Nature'S Best - Natural Vanilla 3 Lbs. 140075

This is a review of the natural vanilla flavor. I did a lot of research on different protein powder brands and flavors before buying this. My husband and I both lift weights, and he makes shakes every day. I find his powder produces a shake with great flavor, but it has a gummy, dare I say, snot-like texture. I just couldn't take it. I wanted something like SmoothieKing but with all of the ingredients under my control (and not so expensive). So the research began to find a powder that made from high quality proteins, with good vitamins and minerals, low sugar, reasonable price, and no gooey texture! Nature's Best Natural Vanilla has met all my criteria: --Protein: whey isolate. Regularly rated one of the best kinds of protein to use. It is their first ingredient. I also did a lot of math comparing grams of protein per ounce (not scoop--scoop sizes differ). 25 g protein in 31 grams of powder is top of the line. You'll find some powders with a slightly higher ratio of protein to grams of powder, but some of them would have required me to sacrifice in my other criteria areas. --Vitamins and mineral: zoom in on the picture of the nutrition label. This powder replaces more than just protein. I was pretty impressed with the range of vitamins and minerals included. --Sugar: only 6 grams total carbs for two scoops (that's 50 g protein). I usually only use scoop (that's 25 g protein) at a time, so that's 3 g carbs. Some people are insane about carb-free powders. I'm not. I have a 6 mile, round-trip bicycle ride to my gym. I can use some carbs when I get back home. In fact, I even add a tbsp or two of honey to my shake to increase the carbs. So unless you're a total anti-carb fanatic, I don't think 3-6 grams will mess up your entire day. --Flavor: The vanilla is not overpowering. I'm not sure if it tastes entirely "natural," so to speak, but it certainly doesn't taste exceedingly artificial like a lot of other brands' vanilla flavors do. --Last, but not least, texture: I ordered this on a hunch that ingredients like xanthum gum cause the gummy texture (logical, right?). This powder does not include any gums. Whether or not that's the actual cause, this powder gets a 10/10 for not being gummy, gooey, or snot-like at all. In the interest of full disclosure, I will also acknowledge that we upgraded our shake-making tools before this powder arrived. We went from a blender from the 1970s to a nutribullet. My husband's shakes are a little less snot-like when made in the nutribullet but still kind of gooey. So I don't think it's just the equipment. If you're sensitive to texture like me and planning to make shakes regularly, do your research about the powders but maybe also consider investing in a nutribullet, vitamix, etc. --Price: It's a little bit more expensive (price per ounce) than what I was buying before, but I think it's worth it for something I'll actually use and enjoy. I'll definitely buy more! My recipe: 1 C frozen strawberries 2 tsp ground flax seed 1 Tbsp honey 4 Tbsp milk 1 level scoop protein powder

I have been using protein powders for a few months and have been frustrated at the lack of nutritional information on the product pages. I am going to compare that for Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein, French Vanilla, 2 Pound and Nature's Best Isopure, Natural Vanilla, 3-Pounds Tub . You will see that the nutritional values are very different. The one thing they do have in common is that the scoop cannot be found until you have used at least half of it. Jarrow Formula: Serving size: 1 scoop (26 g), 35 servings per container Calories: 105, Calories from fat: 10 Total fat: 1 g, Saturated fat: 1 g, Trans fat: 0 g Cholesterol 50 mg Sodium: 40 mg Potassium: 126 mg Total Carbohydrate: 6 g Dietary Fiber: 1 g Sugars: 4 g Protein: 17 g The ingredients does say it contains milk and soy, but has no wheat, no gluten, no egg, no fish/shellfish, no peanuts/tree nuts, as well as no artificial flavors or artificial sweetners. Isopure Natural: Serving Size: 2 scoopfuls (63 g), 22 servings per container Calories: 230, Calories from fat: 10 Total fat: 1 g, Saturated fat: 0.5 g, Trans fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 10 mg Sodium: 330 mg Potassium: 380 mg Total Carbohydrate: 6 g Dietary Fiber: 0 g Sugars: 5 g Protein: 50 g The label says it is lactose free and has no artificial colors, flavors, or sweetners. It also says it is sweetened only with cane sugar and Luo Han Guo and has all natural vitamins and minerals with no fat, lactose, gluten, or impurities. The instructions for the Jarrow Formula say to mix one level scoop with 4 - 6 oz of cold water, soy milk, juice, or your favorite beverage. For a protein smoothie, blend with crushed ice and add juice or fruit to taste. May also be used with cereals, yogurt, or pancakes to increase the protein in the diet. Isopure's directions say: For a rich, thick shake, mix 2 scoopfuls with 12 fluid oz of water in a shake or blender. I have tried both of these two different ways. One was to use the blender, skim milk, powder, and frozen fruit (peaches, mango, or strawberries). Both made a decent smoothie. I also used a shaker and the instructions for using water. Both were tolerable, but I found the Isopure to be a bit better. When it is time to reorder, I am not sure which one I will get. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I have bought the Vanilla protein powder for a few years now. It had 4 carbs but the taste was good, it blended well and had 25 grams of protein. They switched to this one with no warning. There was no notice on the packaging or the order page that it is a different protein powder. It was not what I ordered. I went to my previous orders and clicked on the powder I have been ordering, this one with the picture of the vanilla bean is what they sent. I don't care for the taste and won't be re-ordering.

I haven't tried the new formula yet but I wish I had known they changed it before my subscription sent. The old formula had came sugar and the new formula has stevia. I specifically ordered this brand because I don't like the taste of stevia and don't mind a little added sugar. This was my go to protein powder before but now I'm not so sure. I'll update when I try it.

I got the naturally flavored vanilla. For the life of me I don't understand why my experience of this powder differs so much from everyone else's. I have wasted so much high quality produce and other ingredients trying to make this work and be edible. I am not a picky eater. I love oysters and hundred year old tofu and fish sauce. I was raised to finish my food even if I don't like it. I just can't with this. Every few months I make the same mistake - I vow to throw it out or give it someone who wants it, forget about it, and then rediscover it in my cupboard. Then I think - maybe I just added too much last time? Maybe if I add more water? More fresh fruit? Maybe a little honey? Some high quality yogurt? Maybe my palate was off last time? Maybe it wasn't that bad - I can just make something basic and head out the door and deal with it because it's convenient. And every single time, I prove myself wrong. This stuff tastes terrible. And it's so puzzling because it's supposed to be among the best in the market, and I love Isopure's Green Tea protein that comes in individual bottles. Right now I'm sitting in front of a shake with only one scoop of isopure, one ripe banana, two ripe kiwis, and a cup of blueberries, and plenty of almond milk, and I still can't eat this. Sweetness can't save it. Creaminess can't save it. Thinning it out with anything doesn't. It leaves this horrible, stale taste in my mouth that I just can't describe - no amount of fresh produce can make it taste fresh enough. Anyway, there's a place near me that makes great protein shakes that actually taste like the produce in them, and I called and asked them what they use - they use Muscle Pharm Combat, so perhaps I'll try that next. This protein powder will just never work for me. Update: I had wondered if perhaps Amazon had sold me a fake, so I reached out to the company with an email. No response. A couple of YEARS later, as I was cleaning out my pantry and I saw the product and was about to toss it, I decided to send them a follow up email one more time, just in case it was a fake I had on my hands that tastes so terrible. If it ended up being a fake I wanted to know, since I've had tha issue with Amazon before. I They responded asking me for lots of detailed information, like a pic and a batch number. I responded with the info. Want to know what their response was? "The product expired in February which is why the taste is off. After expiration ingredients start to break down and may cause taste to be affected." um yeah, that doesn't explain the fact that it tasted terrible as soon as I got it, looong before it expired. Funny how they decided to wait until after the product expired before responding to my email.