Vegan Smart by Naturade Review

This is a sponsored post from 4sponsor.com with my unbised thoughts.

Vegan Smart by Naturade – Dairy free, Gluten Free, Yeast Free, Complete Nutrition in a Glass

Every day I use protein powder.  Whether it’s in my husband’s breakfast or snacks for myself through the day I use protein powder at least once.  It is a challenge to find formulations that meet our dietary restrictions, tastes, textures and protein needs.  Thanks to Natureade and 4Sponsor I was given the opportunity to try the Vegan Smart brand of protein powder in three flavors.  I received Vanilla, Chocolate and Chai.

When these arrived I was very sick.  I was so feverish that I had little appetite and had a hard time cooking for myself let alone my kids.  Let me tell you these packets of Vegan Smart protein powder were a life saver during those days that I had a difficult time preparing food for myself.  The first one I tried was the Chai.  I felt a little tentative about it because chai flavored drinks I’ve tried before made me feel sick to my stomach.  The one thing that made me feel a bit more comfortable about this one is because it had no soy component.  I was elated to find a vegan protein powder that had NO soy.  Soy based drinks have a tendency to make me feel nauseous.

The powder was thick and seemed a little oily because it stuck together and was not staticky nor did it fly all over the place.  Let me clarify – by oily I do not mean greasy.  You could just tell that there was a bit of natural fats that made the powder heavier.  All this meant to me is that it would satisfy my hunger for longer.  The chai was delicious.  I used a whisk to mix it by hand in my glass with almond milk.  I had a hard time with a spoon getting all the powder mixed with the liquid.  A whisk did better, but I’d highly recommend using a blender or a hand-blender.  The drink will come out well mixed and more frothy with much less chance of coming across a dry lump of powder.

The next one I tried was the Vanilla.  On it’s own it was not very tasty.  There was something very artificial tasting about the vanilla flavor.  So the second packet of vanilla I used to make a smoothie.  It was best used in this way.  Mixed with banana, frozen berries and almond milk in the blender the powder made for a delightfully sweet, frothy, thick smoothie.

I tried the Chocolate flavor last.  After my experience with the vanilla and other chocolate flavored protein powders I was not hopeful about liking it.  It proved me wrong!  The chocolate flavor was very authentic and mixed alone with almond milk was just right for breakfast or a snack.

What really matters is satiety.  Granted at the time I was not feeling well and had little appetite, but the shakes and smoothies I was able to make that week held me over until almost dinner time.  With 20 grams of protein per serving is equivalent to 4 ounces of chicken or 4 medium eggs.  I appreciated very much that there was no artificial sweeteners.  They use organic cane sugar along with stevia.  Unfortunately, this does not make Vegan Smart diabetic friendly.  I found the combination of sugar and stevia friendly to my taste buds.  Also, it contains probiotics, “good bacteria” which help to shore up your immune system.  I couldn’t stomach yogurt at the time so this was much needed.

From the manufacturer:

Everything you need in just one serving:

Complete Protein Blend – Contains 5 different non-GMO plant based proteins providing all the essential amino acids in precise proportions, readily usable by the body, for building and repairing tissue and muscle.*

Whole Food Complex – Includes 9 different healthy colorful fruits and vegetables offering naturally occurring polyphenols, antioxidants and flavonoids to support overall wellness.*

22 Vitamins & Minerals – Act as catalysts in thousands of biochemical reactions every day to support normal and healthy cell function.*

Fiber & Omega Blend – Provides 6 grams of dietary fiber to help keep you regular. Also contains over 200 mg of Omega-3 to support a healthy brain, heart and circulatory system.*

Probiotics – Contains 1 billion colony forming units, of “good” bacteria, for supporting digestive health and maintaining healthy intestinal flora.*

Digestive Enzymes Blend – Assists in digesting foods more completely for greater absorption of nutrients and the good health that goes with them.*

Directions (adults): Mix two level scoops of VeganSmart™ All-In-One Nutritional Shake in 9 to 11 ounces of ice-cold water, juice or non-dairy beverage, shake well and enjoy.

VeganSmart™ is also a delicious, nutrient-supplementing addition to your favorite smoothie recipe – just blend and enjoy! Take one, or more servings daily for optimal health.*

All-In-One Nutritional Shake for Optimal Health*

 

You can purchase Vegan Smart by Natureade direct from their website.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary samples for the purposes of review.  This blog did not receive compensation for this publication.  The opinions expressed are my own and based on my personal experience with the product.