Review of new brown rice protein products: Boku Super Protein, SunWarrior, Jay Robb, Growing Naturals
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Nearly two years ago, I handed an Editor's Choice award to a product called SunWarrior Protein -- a sprouted brown rice protein offered by the SunWarrior company. It's still a great product, and I know lots of people who achieve to experience great results with SunWarrior.
Since then, plant-based protein products have continued to evolve, leading to today's sprouted brown rice protein products that are now certified USDA Organic! Here are the new ones you'll want to know about:
Boku Super Protein
Boku Super Food is the popular superfood company that won our No. 1 Reader's Choice award for top superfood (http://www.naturalnews.com/027898_h...). Their superfood product is one of the most nutritious (and delicious!) superfood products on the market today (www.BokuSuperfood.com). The only challenge was that, until now, they lacked a meal replacement product that combined a high-quality plant-based protein with their amazing superfood.
Well guess what? They now have that solution.
Boku has just launched their new Boku Super Protein, a non-GMO, USDA Organic certified, Kosher certified protein made from organic sprouted brown rice. Thanks to a small amount of a few natural flavors (organic Vermont Maple syrup, Organic vanilla bean, Organic coconut), it also delivers a taste sensation that's out of this world.
It is without a doubt the most delicious "truly natural" and USDA Organic plant-based protein product I've ever tasted -- and it delivers 26 grams of protein and only 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving!
You can pick it up at the NaturalNews Store at:
http://store.naturalnews.com/index....
It's also available directly from www.BokuSuperfood.com where you can get their superfood powder, too.
Powering through the Boku Boot Camp
When I was recently in California, I stopped by as a guest at the Boku Boot Camp -- a morning fitness boot camp that's held each day in a public park. There, we play catch, twirl hula hoops, do pushups, bear crawls, lunges and basically whatever else the super-fit female instructor orders us to bang out. It's an amazingly fun way to get some good exercise as you start your day.
I found that the best way to nutritionally prepare myself for this Boku Boot Camp was to mix a heap of Boku Super Food and a heap of the new Boku Super Protein together in a shaker filled with water. This nutritional boost provided me with the energy, nutrients and proteins I needed to get through the Boku Boot Camp without missing a beat!
This combination of Boku Super Food and Boku Super Protein turns out to be the perfect meal for starting my day. Now I'm hooked! I carried these two products with me throughout my recent speaking tour in California, and this gave me the energy, stamina and presence of mind to deal with a highly demanding schedule involving three public events three weekends in a row.
Interestingly, I also never got sick during any of this. Although I was lacking sleep and truly stressed out from all the public speaking, music studio recording, driving in L.A. and so on, I never once caught a cold or felt sick from anything. Could it be all the medicinal mushrooms in Boku Super Food? I can't say for sure, but I have no doubt that my diet really helps protect me from sickness.
By the way, I also carry Living Fuel with me (www.LivingFuel.com) when I travel, as well as herbs from Baseline Nutritionals (www.BaselineNutritionals.com). And if I feel even a tiny sign of chills or weakness, I slam a couple of Ola Loa packets which are loaded with vitamin C (www.DrinkYourVitamins.com). The next morning I wake up energized, healthy and ready to keep moving forward.
Do I credit my superfoods with the energy and health that carries me through each day's challenges? You bet I do! There's no way I could be this productive on junk food or fast food...
Super smooth texture
One of the things I really like about Boku Super Protein is its "silky smooth" texture that blends nicely into any smoothie. You may have noticed that a lot of protein products on the market are gritty... or they don't mix well in water. But this Boku Super Protein is made with a very fine mesh filter called a "600 mesh" which limits the particle size to tiny dimensions. This helps it blend well with just about anything while also providing it an unusually smooth texture.
Despite this remarkable physical profile, this Boku Super Protein is a minimum of 80% pure protein according to the lab tests I've seen. (Actually, it usually comes in at 83%). It is tested for heavy metals, pesticides, E-coli and lots of other contaminants, and it passes with flying colors on all counts.
That's probably part of the reason why it has earned a USDA Organic seal. This seal is the real deal: These USDA inspectors are actually a great bunch of folks who do an amazing job inspecting companies whose products carry the USDA seal. Did you know that USDA inspectors meticulously compare the theoretical inventory of your product (as recorded in your paperwork) with the physical inventory in your warehouse to make sure that some non-organic products aren't being mixed in with the inventory? They're super detailed. That's why even the Organic Consumers Association teaches everyone to "look for the USDA Organic seal!"
Beyond USDA organic, this Boku Super Protein is also non-GMO. No genetically modified crops in this product, thank you very much.
Amazing amino acid profile
Here's another interesting thing about this particular brown rice protein. If you look at the amino acid profile, you'll discover something quite remarkable: It's surprisingly close to human breast milk.
Now, don't get me wrong: This is not any kind of substitute for breast milk, nor is it an infant formula. In fact, there's nothing better than human breast milk for the nutritional needs of growing babies. But for children, teens and adults who want a plant-based protein with an unusually abundant amino acid mix, it's almost impossible to beat sprouted brown rice protein.
The Amino Acid Profile is found on our store page, by the way, with statistics for Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Cysteine and so on. Check it out here:
http://store.naturalnews.com/index....
Of course, whey protein is perhaps best known for its potent protein profile, but in this article I'm focusing on plant-based proteins, not proteins derived from dairy sources (whey).
Growing Naturals - A new brand in natural proteins
A new brand called Growing Naturals is also releasing its brown rice protein to the public very soon. Their website -- www.GrowingNaturals.com -- is currently accepting preorders for an upcoming protein product release that I expect to be quite good.
I stopped by their booth at the recent industry trade show in California and sampled their protein, which I must say tasted exactly like SunWarrior protein, both in its taste and texture. I don't yet know what the pricing will be on this product, but watch for it as an up-and-coming brand that may appear soon in health food stores.
Jay Robb's brown rice proteins
Protein guru Jay Robb has also released a line of brown rice proteins that are sweetened with stevia. I don't know who Jay Robb's formulator is, but they sure know what they're doing because these products taste quite delicious. The strawberry flavor is probably the very best strawberry flavoring I've ever tasted in a protein product.
Watch for Jay Robb's brown rice protein products in health food stores (or online health product resellers). And if you're looking for egg protein, I also recommend Jay Robb's egg protein products.
Brown rice protein: The perfect non-animal protein source
I've tried (and used) a lot of protein products over the years. Five years ago, I was on whey protein. Then I switched to egg protein, and later on to brown rice protein. I don't recommend soy protein due to all sorts of concerns about GMOs, hexane contamination, and so on.
Hemp protein is highly nutritious, but it just hasn't achieved the taste and texture of brown rice protein, in my opinion. Whey protein works well for some people (especially weight lifters), but others complain of bloating effects. Brown rice protein seems to be the perfect choice for the vast majority of health-conscious people, from vegans and vegetarians to athletes and body builders who want to stay on a mostly plant-based diet. I've found myself using brown rice protein in all sorts of foods, from cereals to smoothies. It's amazingly versatile, and it gives me the protein I need to stay healthy on a mostly plant-based diet.
I think you're going to see sprouted brown rice protein emerge as the new "protein of choice" for people who are serious about supplementing with a health-conscious, plant-based protein product.
Here's a quick wrap-up of the brown rice protein products mentioned here:
Boku Super Protein - USDA Organic, silky smooth texture, mixes well, amazing taste with a hint of Vermont maple syrup.
Boku Super Protein is also available at the NaturalNews Store: http://store.naturalnews.com/index....
Growing Naturals - An emerging brand that isn't shipping yet, but expect to see it later this year in health food stores everywhere.
SunWarrior - The original brown rice protein product, but to my present knowledge it is not certified USDA Organic.
Jay Robb - A long-time protein product leader with a new line of delicious brown rice protein flavors.
Enjoy your brown rice proteins!
www.naturalnews.com/028522_brown_rice_protein_powder.html
April 6, 2010