Egg Protein Powder - Unscrambling the Truth

Chapter 4 - Best Choices for Egg Protein Powder

So, now that you may be wondering about egg protein powder in a new way, let me share with you some of what I have found in regards to the various egg protein powders out there.

I wanted several things for my comparisson and one of those requirements was that the protein powder must be easy to find. I did not limit it to what could be found in a grocery store because depending on where you shop, any type of protein powder might be hard to find. Instead I wanted each of these to be found at the same 'place' and I was able to locate all of these on Amazon where you can also look at customer reviews to find the opinions of other consumers.

I also wanted to review products that were close to the same cost. It is all well and good to recommend a product for its positive attributes, only to be confronted by an extreme cost.

Last of all I did my best to compare these characteristics: quality of the eggs (organic versus non-organic), lifestyle of the hens, and additional additives to the final product.

Four Egg White Protein Powders

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Conclusions

If we want to have the most control over what we are eating then we will go through all the trouble of creating our own egg protein powder. Yet, how realistic is that? Wouldn't it be simpler to just cook and eat the eggs? Yes indeed if what I am wanting is just a meal with eggs.

A major point of using egg protein is about high quality protein. Egg protein is the gold standard of protein in that its biological value is 100%. That means we use 100% of the protein available in the egg without waste. Compare that to the biological value of rice, which is 55% and it becomes understandable what a resource the egg is to us.

Another major point of using egg protein is value. Eggs offer us a protein value at a fraction the cost of other high quality proteins.

The biggest gain in using egg protein powder versus using an egg is convenience, flexibility and shelf life. What could be easier that adding a scoop of powder? What other ingredient can be added that will mix with so many types of meals from protein drinks, to cereals, to just about any meal or recipe? What is not desirable about something that can be stored easily and in good quality for years versus a fragile construct that has to be protected and whose shelf life is a matter of weeks?

Part of something being convenient is that it does not take up a lot of my time. In a perfect world I would take the time to go through the process of turning high quality organic eggs into egg protein powder. Or, in this world, I will find someone to do that for me.

Choosing organic eggs is choosing more than just a protein devoid of antibiotics and growth hormones. Choosing organic eggs is choosing a reasonable life for the hen that produces that egg. Because of the requirements that must be met for a product to have the organic designation I can rest assured that the hen is not living a miserable life in a tiny battery-cage.

I really wanted to find more choices in organic egg protein powders. I searched and found a couple more companies online, but in one case the product was not yet for sale and in the other case the product was sold out.

This leaves me with just one choice, the Gifted Earth Originals (GEO) brand. Not only do they have an organic product but they also have reasonable additives to their flavored varieties and they offer an unflavored version as well.

The Jay Robb Unflavored egg protein powder comes in a distant second. Although not organic, they do state the product is free from growth hormones. They also state the chickens are at least cage free. My major concern with it is that the product is not from US origin as far as I could find. Without the assurances of the strictures placed on US processing I am wary of taking a risk on some unknown country's standards.

The other powders I reviewed fail in that there is likely the use of antibiotics and growth hormone in the raising of these chickens. There is great likelihood that the chickens are kept in battery-cages. There is also the question of whether these protein powders are produced in the US.

In researching this information I have become convinced that we just are not doing enough for those poor chickens. Yes, cage free factory farms exist and even free range factory farms are becoming more common. Yet the battery-cages still remain in the majority of factory farms. If you want to read more about this sad situation then this article by the humane society can give you more details.

I have also become convinced that we should have more information about where our food is coming from. It is not enough for them to list ingredients. We need to know the country of origin of every ingredient. Where that food comes from and what production practices those countries use matters. Unless we stand up for the highest quality in animal care and processing we will be subject to unscrupulous decisions by those who value profit over conscience.

I welcome your insights and comments.

Chapter 1 - Making Your Own Egg Protein Powder

Chapter 2 - Ready to Use Egg Protein Powder

Chapter 3 - Questions Egg Consumers Should Ask