are made to seem healthy.

In this post I’m going to break down the ingredients in three of the most popular protein shakes- Owyn, Koia, and Rebbl.

Owyn Protein Plant-Based Drink

While there are definitely worst protein drinks out there, this one doesn’t have very good ingredients for being marketed as a “clean”, “healthy” product. It has added organic cane sugar, sunflower oil, natural flavors, and guar gum. Sunflower oil is an ingredient I avoid at all costs due to its affects on inflammation. You can read more about this here.

Koia Protein Plant-Based Shake

This one pains me because I honestly love how these taste. I will still have one of these every once in awhile but it’s definitely not an everyday thing. The ingredients include organic cane sugar, natural flavors, and gums. I personally don’t like to consume added sugar if I don’t have to. Sugar is added to almost everything nowadays so even a little bit can add up.

As for natural flavors, they are chemicals derived from anything found naturally. They are still the same molecules as artificial flavors and still made in a lab, they just don’t come from petroleum like artificial flavors. The FDA isn’t required to disclose what exactly is in these natural flavors, which is why I like to steer clear (“The Truth about Natural and Artificial Flavors”).

Rebbl Protein Super Herb Elixir

And now for my favorite. Rebbl is a coconut based drink so it is packed with lots of natural fats. It is also organic! I love that their drinks contain superfoods such as Maca, Ashwagandha, and Reishi. However, it does also contain added organic coconut sugar and gellan gum. While coconut sugar is better than cane sugar, sugar is sugar.

It’s important to watch out for gums due to their potential harm on your gut and hormones. They are relatively safe in small amounts but you do not want to consume them every day. They are often found in beverages, especially non-dairy milks.

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