If you’re a vegan who wishes to build muscle, prevent your neurotransmitters from malfunctioning, strengthen your skin, and enjoy a positive mood without succumbing to animal protein, hemp protein is one of the best secrets to know about.
Hemp protein is made form the milled and sifted seeds of the hemp plant, with the leaves being uninvolved. It’s very rich in protein, containing up to 21 grams per 30 gram serving, but more importantly, hemp protein has a diverse amino acid profile. Hemp protein contains all 9 essential amino acids in decent quantities and is particularly rich in arginine, which itself is a blood pumping supplement for gym performance.
Hemp protein is even blissfully free from the raging controversies which are dragging down soy protein, with no isoflavones and no fears of estrogenic properties, controversies which also surround flax seeds. Whether you buy hemp protein, rice protein or pea protein depends on your preferences; some dislike the grittiness of hemp, but some enjoy the grassy flavour.
Hemp protein is also rich in bonus nutrients like calcium and iron, and particularly magnesium and zinc, which vegans often struggle to obtain since their well absorbed forms are primarily concentrated in animal foods.
That’s why today, you will discover which brands of hemp seed protein are the best.
Every brand here is certified organic, and every brand is free from the controversial sweetener stevia. For a shortcut, Nutiva and Terrasoul Superfoods are the ultimate brands.
Let’s get started:
One – Nutiva
The original hemp seeds were grown in Canada, the world capital of cleanly grown hemp seeds for protein and skincare purposes (with China producing hemp for textiles). Nutiva is also certified as organic by the USDA. Combined, these features banish the spectre of inflammatory pesticides and herbicides and unbalanced synthetic fertilisers to the realm of the impossible.
Nutvia also gets an above average quality report. Most people report on a gritty texture, which doesn’t dissolve into water easily, but that’s the nature of ground hemp seeds. Most people found the taste fine, and the taste has the signature grassiness.
Nutiva weighs in at 1 pound, for a lengthy supply. Nutiva offers two options: a high protein hemp protein and a high fiber hemp protein. The former consists of 15 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per 30 grams, while the latter contains 11 and 11 grams.
How is this achieved? Not with different hemp species or strains; Nutiva begins by cold-pressing whole raw hemp seeds to press the oil out, removing 90% of the fat and creating a skincare oil. The resulting seed cake is then cold milled, and through different sifting techniques, different levels of protein and fiber are achieved.
Nutiva is also free from the controversial sweetener stevia, with the sole ingredient being “100% raw organic hemp protein power”. Nutiva’s claim of being “a clean plant-based protein” is accurate. Finally, Nutiva comes in a BPA-free container, eliminating the risk of inflammation and antioxidant depletion.
Put simply, Nutiva is a perfect hemp seed protein brand.
Amazon link: Nutiva Cold-Pressed Raw Hemp Protein.
Two – Navitas Organics
One of the great features of Navitas Organics, and any decent hemp protein, is the bonus nutrients it contains. Per 10 gram serving, hemp seed protein contains 20% of the RDI for magnesium and 13% for zinc. Those are strong totals for what is primarily an athletic or bodybuilding supplement.
As for the protein, Navitas Naturals is weaker than Nutiva, featuring 13 grams per 30 grams compared to 15. However, its other features are perfect. Navitas Organics is cold milled, meaning that the leftover seed cake after oil pressing is never treated to high temperatures which would warp the proteins and generate free radicals. The bag contains a 12oz supply.
Navitas Organics is certified as organic by the USDA, and is a product of family farmers on small farms in the fertile prairie region of central Canada, thus delivering a double whammy of cleanliness. There are no special flavours, but the other side of the coin is the purity. Navitas Organics is free from added sugar or stevia, with cold milled hemp seeds the only ingredient.
The quality report is particularly positive, with most people not minding the gritty texture and enjoying the mild grassy taste. The trustworthiness levels are through the roof, with Navitas Organics selling time-tested maca root, camu camu powder, and cocoa powder brands. The hemp protein has dozens of positive reviews itself, with no reports of scams.
The purity and trustworthiness make Navitas Organics almost unbeatable; it only fails if you want maximum protein content.
Amazon link: Navitas Organics Hemp Powder.
Three – Foods Alive
The hemp seeds were cold pressed to expel the oil, and cold milled to create the protein. What’s the nutritional composition? 50% protein, beating Navitas Organics and matching Nutiva. Foods Alive also contains the bonus magnesium and zinc which hemp protein is notable for.
Its specifications are all in order, as there’s no stevia to be found, nor other additives or fillers. The ingredients label simply says “organic hemp protein powder“, recommending that you refrigerate the protein after opening for maximum freshness. Foods Alive has a shelf life of 2 years if stored in a cool, dark, dry place, and even conducts tests to keep THC at a bare minimum.
On their bag, Foods Alive recommends combining hemp protein with banana and blueberry to create a smoothie; is this is a smart combination? Yes, for both fruits are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, including rutin, pterostilbenes and malvidins. This should reduce aching muscles after a workout, so combined with the protein content of hemp, this recipe could send your gym performance through the roof. Finally, Foods Alive weighs 8 ounces for a decent supply, although smaller than Nutiva.
If vegan muscle is what you seek, Foods Alive has strong chance of building it.
Amazon link: Foods Alive Organic Hemp Protein.
Four – Terrasoul Superfoods
Terrasoul Superfoods is cold-milled, with no heat being applied to the seed cake. Terrasoul Superfoods is hexane-free, pesticide-free and insecticide-free. The hemp is sourced from either Canada, the USA or Romania, and bears a USDA organic certification. Terrasoul Superfoods is even risk free, with a 30 day money back guarantee.
Like Navitas Naturals, the label boasts of the high magnesium content. The protein content matches Nutiva with 15 grams per 30 gram serving, while each bag contains 16oz. Terrasoul Superfoods is just as established and trustworthy a brand as Navitas Organics. For example, their cocoa butter is number 1 on my review list.
Another great feature of Terrasoul Superfoods is its freedom from added sugar or the zero calorie sweetener stevia. None of the brands here contain stevia, because firstly, stevia may damage human gut bacteria. Weak gut bacteria is a long term problem because it damages nutrient absorption and weakens your gut lining.
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A more immediate problem is stevia triggering a surge in the stress hormone cortisol to summon reserves of glucose which never arrive. Furthermore, plenty of people randomly experience acne outbreaks from stevia. Is this down to the stress? It’s a mystery, but stevia should always be regarded with suspicion unless you know from certain experience that you can tolerate it.
Terrasoul Superfoods contains one ingredient: cold-milled hemp seed protein. The final advantage is that each batch of hemp protein is lab tested, to minimise heavy metal contamination.
Terrasoul Superfoods is the ultimate lesser known hemp seed protein.
Amazon link: Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Hemp Protein Powder.
Five – Manitoba Harvest
A hemp protein with endless different versions. Manitoba Harvest sells a hemp protein which is milled to contain 20 grams of protein per 32 grams, equating to 62.5%, and 3 grams of fibre. Like Nutiva, there’s then a high fibre version which contains 8 grams of protein per 30 grams, and 9 grams of fibre. Each of these have chocolate and vanilla flavourings, plus standard unflavoured. Finally, there’s a supercharged version with protein over 70%, at 20 grams of 28.
Whichever style you chose, I recommend the unflavoured. While there’s no stevia listed, there is unspecified “natural flavours” on the ingredients label.
As for the bread and butter features, Manitoba Harvest is certified organic by the USDA (for all varieties). It’s grown in Canada by small farmers who probably aren’t sure what a pesticide is. The bag weighs 1 pound, equalling Nutiva. The hemp seeds are rigorously tested, undergoing 34 tests over the course of the production process. Only the finest hemp seeds are picked. So tight is the production line that Manitoba Harvest can trace every individual bag of hemp protein back to the plantation it was grown on.
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Manitoba Harvest has one downside: the testimonials aren’t as positive compared to Nutiva. Grittiness is a common theme, with some dissatisfied tales, but that said, most people didn’t mind the grittiness. The taste was described as like chlorophyll and green grass, indicating authenticity.
Maybe you need more fiber, maybe you need more protein – Manitoba Harvest has both angles covered.
Amazon link: Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Powder.
Six – Whole Food’s Market
The hemp seeds are grown in the heart of Canada and the protein is certified organic by the USDA. Whole Foods Market is cold pressed and cold milled and free from any hexane or harsh pesticides. There’s only one ingredient: raw cold milled hemp seeds, with neither sugar nor stevia. The protein content is a strong 15 grams per 30 grams, equalling Nutiva. Likewise, the label explicitly details a bonus magnesium content of 59% of the RDI per 30 grams, among other bonus nutrients you ingest as your muscles enlarge cell by cell.
Whole Foods Market doesn’t have any specific recommendations, instead letting you loose to mix this hemp protein with whatever pantry ingredients you can find. Sprinkling your hemp protein over yogurt might be smart, particularly with a natural biolive yogurt, as it would send the protein content through the roof.
A common question with hemp protein is whether it will make you fail a drug test or not, and there’s no chance at all. Hemp itself is an industrially produced strain of the cannabis plant. They both belong to Cannabis sativa, but hemp has dramatically lower levels of the psychoactive cannabinoids like THC. The seeds, meanwhile, never contained THC in the first place, as it’s concentrated in the leaves. Therefore any hemp seed products, whether it’s hemp seed oil or hemp protein, will fail to get you high, but also fail to put you in a prison cell.
Whole Foods Market is a strong back-up brand of hemp protein in case Nutiva becomes unavailable.
Amazon link: Whole Foods Market Hemp Protein.
Seven – Anthony’s Goods
A hemp seed protein sourced from Romania, from a well trusted brand with dozens of pleased reviews. Anthony’s Goods also sells some of my top recommended coconut oil and ginger brands.
Each feature is in place, beginning with the hemp seeds being gently cold pressed, and cold milled and sifted to create the protein blend. The protein content is high at 50%, or 15 grams per 30 gram serving. The fiber is correspondingly lower, and Anthony’s contains a single ingredient on its label: “Organic Hemp Seed (Cannabis stavia L.)” . View the product images and you’ll see a fine green powder, which beats blue or purple spotted.
Anthony’s claims to have a earthy, nutty flavour, and the restricted temperatures will naturally boost the flavour. Each bag weighs 1 pound, and each bag features a USDA organic logo. Reviewers are almost unanimously pleased with the taste, except for a handful realising that they dislike hemp’s innate flavour.
One boast you’ll regularly see in hemp protein marketing is about edestin, a protein in hemp which is apparently highly bioavailable. The truth? 65% of hemp’s total protein is edestin, with the remaining protein being albumin.
Edestin isn’t an amino acid itself, but a protein complex, a structure of amino acids bound together with arginine particularly present. According to several studies, edestin is indeed well absorbed in humans, compared to other plant proteins from seeds and nuts. It’s an inherent part of the hemp seed, so edestin will be found in Anthony’s, Nutiva, and all brands.
Anthony’s does everything which a vegan protein should.
Amazon link: Anthony’s Organic Hemp Seed Protein.
Conclusion
As with hemp seed oil, the hemp protein market is easy to navigate due to most of the world’s food and cosmetic hemp being grown in Canada. In the Canadian wilderness, hemp standards are strict, with pesticides being mostly banned and only certain cultivars of seeds being permitted for farming.
The biggest danger to watch out for is ingredients being added after the seeds have left Canada, whether it’s stevia or an avalanche of sugar. The danger is larger compared to hemp seed oil where there’s never any decent reason to add another ingredient unless the brand is a special combination, like hemp seed oil with grapeseed oil.
Certain brands may have completely safe ingredients otherwise; they may contain organic hemp and organic cocoa powder for flavouring, but then feature some stevia which is rarely mentioned.
Your shortcut is to simply stick to this list. Every brand here will build your muscles, maintain your neurotransmitters and strengthen your skin in a completely vegan way.
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Thank for reading!