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Monthly nutrition roundup from sports dietitian Meghann Featherstun
Plant-based protein powders
Supplements to replenish everything from all-out efforts to everyday running
The world of sports nutrition is rapidly changing, which means trends are coming and going, and supplements of all kinds are sprouting up everywhere. Here at Believe in the Run and Featherstone Nutrition, our inboxes are full of pitches for the newest and most cutting-edge nutrition for runners– some of it is legit, some are not, and most fall somewhere in between.
As a runner with other life responsibilities, it can be hard to sift through all the nutrition labels and figure out what’s best for you and your body during training and race day. Do I take it before my workout, during, or after? Do I constantly carb load, or just before a big race? Is the liquid in my handheld going to help me or hurt me when I need it most?
Luckily, I’m here to help sift through all the ingredients, electrolytes, and interesting powder mixes to break down what’s good and what’s not. My goal is to give you the best advice on whether or not you should consider bringing it along on your running journey or just leave it in the race expo bag from whence it came.
Questions or comments? Leave them below, and I’ll do my best to get back to you.
Stay healthy, stay hydrated, and stay strong.
Photo courtesy of RNWY
With the start of a new year, we see a significant push on all things diet, nutrition, hydration, and supplements. Before you click “buy now” on every snazzy ad that catches your attention, please assess your current nutrition choices and habits to see if you truly need to add supplements.
“But how do I know if I need a supplements?”
That’s a great question that can be difficult to answer broadly. But, if adding a supplement helps you meet your nutrition needs when you otherwise would not, let’s try it. For example, some of the products below may interest you if you struggle to meet your increased protein needs as a runner or if you’re notorious for skipping your recovery nutrition in the midst of a hectic life schedule.
Vegan protein powders are one area of nutrition supplements that pop up left and right this time of year as demand grows for more plant-based protein powder options. Let’s look at some new and old products on the scene and I’ll give you my sports dietitian thoughts on each one.
$50 / 21 servings ($2.38/serving)
Post-run or recovery + creatine
Chocolate & Acai
Disclosure: RNWY is a sponsor of our sports nutrition podcast, Fuel for the Sole
RNWY came in hot to the sports nutrition scene in 2024 with their novel collagen product that mixed with water, replacing that pre-run electrolyte drink and powdered collagen in your coffee with an all-in-one product in a delicious lemon-lime or cherry flavor. In true “we’re paving our own path in this massive supplement industry” fashion, RNWY has now introduced its vegan protein powder.
Their vegan protein powder uses fermented nutrition yeast protein to pack 25 grams of protein per serving with 2.2 grams of leucine, the highest naturally occurring leucine level for any vegan protein powder. What is leucine, you ask? The amino acid that is responsible for triggering muscle recovery and growth. This is essential, since most vegan protein powders are deficient in leucine. The addition of 5 grams of creatine also sets this product apart. Since natural creatine sources come from animal proteins, adding creatine to a vegan protein powder is a smart move. (Please note: while creatine is naturally found in animal proteins, creatine monohydrate is vegan.)
This product stands out as a superior vegan protein powder, and I also appreciate its mellow chocolate flavor option or bolder acai flavor. Pick your preferred taste. It is also Informed Sport certified which means to contains exactly what it states on the label and nothing else.
Use code FEATHERS15 for 15% off your first order:
SHOP HERE
$25 / 12 servings ($2.08 per serving)
Post-run or workout recovery, or as a source of protein with meals
Chocolate and vanilla
OWYN premade protein shakes have been a staple in many vegan runners’ diets for a couple of years. One area for improvement for my vegan runners is getting enough quality protein three times a day to support muscle maintenance and recovery. OWYN also has a protein powder available that makes it ridiculously easy to add to your meal and recovery routine. The OWYN Pro Elite protein powder contains 2.51 g leucine to ensure your vegan protein powder supports full muscle recovery.
SHOP HERE
$37 / 12 servings ($3.08 per serving)
Post-run recovery
Oat milk latte
If you are looking to jump-start recovery post-run, Skratch has you covered. With that 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, this mix can restock your glycogen stores optimally and start muscle repair. Remember that recovery isn’t complete until we eat enough carbs to replenish glycogen stores and enough protein to rebuild and repair muscle breakdown. I highly recommend using this product after long runs or big workouts. Then, follow it up with a balanced meal within one hour. Not to mention, this brand-new plant-based oat milk latte flavor is delicious.
Use code FEATHERSTONE20 for 20% off your first order:
SHOP HERE
$60 / 20 servings ($3 per serving)
Increasing protein in your plant-based diet
Chocolate, vanilla, vanilla chai, banana cinnamon, chocolate peanut butter, peanut butter, matcha, mint chocolate
This five ingredients plant-based protein powder is popular for its clean status with no fillers, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners. However, it does contain monk fruit sweeteners, which I still consider artificial as a dietitian, though the food industry may not. The plant proteins come from pea protein, pumpkin seed protein, and chia seed protein. One serving of this protein may not meet the protein needs of endurance athletes, and there is no additional leucine added like the other protein powders discussed here. If this protein powder meets your needs, let’s just increase the quantity to ensure you are getting enough protein to recover and repair muscles or add additional plant-based proteins to the meal to augment this protein source.
SHOP HERE
$35 / 14 servings ($2.49 per serving)
Post-run or workout recovery
Ruby Red Grapefruit, Orange Pineapple, Raspberry, Salted Marg
This sport protein has been around for years and holds the NSF for Sport certification which means we know everything that’s listed on the label is actually in the product and nothing else. This was my choice for a non-dairy protein powder when I needed that nine years ago nursing my son and I still believe it is a fantastic choice. It contains 2.57 g leucine per serving which is an excellent amount to ensure we are triggering muscle recovery and supporting our training adaptations.
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