NOW Foods Sports Nutrition, Pea Protein 24 g, Fast Absorbing, Unflavored Powder, 7-Pound

Alright, first things first: NO pea protein powder tastes good. ALL brands taste and smell awful, like drywall, and they're ALL chalky in water. There's no escaping it. Whey is just far better as a water-soluble protein - it blends well, offers a creamy texture, and has a fairly inoffensive flavor of its own.HOWEVER, pea protein has specific advantages. First, it's far easier to find an unflavored pea protein (like this one). There is only one ingredient. Nearly ALL whey protein powders are flavored, which means additives like lecithin, xantham gum, and sugar alcohols. If a whey protein powder with a flavor like 'super duper chocolate' sounds too good to be true, it is. As much as possible, always go for an unflavored version of whatever protein you buy. In my experience, there are very few whey protein brands that offer an unflavored version of their product (for example, ON does not), but most respectable pea protein powders will have an unflavored version.Pea protein is simply a protein isolate. It can be manufactured directly from yellow peas, with only a little bit of processing. The only matter to keep in mind is that the pea protein isolation process generates relatively high sodium content, so you might be surprised by the amount of sodium in pea protein (e.g. in a NOW sports scoop, it's over 300mg). Still, unless you are explicitly trying to control your sodium intake, these amounts are perfectly fine. Because there are ZERO other ingredients, pea protein is certainly more secure than most flavored whey proteins. Moreover, there's no additional process needed to make pea protein water-soluble, which is not the case for whey. Hence the additives, even in unflavored whey. This doesn't mean that whey is harmful, only that it is not usually sold as a single ingredient.When it comes to mixing the UNFLAVORED versions of each in water, whey wins hands down. It tastes way better, mixes better, and just goes down easy. Pea protein is almost unpalatable, and it doesn't really matter what brand you pick. You'll get hints of cardboard, wood shaving, and drywall powder.The trick with any pea protein is to mix it into a beverage that masks its flavor. Typically, the best way to do this is a smoothie. Milk/oat milk, oats, berries, yogurt and bananas with some water are typically perfectly adequate. These ingredients easily mask the odor and flavor of pea protein when blended. Either that, or you simply need to drink pea protein like medicine. Glug it down, shut your eyes, and gulp hard.The NOW sports pea protein powder is, in that sense, a standard pea protein. It smells and tastes awful on its own. But it is unflavored, contains one ingredient, and has great protein returns per scoop. I recommend mixing a scoop with thicker liquids (milk/oat milk/yogurt), at least one sweetener (fruits/frozen berries are okay), and some grains or fiber in a smoothie. Consumed this way, pea protein is safe, unobjectionable, and far more reliable (it's much easier to manufacture, so there's less chance of anything murky happening behind the scenes).When I first started having pea protein, I found my stomach reacting a little uncertainly to it - a little bit of gripe, and once or twice a trip to the bathroom. However, after just a few tries, my body is used to it (in smoothie form), and the results in terms of muscle gain are really noticeable. I have no lactose/dairy issues, so I could be having whey - but I find the simplicity of unflavored pea protein much more desirable. Go ahead and buy this protein powder - it won't disappoint you. But don't consume it in ways that you know will make you gag. Mask it heavily (nonfat milk and/or unsweetened oat milk barely add any calories, neither do fruits for the most part) and you'll be fine. Happy training!

I’ll start off this review with a startling and unbelievable statement—I’m a bodybuilding Vegan. It’s been almost ten years since I climbed over the piles of rotting meat and dairy products, and I haven’t looked back since my blood pressure dropped to 115/75 and cholesterol level plummeted seventy points to 150. Triglycerides? A double-digit number. Not bad for a 60 year-old who eats tofu and vegetables, benches 225, squats a ridiculous 500lbs. and doesn’t indulge in dangerous experiments with needles.Was it easy to make this transformation? No. The food choices available from the start were limited, at least until I did the research. NOW Foods Sports Nutrition has not only made this transition easier with a few mouse clicks, it’s given other Vegans what they need, inexpensive quality protein and carbohydrates. This product, Pea Protein, is what it says, an easily-digested protein from peas, and I’ll use anywhere from 50-100g a day, depending on my routine. It works fantastic. Not bad for one ingredient.You may have noticed I mentioned NOW also makes a carbohydrate supplement. It’s called Carbo Gain. But why mention it here? As many have seen, there are way, waaaay too many one-star reviews for this protein product mixing bad and tasting like chalk. I believe one person declared in dramatic fashion “IT'S SOOOOOOOOOOO BAD. So, so, so bad” and concluded it’s mixability was “0/10”.<slaps forehead>It’s described as unflavored. It’s not going to knock you off your feet like a great-tasting Vegan pizza. Any protein powder with no other ingredients is going to taste like chalk. What they need is a little help. One day—in-a-hurry-to-get-to-work act of desperation—I tossed ½ cup of this pea protein into a 48oz. container half-full of distilled water along with ½ cup of Carbo Gain. To my surprise—once covered—it mixed completely with some energetic shaking and—Wow!—the chalky taste disappeared. Not bad for a complete bodybuilding shake. I’ve also tried this with filtered tap water, and it still mixed without problems—I believe distilled makes it smoother and taste better, but it’s not necessary.Try this recipe with some creatine powder tossed in and it will still mix without problems. You can’t beat it for the overall cost, convenience and the 500lb squats you’ll get out of it. Ok, you’ll have to work on the last part yourself.Have fun!

Great pea protein for what I paid, $40 for 7 lbs. My only complaint is their scoop is not 33 grams as advertised. I measure it on multiple high quality scales, a level scoop is over 40 grams! Very misleading and really serves to get you use more of the product while possibly messing up your macros and protocol

I use an electric hand mixer. A shaker bottle takes too long to get the clumps out IMO. If you want something that tastes good add something good tasting to it. I'll continue to purchase this product for its value, protein content, and because it has zero sugar.