There are three ways you can think about protein powders and the paleo lifestyle:
#1 You can go against it completely with the belief that powders are processed, and processing is not in agreement with the Paleo diet. You may also make arguments about the heat used in most processes and the unhealthy animals sourced for some powders.
#2. You can reason that protein powders may not be entirely paleo, but there are some healthy options that only break the rules slightly. Sometimes rules can be broken if they are in favor of your health, right? There are many protein powders that you may consider, such as those that source protein from hemp, beef, or egg whites.
#3. You can rest assured that there are some paleo-friendly protein powders out there, such as MRM All Natural Egg White Protein. This is the closest you will find to a paleo-approved protein powder, and you can read more about it at the end of this page.
There are many healthy protein powders that you could incorporate into a paleo lifestyle, but what you ultimately select depends on which of the above groups you fall into. There is a lot of debate on what is and is not acceptable for this lifestyle, so you must make decisions based on your own beliefs and health goals.
The Problem with Whey
Many Paleo believers have attacked whey as if it were something evil. This is because many whey protein powders source their protein from cows that are raised on grain. Since grain is not an approved paleo food, this makes these protein powders bad choices. The way around this is to use a paleo protein powder that sources its protein from grass-fed cows.
The next argument against whey is that dairy products are not allowed on the paleo diet. It turns out that the cavemen didn’t milk cows and pour the milk over cereal every morning. Whey protein powders will now be considered non-paleo by the strictest Paleo adherent.
If you like to follow a paleo diet that is not so strict and see the benefit of allowing some small exceptions when they are good for your health, you may want to use an organic whey protein powder that sources its protein from grass-fed cows. There is one excellent option if you want to give organic whey protein a try:
USDA organic whey protein derived from grass-fed cows and processed at low temperatures without acid treatment.The cows are not treated with hormones and are raised on sustainable Wisconsin farms. No sweeteners, preservatives, or artificial fillers are added to the final product, so this is as natural as whey protein gets.
What about vegetarian and vegan protein powders?
If there is a paleo protein powder in existence, surely it is vegetarian or vegan, right? This may get your hopes up since many vegan and vegetarian products are natural and healthy, but it turns out many protein powders made from non-animal protein sources are not paleo-friendly. This is because they rely on pea protein and brown rice protein. Since the cavemen did not rely on peas and brown rice for their meals, these forms of protein are typically not accepted in the paleo lifestyle.
The one way to find a vegetarian or vegan paleo protein powder is to look at all-natural hemp products. Hemp comes from the cannabis plant but does not have the ability to get you high, so it is not like smoking a joint. Most Paleo believers consider it a natural plant source that is perfectly acceptable in its raw form. It is a small leap from “raw form” to a natural hemp protein powder that has been processed, but for many people following the Paleo diet, this is an acceptable product if it is organic and natural.
The Best Paleo Protein Powders: Egg White Protein
The argument against egg white protein powder from strict Paleo followers is that you do not know if the eggs are collected from grain-fed animals that were not injected with hormones or fed other unnatural feeds. If you can accept not knowing that information, egg white proteins are right up there with hemp as being the closest thing you can get in terms of a legitimate paleo protein powder.
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