Veganuary may have ended, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop! If you are vegan, welcome, I don’t need to sell you on the benefits. If you’re not, but would like to make better choices for your health, the environment and animals, why not start out by switching products that can easily be replaced, such as milk, yogurts and supplements.
I’ve been buying only vegan protein powders and bars for a pretty long time now among other switches and haven’t looked back. My digestion is better, my skin is clearer (read up on the links between dairy and acne if you haven’t already heard about this) and I generally feel better in myself!
The Protein
I was attracted to Ve-Power as they only sell vegan products, unlike other brands who sell just one non-whey protein. They also sweeten their protein with stevia, rather than artificial sweeteners, which may have less of a negative effect on the gut microbiome and be less likely to cause stomach issues such as bloating (I certainly find this to be true for myself).
The first protein that I tried was the dark cocoa isolate. One issue that many athletes have with veganism is that it can hard to find a ‘pure’ protein source, this would include things like chicken and egg whites that have little to no trace carbs and fats. This protein is exactly that! With just 0.7g fat and 1.8g carbohydrate for a whopping 24g protein per serving you don’t have to panic about keeping your macro sources separate. Another complaint I often hear is that vegan proteins taste ‘earthy’. I can promise you that the pea and soya protein isolate blend Ve-Power have gone for has none of that.
So far, I have tried the powder both alone and in oats. It works great for either and does not split at all when heated like whey can, meaning that it would work well for healthy baking!
I also tried the mint chocolate flavour which balanced the mint and cocoa perfectly!
Lastly, I have a tub of the berry diet powder. For a slightly higher carb content (4.2g/serving), this protein will provide several added ingredients which may support a fat loss diet, such as CLA, raspberry ketone, green tea and L-carnitine. I haven’t tried this one yet to judge the taste but love that the brand have considered that some people want a more all-in-one protein for a specific goal. They also do a vegan mass gainer which I think is a wonderful idea.
Pre-workout
Coming from someone who works with supplements every day and is pretty aware of trends and new products, this is the first pre-workout that I've seen aimed specifically at vegans.
The pre contains all of your usual suspects such as caffeine, beta alanine and taurine in a great ratio. The huge 400mg caffeine might mean you want to first first assess your tolerance with half a serving!
I also want to add in another vegan myth buster for those who claim that cutting out animal products will cause you to lose all of your gains.
It!
Contains!
Creatine!
I personally consider protein powders and bars more as food products than supplements, so creatine is the only supplement that I would say is essential for strength and power athletes. I could talk about creatine all day, but the basics are covered here. 400mg isn’t a huge dose but it’s a great addition. It’s quite a common misconception that, unless you’re eating lots of red meat, you’re not getting enough creatine.
The apple flavour is similar to any apple pre-workout. Sour but not unpleasant.
Another huge selling point is that there are only 19 calories per serving!
Other
They have plenty more great items in their online store such as this adorable little tee which I love!
Buy your own through the link here: http://www.ve-power.co.uk?rfsn=1020137.9fb17c and get an extra 10% off with code: VE10