Monthly Archives: December 2016

While doing research for this article and looking at Arbonne protein powder reviews online, I had some reservations.

I’m friends with people who sell it, and they’re generally very passionate about Arbonne’s shakes and other products. And I sell a plant-based protein powder of my own, so this opens the door for potential bias.

So first off, let me say I have always thought of Arbonne as a good company that has helped a lot of people lead healthier lives.

But the goal of every review post I write is to present the facts based on my analysis of the nutrition label and ingredients list.

Read on to learn what I discovered about Arbonne protein powder and shakes.

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Arbonne Protein Powder Review

Similar to my other reviews, I am reviewing Arbonne protein powders based on health and nutrition … NOT taste.

This is what I look for in a healthy protein powder:

• Organic, real food ingredients
• No allergens or inflammation-causing soy, dairy, or gluten
• No fillers, natural flavors, or gums
• Protein per serving
• Protein sources
• No added sugar or other artificial sweeteners used

The ingredients Arbonne uses in its protein powders may not be as clean as you might think.

Here’s proof …

	Arbonne Feel Fit Pea Protein Shake Mix	Arbonne Essentials Daily Protein Boost
Calories	160	50
Grams of Protein	20	10
Protein Source(s)	Pea protein, rice protein, cranberry protein	Pea protein, rice protein, cranberry protein
Grams of Sugar	7	0
Free of “Natural” Flavors	No	Yes
Free of Gums & Thickeners	No	Yes
Organic	No	No
Vegan	Yes	Yes
Cost Per Gram	$.06	$.06

The Arbonne Essentials Daily Protein Boost actually looks like a decent product and I like the protein blend. It’s unflavored though and not organic.

Arbonne also has an “Ingredients Policy” page that states:

Being Certified Arbonne Clean _™ begins with the ingredients that we use, taking the best from nature, and embracing the idea that healthy living starts from the inside out — what we choose to include in a product is just as important as what we choose to put on our skin or in our bodies. We choose carefully, so you can feel safe in the knowledge that we’ve done the research.

After reviewing the ingredients in Arbonne’s protein powders and shakes, my problem is not what they formulate without, as stated above … it’s what they formulate their protein powders with.

If you dig into the ingredients list on Arbonne’s flavored protein powders and shakes, there are some things clean eaters should be very concerned about:

1. Some Arbonne Protein Powders Have 7 Grams of Sugar

Cane sugar is the #2 ingredient after the protein blend in Arbonne Essential Protein Powder (now called FeelFit Pea Protein Shake). Huge red flag. Might as well drink a milkshake.

2. Arbonne Essentials Protein Powder Has “Natural” Flavors

Natural flavors are chemical-filled junk and they’re definitely NOT natural. Read my article “What Are Natural Flavors?” if you want to know more about this mystery ingredient.

Bottom line: “natural” flavors can contain hundreds of different ingredients that food companies don’t have to disclose to you. Many of these are chemicals in standard “flavors.” Not saying Arbonne uses them but it’s worth asking them where their flavors come from and how they’re made.

3. Arbonne’s Proteins Have Gums, Fillers, and Other Highly Processed, Artificial Ingredients

Arbonne Protein Powders (and most others on the market) contain processed thickeners, fillers, gums that can cause gut health issues.

​Arbonne FeelFit Protein Powder Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

​Arbonne Essentials Daily Protein Boost Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

Let’s wrap this up …

Arbonne Protein Powder Reviews Summed Up

Based on my nutrition and ingredients analysis, I recommend avoiding Arbonne FeelFit Protein Shake Mix (formerly Arbonne Essentials Protein Shake Mix). Arbonne Essentials Daily Protein Boost is a decent product because it contains no sugar or other additives … just wish they used organic ingredients.

Finally, the long-awaited, much requested Orgain protein powder review.

Just like my other reviews, in this article I’ll show you exactly why clean eaters should avoid Orgain organic protein powders (and shakes). 

I’ve broken this into two versions: a short version for those who have a limited attention span like me, and the full version for those who want to explore Orgain’s ingredients and nutrition facts a little deeper.

(Disclaimer: I sell a protein powder. This admittedly creates some potential bias. That’s why my reviews focus on Orgain’s nutrition facts and ingredients. At the end of the day, this is just one person’s opinion).

Click here to get instant access to my FREE Google spreadsheet comparing 20 of the best plant protein powders (including Orgain) by ingredients, nutrition, and cost.

Orgain Protein Powder Review

First, let’s get this out of the way: I evaluate protein powders based on health and nutrition … NOT taste. If taste is your number one priority when choosing a protein powder, then this article probably isn’t for you. I’ve tasted most of Orgain’s products and they taste quite good.

Anyways …

When I analyze whether a protein powder is “healthy” or not, I look at the only two objective pieces of information you will see on any protein powder package:

1. The Ingredients
2. The Nutrition Facts

The ingredients and nutrition facts label will help you answer these important questions:

• Do they use organic, real food ingredients?
• Any allergens or inflammation-causing soy, dairy, or gluten?
• What about fillers, natural flavors, and gums? (these are all warning signs of a cheap, highly processed protein powder)
• How much protein does it have per serving?
• What are the protein sources?
• How much sugar is added?
• What other sweeteners (real or artificial) do they use?

Orgain’s ingredients and nutrition facts information for their protein powder and shakes reveal a lot:

	Orgain Organic Protein Powder	Orgain Meal Powder	Orgain Nutritional Shake	Orgain Vegan Nutritional Shake	Healthy Kids Shake	Slim Protein Powder
Calories	150	220	250	220	200	150
Grams of Protein	21	20	16	16	8	20
Protein Source(s)	Organic brown rice protein, organic pea protein, organic chia seed, organic hemp protein	Organic brown rice protein, organic pea protein, organic chia seed	Organic milk protein concentrate, organic whey protein concentrate	Organic brown rice protein concentrate, organic chia seeds, organic flax powder, organic hemp protein concentrate	Organic milk protein concentrate, organic whey protein concentrate	Organic pea protein, organic brown rice protein, organic chia seed
Grams of Sugar	1	1	12	9	13	1
Free of Natural Flavors	No	No	No	No	No	No
Free of Gums & Thickeners	No	No	No	No	No	No
Organic	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vegan	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Amazon Review Rating	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.1	4.2	4.4
Cost Per Gram	$.02	$.04	$.10	$.08	$.09	$.05

Let’s start with what I like about Orgain …

1. Orgain only uses Organic ingredients.
2. The plant-based protein sources in Orgain vegan products are solid.
3. Orgain was developed by a medical doctor and cancer survivor.

However, when I analyzed the ingredients list on many of Orgain’s products, there were some things that concerned me:

1. Sugar content

The sugar content in many Orgain Shakes is quite high:

• Orgain Original Shakes: 12 grams
• Orgain Plant-based Shakes: 9 grams
• Orgain “Healthy” Kids Shakes: 13 grams

Orgain uses LOTS of different sweeteners. Tap/click the following links to learn about some of the negative health effects of each:

• Monkfruit extract (often contains erythritol … see below)
• Erythritol (causes diarrhea when consumed in large amounts)
• Brown rice syrup (empty calories like most refined sugars)
• Cane sugar (leads to metabolic disease and obesity)

2. “Natural flavors

The Environmental Working Group says natural flavors are:

Unspecified mixtures of as many as 100 flavoring substances and solvents, emulsifiers, and preservatives.

Food manufacturers are only required to list “flavors” on their ingredients lists, without revealing the original sources or chemical mixtures of these flavors.

Long story short:

To learn more about this mystery ingredient, read my article “What Are Natural Flavors?“.

So let’s look at the big picture view of all the junk ingredients in Orgain’s products … I’ve highlighted ingredients that I personally avoid:

Product	Orgain Organic Protein Powder	Orgain Meal Powder	Orgain Nutritional Shake	Orgain Vegan Nutritional Shake	Healthy Kids Shake	Slim Protein Powder
Nutrition
Ingredients

Phew, that’s a lot of red flags! Let’s sum up this review …

Orgain Reviews: The Final Verdict

Orgain’s sugar-free products are cost-effective and contain all organic ingredients. 

However, many of their products contain 10 grams or more of sugar per serving. The average American already gets plenty of sugar (82 grams per day).

I recommend sticking with one of their sugar free products or looking for a plant-based protein powder instead.

Click here to get instant access to my FREE Google spreadsheet comparing 20 of the best plant protein powders (including Orgain) by ingredients, nutrition, and cost.