NOW Foods Sports Nutrition, Pea Protein 24 g, Fast Absorbing, Unflavored Powder, 7-Pound

Alright, first things first: NO pea protein powder tastes good. ALL brands taste and smell awful, like drywall, and they're ALL chalky in water. There's no escaping it. Whey is just far better as a water-soluble protein - it blends well, offers a creamy texture, and has a fairly inoffensive flavor of its own. HOWEVER, pea protein has specific advantages. First, it's far easier to find an unflavored pea protein (like this one). There is only one ingredient. Nearly ALL whey protein powders are flavored, which means additives like lecithin, xantham gum, and sugar alcohols. If a whey protein powder with a flavor like 'super duper chocolate' sounds too good to be true, it is. As much as possible, always go for an unflavored version of whatever protein you buy. In my experience, there are very few whey protein brands that offer an unflavored version of their product (for example, ON does not), but most respectable pea protein powders will have an unflavored version. Pea protein is simply a protein isolate. It can be manufactured directly from yellow peas, with only a little bit of processing. The only matter to keep in mind is that the pea protein isolation process generates relatively high sodium content, so you might be surprised by the amount of sodium in pea protein (e.g. in a NOW sports scoop, it's over 300mg). Still, unless you are explicitly trying to control your sodium intake, these amounts are perfectly fine. Because there are ZERO other ingredients, pea protein is certainly more secure than most flavored whey proteins. Moreover, there's no additional process needed to make pea protein water-soluble, which is not the case for whey. Hence the additives, even in unflavored whey. This doesn't mean that whey is harmful, only that it is not usually sold as a single ingredient. When it comes to mixing the UNFLAVORED versions of each in water, whey wins hands down. It tastes way better, mixes better, and just goes down easy. Pea protein is almost unpalatable, and it doesn't really matter what brand you pick. You'll get hints of cardboard, wood shaving, and drywall powder. The trick with any pea protein is to mix it into a beverage that masks its flavor. Typically, the best way to do this is a smoothie. Milk/oat milk, oats, berries, yogurt and bananas with some water are typically perfectly adequate. These ingredients easily mask the odor and flavor of pea protein when blended. Either that, or you simply need to drink pea protein like medicine. Glug it down, shut your eyes, and gulp hard. The NOW sports pea protein powder is, in that sense, a standard pea protein. It smells and tastes awful on its own. But it is unflavored, contains one ingredient, and has great protein returns per scoop. I recommend mixing a scoop with thicker liquids (milk/oat milk/yogurt), at least one sweetener (fruits/frozen berries are okay), and some grains or fiber in a smoothie. Consumed this way, pea protein is safe, unobjectionable, and far more reliable (it's much easier to manufacture, so there's less chance of anything murky happening behind the scenes). When I first started having pea protein, I found my stomach reacting a little uncertainly to it - a little bit of gripe, and once or twice a trip to the bathroom. However, after just a few tries, my body is used to it (in smoothie form), and the results in terms of muscle gain are really noticeable. I have no lactose/dairy issues, so I could be having whey - but I find the simplicity of unflavored pea protein much more desirable. Go ahead and buy this protein powder - it won't disappoint you. But don't consume it in ways that you know will make you gag. Mask it heavily (nonfat milk and/or unsweetened oat milk barely add any calories, neither do fruits for the most part) and you'll be fine. Happy training!

I've read a lot of reviews on this and it seems to range from people loving it and people who absolutely hate it; so I was debating if this was something I wanted. I got it anyways because the price is pretty awesome for the amount you're getting and the quality is great too. The NOW brand is a quality product. I've been using the NOW brand for years and know that they want to provide quality ingredients to all their products. That's huge for me since I don't want additives that can do more damage than good. I've been lifting weights for over 5 years... even lifting heavy for competitions (yes, girls can do it too) I've tried many different kinds of protein powders and I've, quite frankly, hated the taste of all of them. They've all tasted bad in my opinion; whether it's whey to pea protein. And if they taste decently good, they've had harmful stuff in them. The reason I chose this one out of the other flavored ones is simple. This didn't have an added flavor; which makes is more versatile to me. Yes, by itself, it doesn't taste all that great, but when you make it in a smoothie, like banana, almond milk, coco powder and honey, and blend it, it's really really good! Its thick and smooth. It keeps me full, and it's help my muscles after I've been working out. I haven't experienced any of the grittiness that people complain about. If you're mixing it with water than I can see how you may not like it. Or if you don't shake it well and get it all mixed up, how it can be gritty. But you have to play with it and see what works for you. As to people saying you needs to clean out your shaker cup right after because it leaves a horrible smell.... all protein powders do that. This one isn't that special. You decided if you want this. But you have to know what you want in order for this product to work for you. Pea protein is great for people that might have allergies to whey. It provides that same amount of protein that your muscles need and does the same thing as whey.

The amount of protein you get in one scoop is great. It's the whole reason I chose this one over others and I like that it's just one ingredient. No sweeteners or unnecessary add ins. I am giving it 4 stars because there is a pretty strong pea flavor which I realize is kind of silly to complain about. It's just a matter of figuring out what to mix it with. So far I've had better success using this in baked goods, chia pudding, basically anything that will jazz it up. It's a definite no in coffee and matcha. I don't know that I'd purchase this one again once it runs out purely due to flavor but again - as a vegetarian the amount of protein you're getting can't be beat.

I normally buy a pea protein powder with quinoa, which is organic and tastes very good. But I could not resist the sale for $10 off. Well I did a taste test with both products, and I was very pleased. They both mix very well. The only difference was the quinoa brand give a stronger flavor so it did not taste as sweet, using the same amount of sweetener. So I will use less sweetener with the now brand. Cause it is a very clean taste. And a more neutral product. And they are both made in America!!!!

I am Vegan, so I look for alternatives to Whey Protein, Egg Protein, etc. And from recent studies I want to decrease my Soy intake due to the presence of estrogen it contains. Don't get me wrong, the Soy Proteins have helped me increase in size, but I feel that being a man consuming estrogen may be like taking two steps forward and one step back each time I workout while consuming Soy. And for all you Whey Protein lovers you should know that whey is unhealthy for all humans' intestines plus it is an inflammatory substance, so if you are wondering why your stomach bloats or you may have gas, now you know why. Now that you know a little where I'm coming from I can tell you what I think about Pea Protein. Chemically and biologically this is one of the best protein molecules your body can use. It is naturally balanced to digest very easily in the human body and almost no one has an adverse reaction to its consumption. However, I am the type of person that doesn't care much for the original V8 drink, or tomato soup; and from all my concoctions of trying to mask the god awful taste of this Pea Protein it seems like tomato juice is the only thing that can mask 80% of the horribleness. I even tried putting it in Pace salsa and this helped mask 80% as well, but gave the salsa a gross sludge texture. In other reviews I read that people had issues with the grittiness, but I had no problem. It mixed really well in my $30 blender. Make sure you add the powder last so it doesn't get stuck under the blending blades. If you make shakes with almond milk, peanut butter, a banana, and chocolate syrup like I do, you will not like this Pea Protein. Even with tons of ingredients I can still taste the weird disturbing Pea Protein flavor. For anyone that doesn't know what it tastes like, I would describe it to be almost exactly like what you would imagine wall putty to taste like. And I am not exaggerating, it really does taste like it's from the hardware store. And there is a hint is geriatric medication to it as well. There is an off-putting wrongness about it that after a full week of attempting different shakes, I have begun to start dry heaving after taking a sip. The container now sits 3/4 full in my cupboard until I find a friend that needs protein powder and likes tomato soup, so they can try mixing it in that. If you have experienced this as well, you may benefit from the #1 protein on the planet "Spirulina". A "super food" that is a little more expensive than all other proteins and tastes like unsalty seaweed, but goes well with black beans and flaxseed chips, or mixes really good with fruit smoothies, just turns it a dark green color. My taste buds can handle it very easily. Spirulina is proven to be the best absorbing protein the body can use. And it takes less digestive power than any other protein source, so I feel like I have more energy now. As soon as my store bought supply runs out, I will most likely buy this organic package Organic Spirulina Powder 1000g (2.2 lb), Bulk Pure Fresh, By HerbStoreUSA from Amazon.

I should preface this, by noted this is my first venture into the world of supplements in about 10 years. I have been working out a lot and not feeling like I was getting enough in meals, unless I ate far more than my stomach would hold. I am not a body builder, just a triathlete with a heavy focus on cycling. I chose this product because my body doesn't seem to like soy and I am allergic to gluten, which pretty much left me with pea or rice protein. My first go with this product was in a post ride smoothie of yogurt, raspberries, lemon juice and a dash of glutamine. I used the recommended scoop size and in order to balance out the amount of powder in the blender I ended up with an epic smoothie (by my standards) that had a gritty texture. The upside is I didn't feel like eating anything for the rest of the day, but it did take a while to down the whole thing (approximately 24-30oz). Second go, I tried the recommended scoop to water ratio and found that I had to about triple the amount of water in order to keep it so that I wasn't drinking sludge. The resulting water tasted like a pot of boiled green peas, which isn't bad so long as you don't let it get too concentrated, but sucking down 48oz of pea water takes a while. For the people who can't taste it, I feel sorry for them because their taste buds must be burned out. Its level of grit depends on the amount of liquid you blend it with, 48oz seems to be the sweet spot. For people who already use protein powder, I am sure they are more familiar with mixing shakes than I am, so I will probably look up some recipes and maybe try to split the scoop between two drinks rather than one. It does seem like a powder that would be good to mix into something like Rice Cakes Francois. I am giving the product 5 stars because it comes in at a great price and while tasting like boiled peas isn't as obnoxious as the fake vanilla and chocolate mixes I remember back in college.

It’s a great amount but my biggest complaint is the serving size is enormous to get that much protein. The scoop is huge. Like a cup. And the stuff is so, so gritty. I got as a replacement for whey because of costs but the scoop size makes the extra amount not worth as much, compared to what I was buying before it’s not saving anything. It doesn’t mix well. Would taste better in coffee than a morning electrolyte drink. It’s got a funky taste - nutty, and again, so incredibly gritty. I’m going back to whey. Dissapointed. Thought because it was 2lb I was saving money.

This is our favorite protein powder for blended shakes. I would not recommend you use this alone in a shaker bottle with milk or water. This needs help in the taste department. As a personal trainer and nutrition coach having an easy and simple protein powder is very important. I use this when making blended shakes for my family... strawberry/banana, acai/blueberry, or chocolate peanut butter. This is also a great addition when making acai bowls. The powder is tasteless and blends well. With a busy schedule and homeschooling two daughters this stuff has been the protein source for breakfasts, lunches and even dinners!

It's a bit thicker and chalkier than I'd prefer (compared to my other one) but I can still hide small amounts in a smoothie etc and it doesn't have a strong taste when I just plug my nose and chug it down. A sip of coffee after & I can forget that I drank it. Veg sourced protein is highly under-rated here. Hope they restock.

Excelente proteína, sin sabores artificiales. Desafortunadamente, está muy escasa en México, pero la super recomiendo.

first itme purchase, no aftertaste so easyto use in various ways

日本人の体に合うのはライスプロテインかな？ミルク系かな？ライス系かな？ それは分からないので、通常メーカーでは10gスプーン3杯30gで70％たんぱく21gを一回の使用量みたいに書かれていますが、 サッカーの練習後に飲みます。みたいなものと異なり、当然全身の筋肉を直接酷使するウェイトトレーニングでは足りないでしょうし、 一回で吸収できる量もプロテイン製品で30g~50g(純で20g~35g)と意見が分かれているようですので、 さらに追加で1～2杯プロテインを足す上で、ピーやライス入れてみています。 プレイン味で、主観では味はライスに負けます。

For people who are looking for Soy Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free protein powder, this is an excellent option. Personally, I tried some Whey Protein powders available in India, but didn't get used to any of it, mainly because I'm kinda allergic to Soy(lecithin). This is an excellent alternative protein powder. I got to know about this Protein Powder(Source, not the brand) after reading an article on Novak Djokovic, where I've read he prefers Pea Protein over other sources. This protein powder works for me and I'll continue to order it in the future. NOTE: This powder is tasteless(as it's flavorless), and it took some time for me to get used to it. If you're too flavor oriented, maybe this is not the best Pea Protein for you.