Vegan Review – Maxine’s ‘Pure’ All Natural Protein.

While it is becoming much easier to find vegan snacks and energy bars in most supermarkets, it is much harder to find ‘ready to drink’ or ‘ready to mix’ plant-based protein. As someone who has spent a lot of time pushing weights before he became a runner, protein shakes have become a regular if not habitual requirement. Even though I have reduced my protein powder consumption drastically since going vegan (partially through necessity) I still am constantly on the lookout for some instant high-protein-plant-product after a long run. Ready to drink milk-based protein shakes are very easy to find in almost every supermarket these days but non-dairy alternatives are a specialty item hard to find even in health food stores.

Therefore, I was surprised to see ‘Pure’ on the local store’s self. ‘Pure’ is by Maxine’s, Max’s female focused brand, because only women are vegan apparently. Regardless of the branding, the product promises to be vegan and dairy free so I gave it a try.

The protein source is a mixture of pea and rice protein (18.1g per serve), other ingredients include green tea extract, ancient grains and mango extract among others. Most of these seem to be for show, however it is nice that there are no artificial sweeteners or additives. The taste is how you would expect for anyone who has tasted pea or rice protein with the stevia and cocoa powder making it more palatable while retaining a natural flavour.

Pure comes ‘ready to mix’ in bottle, so you will have to supply your own water or non-animal based liquid. I don’t mind it this way since you can make it to your consistency. The price is just under $4, which is pricy but not unheard of for a regular dairy protein shake. Over all I am happy with this product as far as ingredients and taste goes, the price is not bad either. Hopefully this is just the beginning of the ready to drink plant-based protein drinks.

For more information visit the Maxine’s supplement site.

If you have a vegan, trail running or any other product you want me to review let me know!