If you’ve ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you know there’s a scene at the end of the movie where Indiana is looking at all the cups and trying to decide which one is the Holy Grail that promises eternal life. That’s how I approach protein powders.
I’ve tried many different kinds over the years at all different price points and textures. Some taste great and some taste like dirt. Some are too sweet, some too chalky. Many of them taste synthetic and/or gritty.
I’m a smoothie fan mostly out of necessity. When you are trying to hover between the complexities of a real job and a running website editor, not to mention you have to parent three children as well as find time to navigate your own workouts, you’ve got to get your nutrition in however you can.
Sometimes that means drinking a shake at a stop light between appointments so you don’t forget to eat. My quest to find the right one has been important because they are a big part of life for me.
We recently tried out a powder from Realand Nutrition.
Realand’s products check a lot of boxes on my list of what I need in a protein powder and they align to my lifestyle requirements. Not only are their products Plant Powered from Fava beans, but they are 100% vegan as well. Fava beans are innovative and new to the market, and I think they are a little less gritty than some other plant-based proteins.
I am not a vegetarian, but I have what I call “vegetarian tendencies,” which means that, while I eat meat, I usually avoid it most of the time. There are no GMO ingredients or artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives in Realand products, so I knew from the first scoop that I was fueling my body with good things. Shoot, they even source from sustainable and ethical farms and ranchers and the packaging is recyclable.
My first priority, to be honest, is taste. Protein powders should be good for you if they are doing what they are supposed to, but if they taste like cardboard or have a weird aftertaste, I’m not going to feel motivated to continue with them.
We were sent their chocolate flavor first, which is good as that’s my preferred flavor for a shake and it was completely delicious. NO chalkiness. NO grittiness. NO super artificial taste to cover up the healthy stuff. Just delicious, creamy, smooth chocolate. It does have stevia, which is usually something I will pass on, but it was pretty minimal and hidden overall. Overall it was a win for my taste buds.
As far as the health stats go, the powder has 22g of protein, 11g carbs, and only 8 total ingredients.
Have I found my Holy Grail? Well, I think Indiana Jones would be satisfied with my choice. Realand will be a staple in this busy household for sure.
