Organic Protein Powder Review
I’m one of K&K’s #1 fans and think everything they do is so wonderful for the #TIUCommunity. The camaraderie they’ve built between complete strangers is absolutely amazing, and as people and business women, they deserve the utmost respect in the fitness industry. I owe my most recent fitness journey to them and the basis TIU stands for – share.love.inspire.sweat. 
[Photo via Heart of a Hippie, 2015].
I’ve always been the first in line to purchase their new products because I love supporting the TIU line of goodies, like their protein powders. I used to hate the taste and texture of Perfect Fit, but learned to love it after getting used to it; I use their chocolate protein powder rather than flour in baking, their vanilla in daily smoothies, and their limited edition cinnamon roll flavor in my protein pancakes. I’m always an advocate for the complete TIU lifestyle and have been thrilled to use check-ins “advertising” Perfect Fit in my recipes, or follow their recipes from the TIU Member Nutrition Plan and post how they turn out. 
[Photo via Perfect Fit, 2015]
All that being said, it was brought to my attention last night that after a fellow TIU sister reviewed the lab testing on PF she was quite alarmed by the high level of heavy metals. Part of me didn’t want to believe it, because of the beautiful “clean” advertising K&K do on all their labeling, and how they tell all of us TIU members that they formulated a safe, clean powder for us after they couldn’t find one in the fitness industry. Now, I’m not a gullible little teeny bopper who claims everything I read is true, but K&K have an extensive background in health and fitness, and even they use it. I figured the proof was in the pudding! My husband & I have a friend who sells protein powder to doctor’s offices and medical centers, and he has been trying to get me to make the switch to the brand he represents. I was always so stubborn saying “No way, I love PF; it only contains like 5 ingredients and is USDA Organic!” I literally make 1-2 smoothies a day as my M2 or M4, and Tanner, my 16-month old always steals like half for himself. Yes, their label says if nursing or pregnant consult your health care provider, but when I did they said the ingredients appeared to be clean and safe. So I went to huntin’, and found the good, bad, and the ugly on PF for myself…I used a trusted and verified site, LowHeavyMetalsVerified.org, and here’s what I found…
*Please note my perspective of what is considered “safe” is biased based on the fact I am a breastfeeding mom. The guidelines I follow of what goes into my body are the same guidelines recommended for pregnant women. Sure, “our moms ate ______ and we were fine!” is something pregnant women in the past decade hear over and over again. But times have changed; food regulations have changed, ingredients put in foods have changed, research has changed. We have more studies run, more knowledge of food born illnesses, and more information available to us of what and what not to consume while pregnant or nursing.
Review Perfect Fit’s lab results here – http://labs.naturalnews.com/heavy-metals-chart-Proteins-rice.html 
[Photos via Natural News, 2014].
Now that I read the lab results for Perfect Fit, I can say that I will no longer be using it as part of my daily regimen. I’m so sad because like I said, I’ve grown to love the taste, finally got over the texture, and have absolutely loved using it as a flour substitute in all my favorite baking recipes! Natural News posted their opinon on PF after it underwent lab testing, and this was the part of their article that absolutely made my heart sink and made me feel like the worst mom ever for feeding all my baked goods and smoothies to Tanner. I buy mostly wooden toys and all BPA-free plastics, and feed my family whole, organic foods, as my husband had childhood cancer, and I want to set the best example I can as a mom.
The lead content of the Perfect Fit protein we tested was higher than the average for this category, but lower than the highest we’ve tested. For this batch, the lead content reported via ICP-MS was just over 0.3 ppm, while the highest we’ve seen in the category of rice protein is over 0.5 ppm.
The serving size of Perfect Fit protein is 20 grams, meaning one serving of this lot we tested would contain over 6 micrograms of lead. This is 12 times higher than the daily limit described by California’s Proposition 65 — a law which desperately needs to be reformed — yet I could not find a Prop 65 warning on the product package. This indicates the product appears to be out of compliance with Prop 65, giving it what others in the industry have privately described to me as an “unfair advantage” in labeling.
[Photos via Natural News, 2014].
The lab results from 2014 are also scary because PF contains lead, cadmium, and tungsten; which I definitely would not consider “organically perfect for me.” Mike Adams, a food scientist/advocate and research director + the Editor for Natural News stated, their “clean and honest” is difficult to stomach after reviewing the lab testing, as “it appears [Perfect Fit] is made of the same exact rice protein used by everybody else in the industry — a raw material which is typically sourced from China, Vietnam and other Asian nations…which consistently tests higher in heavy metals than hemp, whey and pea proteins” [Adams, 2014].
[Photo via Pinterest, 2015].
Natural Health left some great advice to follow on what to do before purchasing protein powders. Adams lists the following questions, and also states that it’s alarming most companies don’t even know the answers when asked. • What is the country of origin of the top ingredients? • What are the heavy metals lab results of your product? • Do you test your products for tungsten? • What are your limits for heavy metals? (In other words, how much is still okay to sell, in your opinion?) 
[Photo via Pinterest, 2015].
When Sarah, a TIU Member wrote to K&K about the heavy metals, this was there response –
“Sarah – we appreciate you reaching out. As a proud manufacturer of organic, plant-based protein, we would like provide reassurance in regard to metals levels naturally occurring in Perfect Fit Protein. We have always thoroughly tested each lot of Perfect Fit Protein for metals, and our levels are very low and continually improving. Perfect Fit Protein’s most recent round of testing (performed using the ICP-MS/AOAC 993.14 method), showed metal levels which were all significantly less than one would consume in a 1 cup serving of spinach. For further assistance or if you have additional questions, you can email us at CustomerService@PerfectFitProteini.com. Thanks for your inquiry.”
Now, what’s interesting is Mike, the Health Ranger, has squashed the false argument that heavy metals are naturally occurring in foods; you can see in the email inquiry above that Tone It Up’s customer service rep compared their levels are comparable to what you would naturally find in 1 cup of spinach.
The slide below shows that any soil within the world contains some trace of industrial pollution; 44% of mercury found within North America’s soil is actually from wildfires right within the Pacific Northwest themeslves, where people claim is one of the most “natural and rural” sources of farming [Adams, 2014]. Industrital polution even travels to U.S. soil ALL the way from CHINA! [Adams, 2014]. Now, “naturally occuring” does not exist since the industrial revolution which has now led to environmental pollution, which is completely man-made yet unavoidable based on the world we live in today.
[Photos via Natural News, 2014].
Adams points out in the chart above that all of these things coming off of farms + power plants go up into the atmosphere, and are then transported thousands and thousands of miles [Adams, 2014]. “Pure”, “pristine” mountains in Colorado, for example, are covered with pollution from China…how? The pollutants are released from factories overseas, which travel through the atmosphere; the toxins/heavy metals released spread up into clouds, rain, etc [Adams, 2014]. So when it snows & that snow covers those mountains, there are traces of pollution already formed from the atmosphere [Adams, 2014]. When that snow begins to melt, it eventually leads to river, which eventually lead to water & irrigation canals used to water our food crops in California, Washington, etc [Adams, 2014]. This graph proves we should seek food grown in areas with lower levels of pollution to avoid heavy metals in our food [Adams, 2014]. It’s a vicious cycle!
MY PERSONAL SUMMARY/BREAKDOWN/OPINON based on what I took from Adam’s video & Natural Health’s write up on industrial pollution & the lab results of PF Protein:
When metals are released from industry power plants all over the world into the atmosphere, that is pollution; alluminum, lead, & mercury, for example, are all released up into the air. These pollutants then travel from continents & countries after being released into the atmosphere into clouds and rain, which eventually falls on crops. Protein powder companies are basically saying the minute these substances hit soil they are “naturally occurring”? Nope. It’s pollution. It’s toxic heavy metals. They may not be physically ADDING heavy metals additionally into their proteins, but the problem is most of the plant-based ingredients found in protein powders are grown from plants in China, one of the most polluted countries in the world. Therefore, based on the cycle of industrial pollution, heavier traces of metals are founds depending on the parts of the world they are manufactured/grown in.
Sure, one can argue that these compounds are considered natural, as they are, after all elements listed in the periodic table, and found within the earth. Let’s take mercury, for example. We know we shouldn’t eat ten cans of tuna, or consume more than one can of tuna per week while pregnant, because of the mercury levels. Do we eat tuna? Yes, just in moderation. As Adams stated, based on the grams per serving in Perfect Fit, the lead is 12x higher than what’s recommended to consume within the daily limit. Another example; my dumbbells my husband picked up for me from TJ Maxx. When I opened them, there was an insert on California’s Prop 65 stating they contained chemicals known to the state of CA that can cause illness, cancer, or birth defects. Did I still use them that day for my workout? Yes. Have I looked in to picking up a pair that are prop 65 clear? Yes.
Also food for thought; if the high levels of metals are coming from plant-based compounds, like brown rice, do we still eat rice? Yes. Do our rice packets warn us that if it’s manufactured in China we should be worried about heavier metals than if it were grown in the most pristine place on earth? No. So sure, toxins are literally everywhere. Like stated in my blog title, I’m a clean-ISH eating and cooking TIU mama. Do I avoid every single thing that potentially contains dangerous levels of something? No. Do I live a 100% clean lifestyle? No. I just try to be the best mom I can be based on the knowledge I acquire. I’m constantly learning as the days, weeks, and years go by. I’m not a scientist, dietitian, nor do I work in the health field and claim to know much about the studies that go into lab testing. All I know is I can formulate an opinion based on research I dive into, as a college student would do when writing a thesis or research paper.
So my overall opinion of Perfect Fit, and ANY protein powder for that matter, is based around the question, “Would I eat this if I were pregnant again?”
[Photos via Natural News, 2014].
For further information on this, Adams’ video is OUTSTANDING and absolutely worth the watch. Find his video here – http://labs.naturalnews.com/Video-False-Argument-Naturally-Occurring-Heavy-Metals-in-Foods.html Remember from earlier, Adams is a food scentist and advocate, as well as the research director for Natural News. I thinkkkkk he knows what he’s talking about 😉
In conclusion, after reviewing the lab results for myself and learning more about industrial pollution, Perfect Fit does in fact contain lower levels of heavy metals than other brown rice protein powders on the market. However, they are still there and seem to be grown overseas, where man-made factories pump higher levels of these heavy metals into the atmosphere. We don’t drink soda with every meal because we know it can be harmful to our health, so coming from someone who drinks 1-2 smoothies a day containing Perfect Fit, would you drink a protein powder containing the levels Perfect Fit does? What protein powders do you use? Have you researched their laboratory testing results? Like I said, I’m not a chemist, so encourage you to do your own research and form your own opinion on protein powders and their compounds. This is simply my opinion from the research I could find
. The heavy metal comparisons of Perfect Fit and other protein powders mentioned in this article and shown on the graphs were from lab testing performed in March of 2014. A month later, in April 2014, Perfect Fit, among other vegan/organic protein powders agreed to voluntarily uphold to new lower heavy metal ratings standards [Adams, 2014]. Since then these companies seek to continue to improve their product batches, to make them safer for consumers with lower heavy metals. Perfect Fit is proud to announce they have committed to these standards well in advance, and that their current lot testing showed significantly lower heavy metals in most categories [Perfect Fit, 2015]. As the old saying goes, if someone told you to jump off a bridge, you probably wouldn’t jump off a bridge. Like any product, good, or service, it’s your personal choice to research or consume. The articles and statements within this article are based in previously published studies and my own personal opinion. Directly contact any consumer for further questions.
I’d love to hear, as clearly I’m on the market for a new protein powder that is clean and heavy metal free!
Learn more on Adam’s stance here: http://www.naturalnews.com/044199_Perfect_Fit_Protein_Rockin_Wellness_heavy_metals_lab_tests.html#ixzz3NyoWsWyJ Food Babe has a really interesting article on protein powder consumption as well, which you can find here – http://foodbabe.com/2012/12/13/is-your-protein-shake-safe/ Daily Bites also shares their insight on protein powders here – http://www.dailybitesblog.com/2014/01/28/protein-powder/ For other’s opinions on Perfect Fit, do your own research through asking around TIU community, or read through the reviews on seller’s profiles like Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Fit-Protein-Serving-Bag/dp/B00BF3KRYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420682758&sr=1-1&keywords=perfect+fit+protein Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Perfect Fit or any other protein powder companies besides being a TIU member. I am not a professional researcher, dietitian, or physician. These opinions are solely my own after doing my own personal research into the matter that was presented to me; a concerned friend commented she was worried to see I was nursing and consuming Perfect Fit Protein. Do not solely rely on the information presented. Always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. For additional information about a product, please contact the manufacturer directly. Content on this site is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist, or other licensed health-care professional. You should not use this information as self-diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. Contact your health-care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Seashellsandsitups.com assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatements about products.
salty sweet seasons 
Hi! I found this when looking up information of the TIU protein and found it super interesting and informative. Do you know if any changes have been made in the past two years? And now that you are no longer pregnant would you try it again, or another protein powder? Would love to hear. Thank you!
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Hi, Angie! They ended up completely revamping their protein powder and its ingredients about a year or two ago! So it’s much cleaner and not as sketchy 🙌🏼 I have tried it since not being pregnant nor breastfeeding anymore, and it’s ok. Tended to make me bloat, but probably because it’s based from pea protein. 💗 be sure to make sure it avoids soy and artificial ingredients. I hear Vega and Nutiva is ok. Kura is one of my favs; they’re releasing their vegan soon. It’s from New Zealand, and European standards are quite higher than the US. This list is somewhat helpful — http://www.eatthis.com/protein-powders. But you can always get “real” protein from seeds (chia seeds, hemp seeds, all nuts), nut butters, veggies, fruits, and dairy or dairy free alternatives 💕
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Have you found a safe one to have during pregnancy?
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Hi, Kate! I ultimately decided to only use direct sources of protein from whole foods to be safe. After some stories from friends and personal experiences, I personally don’t think it’s worth the risk, and the other OBs I’ve asked said since there is no direct standard testing of powders implemented, you never truly know 100% what’s in them.
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Hi Shelley! I use a pea protein from a company called Arbonne and their protein contains only one metal: copper. From their consultants only section of their site: “Our protein powder does not contain Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, aluminum. However is does contain copper. Copper is an important mineral for both skin and hair. Also, it is an important catalyst for enzymes, which allows for proper skin pigment formation. Copper occurs naturally in some of our ingredients.” This company follows Swiss standards for all their products, which has a higher degree of scrutiny than the US does. They are constantly doing research and doing everything to give their customers the best products possible. All the products that the company makes are certified vegan and gluten free. They also contain no parabens, or mineral oil. I highly encourage personal research into the company, but they stand by their products and are a good, solid company that’s in it for their consumers.
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Hi love!! My thoughts are mixed on this – in going to use a pregnancy example here. When we’re pregnant, we can’t eat deli meat, right? Unless we heat it up to high temps to kill potential listeria lingering…do we go back to eating cold deli meat after we are pregnant? Most women probably do. Do we worry about getting listeria from Subway, for example, when we order a turkey foot long? Probably not. My personal viewpoint on all of this is even if they significantly lowered the heavy metal content, they’re still there. That was something I never considered to be in organic/vegan protein powders. Personally, I probably won’t, unless it was once in a while, or a new lab result gets published saying the levels are so low it IS what is natural occurring in other food/drink sources. Again, I want to see facts from a lab rather than manufacturer based opinions before I feel 100% confident consuming it again. Xoxoxo
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Now, Shelley, would you consume after breastfeeding and having babies since there are naturally occurring metals? Or what do you think? Just curious…I just don’t know what to do with the PFP I have!!! I feel TERRIBLE getting rid of it, but I will NOT consume it for at least the next year or two, so I mean, technically it’ll go bad. I guess I could mail it to friends?! lol
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Wow, thank you for posting this. This was not something that had ever even registered on my radar. I like that you’ve remained as objective as possible and I really appreciate all of the research you’ve done. I feel so torn about PFP now! I still have a full bag of the cinnamon roll, and because my body has a hard time with wheat and dairy (but let’s be real, sometimes a girl just needs her pizza) I thought PFP was my solution to a dairy free/wheat free protein that I actually enjoyed. I think I’ll start limiting my intake to once or twice a week and then go back to the drawing board.
Again, thank you!
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I love all things TIU but have never liked the texture of PF…I thought it was me. Thanks for this post.
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i use Advocare protein powder. Def look into that because I haven’t found a safer more beneficial option. I am an advocare adviser, mostly because I get a a discount on products for me. Thank you so much for the post because I was about to try the cinnamon roll flavor while it was on sale. Let me know how the research on advocare goes!
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Wahhh I’m happy & sad I read this post. I thought I was consuming a safe(er) protein. I may have missed this part in your post because that was a lot of (really good) information to digest, but do we know for a fact that their ingredients aren’t manufactured in the US? Would that change things? On their FAQs page it says: All ingredients are manufactured, packaged and stored in certified organic, gluten-free, ISO9000, FDA and USDA approved facilities.
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Hi love! I wrote them an email asking the questions listed above, and they answered that their ingredients listed in these articles say China instead of Vietnam. So I’m assuming that means they’re answering they’re manyfactured in Vietnam. I’m hoping to be able to share the other info they responded with, but there was a confidentiality statement at the bottom of their email, so I wrote back asking if I can share. I’ll keep you posted!
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Hey! I just wanted to leave a little food for thought .. I definitely see where you are coming from, but as a person with a science background, I tend to only trust things that have been peer reviewed. That Adams guy, while he may be a food scientist (I am too by the way 🙂 ), is still just posting stuff to a website. I’m not saying its not right, but its the internet – people can post ANYTHING they want. Peer-reviewed journals have the added assurance that the articles have been reviewed and agreed to by at least one other scientist who is a specialist in that field. They also provide a guarantee of reproducibility of experiments, such as the lab results. I’m in no way saying that you need to change your mind on PF (I only use it once a week), but just to be careful about trusting from websites that aren’t peer reviewed.
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Hey its @crysta_tiu from instagram. I came across this and thought you might enjoy it. I have also used gelatin here and there for added protein and benefits for my bones since I have a history with osteoporosis at a young age. Still reading up on it though. Just wanted to share xo http://www.bloglovin.com/viewer?post=2337782435&group=0&frame_type=a&context=expanded_post&context_ids=&blog=2547924&frame=1&click=0&user=0
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Thanks for sharing! I’m a protein powder freak- I have favorites for whey, casein, and vegan/gf options. Try Lifetime Life’s Basics in Chocolate. You can usually find it at Whole Foods or on Amazon for $22/bottle. I’m not a fan of the vanilla, but the chocolate its pretty good. I just did a quick comparison to PF and it scores better in every category. http://labs.naturalnews.com/heavy-metals-chart-Proteins-pea.html The taste can be weird at first, but I love it with strawberries, tbsp almond butter, and cup of almond milk.
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Glad you posted this. I love k&k too, also love there protein powder. I researched and found these articles earlier last year and as i am still nursing decided to stop using it also. I researched and found plantfusion to be the best out there. It tastes great also. You can buy online or at wholefoods! Really wish pf’s was not high though since i love to support them by buying their products and by telling everyone i know about them!;)
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Great post! I saw your post on IG earlier and finally made my way over here to read the entire post. I tried samples of PFP and hated the taste/texture and that is my reason for not using it. However, after reading this and doing a little of my own research it seems like staying away from brown rice protein is a good idea! Overall, I am not a huge protein powder person as I’ve yet to find one where I absolutely love the taste/texture but when I do use it I use SunWarrior. It is raw, vegan, and uses pea protein. The website you used to look at PFP testing gave it an A+++ rating. Also, when I make my protein pancakes I almost always use oat flour (3 tablespoons equals one scoop or packet of protein) and they come out really well. Not as much protein as a powder but paired with the egg whites in the TIU recipe they still pack a good punch of protein and are delicious and filling.
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I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award 🙂
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Just me saying thank you again for shedding light on this for us pregnant/breastfeeding mamas. 🙂 It means the world to me and so do you 😉
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So, I remember this coming up about Shakeology as I first started using that. And of course, that was a year ago so I don’t remember the exact numbers… I remember it being a higher amount than Prop 65 allowed, however, I also remember finding a lot of stuff stating that technically, a cup of spinach exceeds that Prop 65 limit.
I accepted it being above that amount because of all of the vegetables and superfoods mixed into Shakeology… it makes sense that those veggies that do have naturally occurring levels would make the protein powder contain it as well.
With Perfect Fit having so few ingredients, it seems absurd that the levels would be that high. I mean, there isn’t a ton of stuff for it to “add up in”.
I have quite a bit of it on hand from the Cyber Monday bundle I got, and am not over the moon about it. But, I’ve spent a lot of money so I’ll continue to use it until it’s gone, though I’ll limit how much I have a week. I’m not sure what would be a better alternative though!
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thank you for this post! i’ve been back and forth on whether or not to buy it because it’s expensive for the amount you get, but now i think you made my mind of for me. thank you!
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Have you looked into Vega products? I definitely am not as thorough with my research as you are, but have heard great things about the company. I have read that they hold their products to much higher standards as they are a Canadian company and it seems the Health Canada requirements are much more strict than the FDA.
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Wow. This post kind of blew my mind as I have kind of been consumed by the TIU ‘everything is too good to be true and wrapped in a perfect pink bow’ mentality. Thanks for sharing your findings. Have you ever looked into Vega brand products? I don’t research as thoroughly as you do, but have read that they have more strict requirements that are enforced by Health Canada, which is much more restrictive than the FDA requirements.
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When I started TIU last year (I’m not an ‘official member,’ I just do the workouts) I bought the sample package of PF. I received a packet of the chocolate and a PF bar and something else (can’t remember what it was). I mised the PF into a shake and thought the texture was terrible. Then, I saw on IG how much all the girls loved PF and I thought, hey maybe it’s just me who’s weird and doesn’t like it. Then, I saw an article on the lead levels in brown rice powders and decided it really wasn’t for me. I didn’t like my husband’s whey powder, so I decided on pea protein. I’ve looked up the metal levels on it before and I know that they were either very low or nonexistent. Sun Warrior Warrior Blend is my protein and its gluten free, organic, soy free, dairy free, non gmo and hypoallergenic. The ingredients are raw organic pea protein, raw cranberry protein, organic raw hemp seed protein, organic vanilla extract, natural fibers (fenugreek, konjac), stevia, sea salt, medium chain triglycerides, herbal tea extract, citrus extract, cinnamon extract. I don’t breastfeed, but I am a mom of a 16 month old. I don’t feed her my smoothies with protein, if I make her a smoothie I only use fruit, Greek yogurt and milk and ice. I hope this helps! I love what K&K stand for, but it does seem like they advertise so much to sell PF and the nutrition plan which sometimes has me a little weary. Oh and I’m not trying to be mean, but a head’s up, China is a country not a continent! Asia is the continent. 😊
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Thank you for posting this! I much prefer the taste of whey protein in smoothies and shakes, but I do use perfect fit for baking. Yeah, heavy metals are “natural” but that doesn’t mean they won’t harm you! Do I think a non-pregnant person consuming this occasionally will be harmed long term? Probably not. However, I like your tuna analogy – we all know there is heavy metal in tuna so we limit our consumption to avoid mercury poisoning. As someone who comes from a science background, it drives me nuts when people use the “it’s natural so it’s safe” line – this is so false!!!! Organic just has to do with the farming practices, not the inherent safety of the food. (I’m guessing organic nightshade would still kill you well enough!! Lol) I knew rice had high arsenic levels but never thought about how that would transfer over to a rice protein powder too! Thanks for posting this!
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Even though I love all things TIU, I knew someone would eventually blow the whistle on this. Thank you for doing your research and having the courage to present the facts. During my half marathon training I used Garden of Life Protein, but just recently bought a bag of perfect fit. I knew the story behind the heavy metals and even emailed PF customer support asking about the country of origin, but received no response. Still, I made the purchase knowing the risks. I keep my servings to 1-2/week and told myself that I would only go through this one bag in order to help reach my weight loss goals. It’s so difficult (at least for me) to consume enough lean protein when you’re trying to lose weight without the help of a protein powder. I’ve been looking into hemp powders as well, but any way you look at it, they’re all processed products. Ultimately, I’d like to get to a point where all my nutrition comes from whole foods. Again, thank you for this!
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Sarah, thank you so so much for this. This really warmed my heart, as it was disappointing and I was nervous to write it. I just feel like as a TIU girl I don’t really question or further research anything because of the beautiful marketing; my own fault for being naive. I love the way you worded this, and also find it very hard to get enough protein into my diet nursing, chasing after a toddler, and my husband traveling so much for work, leaving me home as the main caretaker/cook/nanny lol. Xo
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I just bought some protein powder.
Plant Head and Vegan Protein Powder(Vitamin World)
I didn’t see these on the website you listed. Any other sources or ways I can find out about metal content of these protein powders?
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Hi, Caroline! I know Food Babe also has an article on protein powders; I’m not sure if those are listed or not but here is her article’s link – http://foodbabe.com/2012/12/13/is-your-protein-shake-safe/
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Aw man, I was not expecting this! I usually research foods and had read about the heavy metals in protein powders recently, but didn’t do any research and just didn’t think PF would be among them. Although I had been skeptical about it and wondering if rice protein was the best option. I had previously been using Nutiva hemp protein powder and continue to use it. I love that it is only one organic ingredient. I prefer the taste as well, I actually found PF to be too sweet since I’ve cut out sweets. I just looked up the metal test on it & it looks way better! They shared this on their own site: http://nutiva.com/toxic-levels-heavy-metals-found-rice-protein/
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I have Nutiva too! I found it on sale at TJ Maxx of all places last month! I used it once in a smoothie, and it was okay. Didn’t hate it, so think it could be a great alternative. The one I have is green; I’ll have to look into their site. Thanks so much for sharing! I also hadn’t looked into researching PF previously because I assumed the same!
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i would just like to point out that all heavy metals are naturally occurring, they are elements on the periodic table after all! Industrial/human activities are responsible for concentrating them to unhealthy levels. Perhaps I’m a bit jaded, but i think in today’s world it is nearly impossible to avoid all such toxins and you can only minimize your exposure the best you can. If you aren’t exposed in your protein shake, you are at your local coffee shop (where there are Prop 65 warnings due to chemicals created in the bean roasting process). Except for lead, it looks like the perfect fit protein was below average for most of the metals tested so I will likely continue to drink it. Might not if i were pregnant though…
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Hey, Jackie! I completely agree that heavy metals are naturally occuring, as they are elements on the periodic table, and that we as humans are the ones responsible for taking them to unhealthy levels found in food based on environmental & man-made factors. I don’t think you’re jaded at all, actually! I mean, take cigarettes for example; they have a label that literally says they may cause cancer and death, yet they are still allowed to be sold, and people still chose voluntarily to smoke. Do I know chocolate cake out of the box is bad for me because it contains a bunch of fake, processed ingredients? Yes. Do I still eat it once and a while? Yes. I also stated that I noticed PF was one of the protein powders that tested lowest in all the categories besides lead, which is great. However, it’s still given the rating of a B, where there are a few others that were given As. As mentioned also, my perspective is biased based on the fact that I am a breastfeeding mom, and we are given safety restrictions to follow. Sure, generations before us were not given such guidelines but times have changed, and our knowledge has changed based on updated research.
For example, when we are pregnant we’re not even supposed to consume unpastureized juices or smoothies or soft cheese or deli meat unless it’s heated up to safe temps to kill listeria, as it can be harmful to our placenta and fetus. More people actually get food poisoning from not properly washing their fruits or veggies than eating old food, so your chances of contracting listeria from those things are just as likely from the spinach put on your sandwich from a sandwich shop. As anything, it’s our own choices to chose to listen to our doctors, research, or OBGYN’s advice, but most pregnant women chose not to take the risk. Just like mercury warnings on fish; we don’t eat ten cans of tuna because we know that could lead to a dangerous risk of mercury poisoning. So, as you can see, as a breastfeeding and nursing mama, that’s where my perspective comes from!
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I don’t use protein powders because Im not totally sold on them, although I do like my protein bars…anyway, I came across this link a while ago and saved it for future reference. What do you think about doing something like this for your own powder?
http://www.thefirstmess.com/2012/01/09/vegan-protein-mix/
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I’ve always wondered the same thing about protein bars! I love my Luna and Cliff bars, so would be interested to see if there’s testing on them like powders. I’ll check our your link! Thanks so much for sharing! XO
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