This review is for the Elements Plant Based Vegan Chocolate Protein Powder - Meal Replacement Shake Made from Pure Organic Yellow Peas amp; Raw Cacao - Keto, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Paleo, and Non-GMO - 1lb - 14 Servings. First off, the powder smells really good. The directions say to add 2 scoops (4 tablespoons/32g) to 8oz liquid. I added 1/2 the recommended amount to soy milk and tried it both cold and hot. There was no scoop included. To be sure it mixed well, I put the powder and milk in a ball jar and shook it with a lid on. This worked well. I preferred the taste hot. Based off other reviews, I was surprised to like the taste as much as I did. It doesn't taste as good as an unhealthy sugary hot chocolate, and I didn't expect it to. I do like the taste enough to consider having this in hot soy milk as a treat and not feel guilty. I even tried it after adding just a touch of maple syrup and that was a really good, but I try to avoid sugar of any kind and it was not necessary. I did not find the product chalky and think it would work great mixed in a smoothie or almost anything that would taste good with a bit of chocolate flavor. I probably would not like the taste in just water, but did add a tablespoon to my oatmeal and that was good. Chocolate oatmeal! LOL I generally try to avoid any processed foods, but consider this Elements powder to be pretty good health wise. I like that many of the ingredients are organic. I also like that the label says the powder is non-GMO, 0g added sugar, and vegan. It also says it has no gluten, no soy, is plant plant based, and is keto/paleo friendly. The powder is sweetened with monk fruit extract. The best by date I received was 16 months. Now a little about my opinion on this product vs other opinions which may be different: I eat a whole food plant based diet. When I'm being good and eating 100 WFPB I have trouble keeping weight on because I get too full to eat as much as I need to. When I'm eating 90 WFPB just the 10 that is not clean eating is enough for me to keep or gain weight, but I prefer to eat as clean as possible. So, sometimes I add protein powder to my foods to help keep the weight on. In general, I don't like the taste of protein powders at all and although some reviewer didn't like the taste of this Elements powder, I actually thought it was pretty good. Of course it doesn't taste as good as something with lots of sugar, chemicals, and processed ingredients, but for something that is pretty healthy for you, I have no complaints. I think it makes a difference to know if the person reviewing is an Omni eater, vegan, WFPB etc. Omni or Vegan reviewers may be comparing the taste of this to other great tasting, but unhealthy protein powders. If you are WFPB or at least someone who consistently stays away from processed foods and sugar, I think reviews by other people who eat a similar diet would be more accurate because our tastes buds have adjusted to a low sugar diet and are different.
Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]