I don't take a lot of supplements and really believe in getting as many nutrients as possible from real food throughout the day. And, I think if you're eating a balanced diet, you should have no problem getting adequate amounts of protein and good carbs and fiber, etc.
I'm not a nutritionist at ALL but that's my feeling.
Anyway, let me quickly contradict myself (ha!) by telling you a story. Last year, I really overworked myself (unintentionally) and whittled down a lot of lean muscle mass, so over the past month or so, I've been trying to rebuild my body in a balanced and healthy way. So on most days, especially when I do some strength training, I have a smoothie with protein powder just for a little extra boost.
I buy this one that's non-GMO, vegan, gluten free, sugar free AND sweetener free (no Stevia either, thank goodness!! I just cannot stand the taste!), and I really thought it was an A+.
…Until I Saw This Little Message
I happened to come across this little message on the side: "This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm."
UHHH, WHAT?! Color me concerned! So I emailed Nutribiotic and asked them about it and they sent me this:
"The warning is in regard to lead, which pervades the environment and can be found in air, water and soil. Brown Rice Protein is safe and meets FDA and USP limits for lead. However, as a California company we must abide by radical Proposition 65, which has limits nearly impossible to meet. A serving of dairy, bottled water or canned fruit contains more lead than Brown Rice Protein. Foods, however, are exempt from the labeling requirement."
I have seriously tasted every protein I can get my hands on and hate all of them except this one! So I searched their website and in their defense, I also found this statement which I thought was more comforting:
“Due to the discovery of melamine contamination in some rice protein, we had our Rice Protein tested by an independent laboratory. [!x2026!] Our Rice Protein was tested down to 0.5 parts per million, which is the lowest possible testing available, with none detected.
NutriBiotic is not under investigation by the FDA. We chose to test our Rice Protein for consumer confidence—to assure our customers that our Rice Protein is free of melamine. We have many customers with severe allergies who use our Rice Protein, and we understand the importance of making a very clean, pure product. [!x2026!] We remain committed to providing the best quality Rice Protein and nutritional products available. Good health is our top priority.”
I encourage you to check your labels thoroughly! For now I'm kind of stuck; do I let it go because it says nothing was detected? Or go ahead and ditch it for something different but more disgusting?
Do any of you know anything about this? What do you think?
Image credit: TrainHeroic
