Healthiest Protein Drink out there?

In my experience, most protein supplements don't have a whole lot, and often no added sugar. Mine has no added sugars and only 2g of naturally occurring sugar from a bit of cocoa powder. As far as other additives and whatnot...protein supplements are a highly processed food good and shelf stable...you're not really going to get around the "chemicals." Most of the additives are for flavor, texture, and preservation.

I started using the Silk Ultra chocolate protein milk. It’s vegan and has 20g of protein and 190 calories per serving. It’s been helping me meet my protein goal.

sarah7591 wrote: »

Oh....wait...I maybe did not clarify. I mean a prepared protein drink ..like Vega One or Premier protein. Something like that? Thank you!

I'm assuming you want this because you are otherwise a little short on protein?

It's going to depend on what you consider healthy. For example, what's the source of protein? Whey tends to have more protein without much else, whereas a plant-based one will usually have more cals per g of protein, but some will think plant-based must be better. Some plant-based ones are soy, and some people prefer to avoid soy. Many of them have limited additives (and most no or little sugar, IME), and so if you want just whey you can find that, or options that are mostly just pea powder or hemp powder. Some of the ones that advertise themselves as being super healthy (Vega One) have the most additives, but they are basically vitamins added, which is why the claim that long ingredient lists are inherently bad seems odd to me. Some add ground up greens, which I don't find harmful but I prefer to add greens myself or eat them at other meals, and worry that in some cases people think they can have some greens powder in lieu of actually eating veg.

You also (as people have pointed out) get protein, including in smoothie form, without using a powder, and some might consider that inherently healthier since the protein is from a wholer-food source, although I think that's kind of superstitious really. But for a while I was trying to avoid powders (I didn't like a lot of them) and would use lowfat greek yogurt in smoothies plus some nuts/seeds/nut butter (peanut powder isn't really unlike protein powder but would work in that it removes most of the fat). I also would sometimes use tofu or white beans instead of the yogurt.

Basically, read labels, make a decision about the protein source you prefer, and see what tastes good to you (when I use protein powder I tend to use the same one kshama mentioned, as I think it's reasonably tasty).