Best Protein Powder for Sensitive Stomachs

Author's Bio: Marcie Vaske, MS, LN, CNS

If you have ever eaten protein powder and added it to maybe some yogurt or made yourself a smoothie or a shake and ended up with gas or bloating or plain old nausea, you are not alone.

Today we're going to dive into a topic that I get very often, which is, what is the best protein powder for a sensitive stomach?

So today I'm going to break it down for you and share a few different options for protein powders that will leave you feeling energized and ready to go with your day instead of feeling nauseous and gassy.

But first, my name is Marcie Vaske, and I'm a licensed nutritionist with Flusso Nutrients. And at Flusso Nutrients, we work very hard to educate you on different types of supplements so that you can make an informed decision about what's best for you.

Now of course, if you have questions, you'll want to speak with a supplement literate practitioner just to make sure that any supplement we talk about or that you choose is not going to be contraindicated with any other supplements you're taking or medications.

So without further ado, let's dig back into today's topic.

[Video Transcript Below + Supplement Links Discussed In Video]

What is the Best Protein Powder for Sensitive Stomachs?

So we hear all the time how great it is to add in protein powders and it adds just extra protein in your day, and they're kind of tasty and you can make a lot of amazing things with them. But the question kind of comes in as why are they so hard to digest? So for people with sensitive guts that maybe have IBS, or maybe you're dealing with SIBO or even leaky gut, some of the protein powders on the market today are filled with fillers and specific proteins themselves can be more irritating to a sensitive gut.

Common Ingredients That Trigger Digestive Issues

So I'm just going to run through some of the usual culprits that tend to give sensitive guts a run for their money.

Whey and Casein Proteins

One of 'em is going to be whey protein in addition to whey protein, also casein. Now, these are

especially hard to digest for people who have sensitive guts, and if they're not in an isolate form.

Sugar Alcohols Like Xylitol and Erythritol

Another culprit can be sugar alcohols. And sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol can cause a lot of bloating and gas.

Artificial Sweeteners and Gums

Of course, there's the real common denominator that's in a lot of protein powders if you're not looking closely, is artificial sugars and gums. So artificial sugars like circulo can create a lot of digestive upset in addition to gums such as xantham gum or even guar gum.

High-FODMAP Fillers Like Inulin and Chicory Root

And then sometimes protein powders will even have high FODMAP fillers such as inulin or even chicory root. And both of these while can be really helpful for some people. For people with sensitive guts, we should steer clear of that kind of thing.

Top 3 Protein Powders for Sensitive Stomachs

So here are my top three best protein powders. If you're struggling with IBS, sibo, leaky gut, or any gut issue where you're just a little more sensitive.

Organic Pea and Rice Protein Isolate

Number one, you want to look for something possibly that is organic pea and rice protein isolate. Now, plant proteins do have a tendency to be a little bit harder to digest, but if you're getting it in the isolate form, it's much more clean and pure. Therefore, they're more easily tolerated as well. If you're making sure that within that protein powder there aren't any additional gums or as I talked about, artificial sweeteners.

So particularly on those types of protein powders, the smaller the ingredient list, the better. So you're looking just for the type of protein that's in there. There may be a flavoring if you do vanilla, you may see vanilla bean in there, which is totally fine, but you want to really take a look at those gums, any kind of additional sugars. So we want to make sure that there's no sugar alcohols or as I said a moment ago, artificial sugars. If you find a protein powder that is good in that, like the list is really short, that protein powder in pea and rice isolate may be just what you're looking for.

Now, all the protein powders that I talk about today, I'm going to list three different options down below. And as I go through this, not everybody's going to be able to tolerate protein powder in general. You play around with it a little bit just to find which one works best for you.

Beef Protein Powder

Now, the next protein powder that I'm going to talk about is beef protein powder. And sometimes when I say this to clients, they're like, what did you say? Yes, it kind of surprises you. But beef protein powder is oftentimes very well tolerated with people with sensitive gut. Beef protein powder is actually made from the muscle of beef. It's a complete protein and is much better tolerated than whey protein. And just like the pea and rice protein powder that I just spoke about a moment ago, again, you want to make sure the list of ingredients is low, so it lists the protein and maybe a flavoring in terms of vanilla or maybe cocoa powder if you've gotten a chocolate one. But just be really smart about leaving that list small.

The less ingredients, the better it is and the more tolerated it will be for your gut.

Bone Broth Protein Powder

Now we have bone broth protein powder, which can be very supportive, very gentle on the gut bone broth. Protein powder is naturally anti-inflammatory, does contain a lot of collagen and is high in glutamine and prolene. This is going to be great for leaky gut and healing of the intestinal tract. And as I said with the other two protein powders, finding one that's ingredient list is very small. Without artificial sugars, without gums, you are going to be able to tolerate this much easier.

How to Choose the Right Protein Powder

I think sometimes when we're looking at protein powders, we get lost in all the amazing things that are listed on the back. Now, especially if there's something called a proprietary blend, I would steer very far away from that. Not necessarily that it's bad, but we don't really know what's in it. And if you have a sensitive stomach, you probably don't want to tackle that one right off the starting gate.

Now again, making sure your ingredients list is low is going to be a tip on encouraging that you have a good protein powder. And also watching out for those fibers such as inulin or chicory root, those can really create a lot of gas and bloating. And sometimes they're in the laundry list of things on the back of the label, and we don't always pick up on them. So this is always why I'm pushing toward, and I've said it a lot of times in this video so far, the shorter the ingredients list, the much better it's going to be.

You don't need to have 87 different minerals and vitamins loaded into it and prebiotics and probiotics and all the things. It's not necessary. Getting a really clean protein powder is going to be more beneficial on your gut.

Tips for a Better Protein Powder Experience

And by eating and adding fruits and maybe veggies to your smoothie there, you're going to get those antioxidants in those fibers. So just be pretty mindful about what you're doing. And I love protein powder. It can be an absolute great way to get extra protein in your very busy day when you don't have time to maybe make some meat for dinner or even your lunch. You just feel like you're getting inadequate amounts of protein.

Protein powders can be really helpful in encouraging more protein in the diet. However, going really slow, incorporating it, trying different kinds of protein powders and keeping that ingredients list strong or low will be very beneficial to you finding what works best for you.

So my top three protein powders were the pea and rice protein isolate, the beef protein powder, and then bone broth protein. Again, I'm going to list or give you links to those three different types of protein powders that are clean and can be very helpful to just setting you up for a good protein powder experience.

So I hope this video today was helpful for you just to give you some guidelines on what you should be looking for, and maybe even those few ingredients in the protein powders that we're not always aware of may be an issue.

So until next time, happy protein powder shopping.

Check out the high-quality supplements we discussed in this video - links below for your convenience!

1) Bone Broth Protein by Ancient Nutrition: create an account here, then search the name "Bone Broth Protein by Ancient Nutrition" - https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients

2) Perfect Protein Pea & Rice by Metagenics: create an account here, then search the name "Perfect Protein Pea & Rice by Metagenics" - https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients

3) Paleo Protein: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com/dynamic-paleo-protein

4) ALL PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com & https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients