We use natural monk fruit sweetener in our Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powder so there is no added sugar in our products. If you prefer extra sweetness, feel free to add a scoop to a shake with your favorite fresh fruit, dates, honey or maple syrup!

Monk fruit is also known as Luo Han Guo or swingle fruit. It’s a natural no-calorie sweetener that is up to 250 x sweeter than sugar, so we only have to use a tiny bit! Unlike a lot of other low or no calorie sweeteners, including sugar alcohols, it doesn’t trigger bloating or IBS symptoms. It also does not affect blood sugar levels so it is safe and recommended for folks with Type 2 Diabetes, insulin resistance or those trying to manage their blood sugars.

Without getting too detailed, MCTs or medium chain triglycerides are fatty acids with 6 to 12 carbons in length. MCTs (which are found in coconut oil as well) are metabolized differently than other fatty acids, with research suggesting they may help regulate hunger hormones, improve body composition, and enhance exercise performance. We love all those perks, but we also love a protein powder that tastes great. And adding MCT (and coconut oil powder) into our blend helped us achieve a smooth creamy mouthfeel without having to resort to synthetic “mystery masks”. Most plant-based protein powders use something called a “mask” to help soften the “earthy” or “chalky” texture of pea protein. This is labeled simply as “Natural Flavors” on an ingredient list. Unfortunately, even manufacturers are not privy to what goes into these masks. At neue theory, we’re all about transparency and if we can’t have any information on any of the ingredient components (even if they’re all 100% safe), we just don’t feel comfortable putting them in our products. Read more about our ingredients here.

I know we tend to think bacteria = bad, but our body is made up of 39 trillion microbe cells, we are literally made of bacteria! The health of those bacterial microbes (aka our microbiome) affects the health of everything else: our weight, digestion, chronic disease risk, mental health, and so much more. We specifically chose a unique blend of spore-forming bacillus strains of bacteria (Optibiome® Bacillus Subtilis BS50 and Bacillus Coagulans SNZ 1969) because they are hearty enough to survive the harsh environments of a protein blend (most probiotics would not), and they are uniquely beneficial for reducing IBS-type symptoms like bloating.

There are no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives used in our Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powders. We use real cocoa, vanilla bean and either natural chocolate flavor or natural vanilla flavor to provide a luxurious rich flavor.

Hemp protein isolate is a high quality plant-based complete protein, but it is uniquely rich in the amino acids methionine and cysteine, which are found in lower amounts in pea protein. By adding hemp protein to our pea protein base, we achieve a better balance of amino acids compared to pea protein alone. In fact, our blend contains 3 x the methionine as traditional pea protein! Some of our competitors may try to improve their methionine levels by adding some brown rice protein to balance the amino acid profile. But we opted for hemp protein to avoid the potential risk of arsenic contamination in brown rice based products.

Natural flavors derive their aroma or flavor chemicals from plant or animal sources including fruit, meat, fish, spices, herbs, roots, leaves, buds of barks that are distilled, fermented or manipulated in a lab. Natural flavors are absolutely safe and must be free from the top eight allergens.  That said, there are different classes of Natural Flavors. When a label says Natural Flavors, it means that it is made from an ingredient whose flavor mimics the ingredient in question, but it contains none of the actual ingredient. So for example, a Natural Flavor in a strawberry flavored powder would not contain any real strawberries. We chose to use a higher class of Natural Flavors that is made from the actual food it’s intended to taste like. Our Natural Chocolate Flavor is made with real cocoa, and our Natural Vanilla Flavor is made with real vanilla bean. These Natural Flavors are meant to compliment the whole food vanilla bean and cocoa powder in our formula because they are ultimately made of the same base ingredient, rather than another ingredient that simulates the whole food. So bottom line, all natural flavors are safe, but ours tastes extra delicious!

Leucine is an essential branched chain amino acid that our body needs to build muscle and promote recovery. Research suggests that the optimal dose of leucine for muscle protein synthesis is 2.5g. Most plant-based protein powders do not meet this standard, so we have added additional leucine to our Plant-Based Probiotic Protein to help fill this gap for optimal post-workout recovery.

There is emerging research that L-Glutamine may help aid in post workout recovery (a, b, c, d), the gut microbiome (a, b, c, d) , and IBS symptoms (a, b, c) . We generally need between 5-10g of glutamine daily, but folks who exercise may need more. So to complement what you’re getting in the rest of your diet, plus our pea and hemp protein base, we’ve supplied a “top up” for extra support.

Silica is a mineral naturally found in a variety of plant-based foods like leafy greens, bell peppers, oats and beets. It’s a commonly used anti-caking agent that helps our Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powder from clumping. It has been thoroughly studied and deemed safe by the FDA as the silica we consume in our diets does not accumulate in our bodies. The research on dietary silica has found no adverse effects, and no association with cancer, mortality, reproductive health or body weight.

That is pure flavor! Depending on the variety, it is either pure vanilla bean or cocoa powder. The more, the merrier!

Spore-forming Bacillus probiotic strains (like those used in neue theory’s 2-in-1 plant-based probiotic protein powders) have been used in multiple studies (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i) and have demonstrated benefits for reducing IBS symptoms and improving the overall health of the gut microbiome. Bacillus strains are also uniquely hearty, so they they can survive a medium like protein powder, heat, freezing, and the harsh environment of our gut. Bacillus strains also are considered some of the safest probiotics for folks with functional gut disorders like SIBO or motility issues (ie. constipation) because unlike other probiotic strains, they can self propel themselves to the large intestine to colonize the gut quickly and on relatively low doses. For this reason, they are incredibly effective at delivering clinical results efficiently compared to a lot of other strains. The two specific strains we used - Optibiome® Bacillus Subtilis BS50 and Bacillus Coagulans SNZ 1969 have been tested in independent research by the manufacturers of the strains (BIO-CAT) where they found improvements in digestion, bloating, gas, bloating, gut motility, IBS symptoms and the overall composition of the gut microbiome. If you’re wondering if industry funded research can be trusted, know that research results can never be fabricated. Our decision to use these specific strains over generic bacillus strains was grounded in the the robust body of evidence to date, its premier performance in a medium like protein powder, and the bonus testing by the manufacturers to confirm benefits from these specific strains.  

This is a great question! Our co-founder and resident dietitian, Abbey, has generally been vocal about her disdain for products that feature massive proprietary blends in their products. The reason for her criticism is that it allows manufacturers to pack dozens of functional ingredients (most of which don’t have synergistic properties) into a long list of ingredients. The result is that the consumer has no ability to ascertain if any one of those functional ingredients is going to yield anywhere close to a clinical dose. For example, an adaptogen could be present in 0.1 mg, or 100 mg doses, and the consumer would not know the difference. In the case of the OPTIZIOME blend of peptidase and protease, our dietitians and science advisors were encouraged by research published in the Journal of Nutrition, conducted by world-renowned protein researcher, Dr. Nick Bird and his team of scientists., Their research clearly showed statistically significant differences in plasma Essential Amino Acids, BCAAs and Leucine concentrations following administration of the enzyme blend, and most impressively, a 36% greater release of total amino acids around 45 minutes after protein injection. This research was unique because it utilized this exact blend of digestive enzymes and specifically tested them using pea protein, which we know is digested differently than whey, potentially due to its particle size. Using a specific trademarked blend with published research to support the synergy of its enzymes provided us with data that we would not have had if we chose to simply add peptidase and protease individually.

Tart cherries are packed with unique anti-inflammatory anthocyanin antioxidants that have been shown in multiple studies (a, b, c, d, e) on athletes to help reduce muscle soreness and muscle breakdown, while speeding up recovery post-workout. Since research on tart cherries for workout recovery hasve been done using tart cherry juice or whole fruit preparations, there is no ‘officially’ recognized equivalent clinical dosage in tart cherry powder. Using the clinical judgment and expertise of our large group of internal and external scientific advisors including RDs, PhDs and NDs, we added a dosage estimated to offer an equivalent potency, while also taking into consideration our competitors and current industry standard.

Leucine is the most important amino acid for supporting muscle growth, with research suggesting that suboptimal leucine can limit protein synthesis rates.  While the amount of leucine in any particular food is less important thanks to the whole food matrix and interplay of nutrients having synergistic effects in whole food protein, research suggests it should be a key consideration when consuming isolated proteins – like protein powdered. If we want to dive into one large systematic review evaluating the role of leucine for muscle protein synthesis, critics will argue that the results are mixed. While the majority of the studies (9 out of 16) did find a significant benefit to leucine for muscle protein synthesis, 7 out of 16 studies did not. And this is where a critical appraisal of literature like this is key, especially when looking at it from a standpoint of what is important to us at neue theory, which is optimal dosing. Looking at the 9 positive results, the low doses of leucine given were almost all 2 grams or less. And the high doses were all around 2.5 grams or above. In the 7 studies that did not find an effect, many either had a very small difference in leucine contents between groups or they were comparing leucine intakes that were both above 2 grams.  In other words, they compared doses that were arguably already sufficient so it makes total sense that they didn't see an effect from a dosing standpoint. 

At this point, we don't have a specific dose response study but when we look at the body of research to date, we can make strong inferences. For example, we can look to the research on the optimal leucine range for muscle protein synthesis in whey protein, which is often considered one of the, if not the most efficient isolated protein. In contrast, leucine is often one of the most commonly lacking amino acids in plants, with some fully pea protein powders only supplying 1.2 grams of leucine- that is less than half of what we offer in neue theory’s Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powder.  We can also look to the recommendations of world renowned protein researchers, Dr. Stewart Phillips and Dr Donald Layman, who also call out the importance of leucine in protein supplements and Dr. Layman even points out the specific 2.5 grams goal.To summarize, fortifying a plant protein with free leucine is a totally viable, tried and tested strategy for supporting optimal muscle protein synthesis, which is exactly why we opted to top up our leucine in our Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powder.

Ashwagandha root powder has been used for centuries as a powerful adaptogenic herb in Ayurvedic medicine. It is one of the most well studied and well tolerated adaptogens. Most of the research to date was focused on its use for helping to reduce stress, sleep, anxiety and cognition (a, b, c, d, e, f, g). After countless taste test versions in our R&D phase and recommendations by our science advisors and food scientists, we decided to opt for a 500 mg dose of traditional whole ashwagandha root powder in our formula instead of a concentrated extract. This allowed for the best flavor and texture with the lowest risk of any digestive side effects that are sometimes experienced with more potent extracts. Our food scientist team is continuing to explore and test different extract options for their sensory properties in applications like our 2-in-1 Plant Based Probiotic Protein Powder. Our products are living breathing growing beings, and when we find an extract that we feel delivers without compromises, we will consider using it in our products in the future.

A common concern is that herbs like ashwagandha may not be safe long term because most of the clinical trials are only ever designed to last weeks or months. Research on supplements and herbs is notoriously sparse, and rarely lasts longer than a few weeks. So the absence of long term research does not mean that it is automatically unsafe. Ashwagandha is one of the most well studied adaptogens with an incredibly high safety and tolerance profile. According to this review, on the basis of centuries of use in various preparations and in raw form, in conjunction with the research to date, there is no reasonable grounds for concern for Ashwagandha use long term. There have been a handful of case studies associating Ashwagandha with liver damage, but these reports have been scarce, inconclusive, and confounded by a multitude of different potential contributors completely unrelated to the use of the herb. Research specifically looking at the safety and tolerance (a,b) of Ashwagandha in healthy individuals confirmed the lack of toxicity in the raw materials.