As a health influencer with a neighborhood of over a million Instagram followers, Anna Victoria will get requested on a regular basis for her suggestions: what workout routines to do to get sturdy abs or glutes; what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One factor the NASM-certified private coach by no means felt snug recommending although was a protein powder, regardless of often emphasizing the significance of protein for muscle development and upkeep. “There have been manufacturers that I used to be utilizing and that I favored, however I take my suggestions so severely,” Anna Victoria tells POPSUGAR. “I simply didn’t really feel like there was a model that I might one hundred pc get behind, primarily as a result of there’s such a scarcity of transparency within the complement trade.”
For years, Anna Victoria says, she used a selected model of protein powder that tasted “actually like ice cream.” It was so good, actually, that she began to get suspicious. “On the subject of well being meals merchandise, if it tastes that good, there needs to be a catch,” she says. So Anna Victoria despatched it to a lab, eager to see if the product’s vitamin content material truly matched what was on the label. “We figured there was simply perhaps far more sweetener, sugar, or one thing added,” she says. However the outcomes have been worse. The protein powder, which marketed 20 grams of protein per scoop, solely included three grams per scoop, in line with the lab outcomes, “which implies that the remaining was both filler or simply sugar,” Anna Victoria says. “It was such a shock and actually solidified, sadly, my mistrust for the complement trade.”
So she determined to make her personal product, taking two years to concoct the suitable formulation. And in September 2022, the influencer launched Vitalura Labs protein powder. As a longtime follower of Anna Victoria, I used to be intrigued by the model and the non-public story behind it, in addition to the protein content material (25 grams per scoop!) and flavors: chocolate and vanilla gelato, a tribute to the Italian roots of Anna Victoria’s husband and enterprise accomplice, Luca Ferretti. Vitalura Labs despatched me each flavors to check out, so I set my standard protein powders to the facet for 2 weeks and added Vitalura to my smoothies, shakes, and oatmeal. This is what I assumed.
What I Like About Vitalura Labs Protein Powder
First impression of the Vitalura Labs chocolate gelato taste: “wow, that smells wonderful.” It isn’t my standard response once I open a bag of protein powder, and particularly not a bag of plant-based protein. I’ve had some unlucky experiences with pea protein powders that style like, effectively, peas, which isn’t an incredible taste in a breakfast smoothie.
After I blended the Vitalura powders into protein smoothies with different components (milk, bananas, cinnamon, peanut butter, and so on.), I did not get any type of veggie-like style, only a candy taste and clean texture. The vanilla gelato actually shined in a batch of protein oatmeal that I whipped up for lunch at some point. I additionally tossed it into one in all Anna Victoria’s Instagram recipes to make a pumpkin spice smoothie, which was glorious.
Throughout the board, although, the chocolate gelato powder was my favourite, with a wealthy style that rivaled my favourite whey protein powder when mixed in smoothies. (For context, whey protein is sourced from milk merchandise, which provides it a naturally impartial style that is straightforward to sweeten. Plant-based protein is remoted from completely different vegetation, equivalent to peas and brown rice, and it may be tougher to eradicate the pure style of these components. Extra on the mix of proteins utilized by Vitalura Labs forward.)
What’s extra, Vitalura Labs protein powder is tasty whereas providing 25 grams of protein per scoop — and you’ll belief that quantity as a result of the product is licensed by NSF. NSF is a not-for-profit product testing firm that verifies {that a} product is protected to be used and incorporates the vitamins and components marketed. (In different phrases, an NSF-certified protein powder should not be capable of get away with inflating the protein content material.)
Wanting extra intently on the vitamin information, the Vitalura Labs protein powders additionally include minimal components and no sugar or synthetic sweeteners, facets Anna Victoria attributed to her Italian connection. “I realized a lot about tips on how to dwell a wholesome, balanced way of life via [Italian] meals tradition,” she explains. “It is minimal components and really pure and contemporary and clear, so we wished to take from that to create this protein, so it would not have a protracted record of components, and those that it does have are all pure.”
One other good thing about Anna Victoria’s protein powders? They’re full proteins. The powders come from three sources: pea protein isolate, brown rice protein isolate, and pumpkin seed protein isolate. The three of them collectively, Anna Victoria explains, constitutes a “full protein,” which suggests the mixture gives all 9 of the amino acids your physique must supply from meals.
Picture Supply: Soona Studios
What’s Price Noting About Vitalura Labs Protein Powder
The style of Vitalura Labs protein powder is excellent, however not good. A slight “protein-y” aftertaste generally got here via, particularly once I tried the chocolate gelato taste blended with simply milk and ice, reasonably than in a smoothie or oatmeal with different components. The vanilla style can be very sturdy, to the purpose of tasting a bit synthetic — a commerce I would make to keep away from the standard veggie-tasting protein powder, however one thing to pay attention to for those who like extra refined sweets. You may additionally want so as to add further liquid when mixing the powders into your recipes as they ended up being fairly thick once I added them to smoothies and oatmeal.
Who Is Vitalura Labs Protein Powder Greatest For?
In case you take your protein and macro objectives severely, you may be ok with including Vitalura Labs protein powders to your shakes and recipes. I really like that it incorporates all-natural, sugar-free components and, crucially, these 25 NSF-certified grams of protein. The style and texture are fairly stable. And plant-based people, particularly, will love the candy taste and excessive protein content material that comes with out animal merchandise.
Extra informal protein-lovers — for example, these of us who add a scoop to our smoothies each every so often however do not make it a precedence — would possibly favor to stay with the manufacturers and flavors they’re accustomed to. I’d nonetheless advocate Vitalura Labs, merely for its security and trustworthiness. The complement trade is just not very well-regulated, and NSF certification is about the perfect you may get by way of guaranteeing security and label accuracy.
Is Vitalura Labs Protein Powder Definitely worth the Splurge?
Vitalura Labs’s protein powders retail for $60. Every bag incorporates 30 servings of protein, and with the NSF certification, you realize you are getting the quantity of protein you have paid for with third-party-approved security.
The place Is Vitalura Labs Protein Powder Out there?
Vitalura Labs protein powder is bought in chocolate gelato ($60) and vanilla gelato ($60) flavors and is simply obtainable on-line from Anna Victoria’s Match Physique App storefront. The protein powders are presently solely delivery within the US, with Canada and Europe delivery anticipated in early 2023.
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Picture Supply: Victoria Vasquez
