Test Kitchen Tuesday

A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of the SunWarrior Warrior Blend protein powder I’d been using. It took quite a long time to use up a 2.2 lb bag (months of daily smoothies), but I finally came to the last scoop.

After initially not liking the SunWarrior, I ended up liking it just fine in the end. However, I like to try new things, and as it turns out, the day I was looking for a new powder, I saw a blog post on Choosing Raw that mentioned Oriya Organics. I did a little quick research of my own and ordered up some of the Superfood Protein Medley.

One glance at the nutritional profile and was sold! One serving has:

• 18g of protein
• 3g of fiber
• 53mg of chlorophyll
• 450mg of omega-3 fatty acids
• Live enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals

And, it’s made from these ingredients:

• Sprouted Brown Rice Protein
• Hemp Protein
• Sprouted Chia Seeds
• Chlorella
• Spirulina

The powder is cold-processed, and I appreciate that they took the effort to sprout the brown rice and chia seeds to make them more digestible. It also includes both Chlorella and Spirulina, which have health benefits in their own right, but most people aren’t likely to seek out individually.

I recently found out I have a sensitivity to artificial sweeteners (including Stevia, so the SunWarrior would be out anyway as it has Stevia), and I need to avoid them for a while. This has no sweeteners, “real” or otherwise. Bonus!

On a side note, if you take a look at your favorite protein powder, is it high in carbs and sugar? So many “off-the-shelf” protein powders are packed with fillers and sweeteners (often artificial) to make them palatable, so that is something to look at when selecting which powder is right for you.

On a second side note, if you are looking for a protein powder that is nutrient dense with only one ingredient, my favorite go to is still the Omega Nutrition Pumpkin Seed Protein.

I have primarily used the Oriya Superfood Medley protein in my morning smoothie. If you are green-averse, you may not dig this, as the Chlorella and Spirulina make the powder green. However, if you can get past the initial color, it blends well, has a neutral taste, and adds a nice punch of protein in your breakfast shake.

Bottom line: I like this powder. It’s a little on the pricier side, but this is a case of “you get what you pay for” due to the higher quality, cold-processed ingredients A 24-serving container will set you back about $44 with $4.99 shipping, or, about $2 per serving. For the budget-minded, something like the aforementioned pumpkin seed powder may fit the bill more, as it has 40 servings for around $20, or, $.50/serving.