I have used many HealthForce products over the years because I trusted the purity of the product and integrity of the company and the founder. HealthForce products are marketed as "beyond organic" (TruGanic)and are more expensive than much of the competition. I believed, from their marketing, that this was because they use higher quality, better sourced ingredients than the competition.<br /><br />So I was dismayed to recently come across the heavy metals testing of Warrior Food Extreme published online by Natural News Labs that was conducted in early 2014. That lab analysis of several brands of rice protein powders showed HealthForce Warrior Food contains high levels of heavy metals, and the brown rice protein in Warrior Food was sourced from China. I was also very surprised to see in the lab testing that some less expensive brands performed better than HealthForce Warrior Food. Very surprising considering HealthForce's hype about their "beyond organic" product quality.<br /><br />HealthForce has since changed their brown rice protein supplier to a non-China supplier and cleaned up this product, but the fact remains they did so only after being caught selling a product with high levels of heavy metals. Who knows for how many years Warrior Food with it's heavy metals was sold to unsuspecting customers, including pregnant women. HealthForce could have done the right thing early on and chosen not to use an inferior supplier for Warrior Food or they could have chosen to simply not produce Warrior Food because a high quality rice protein supplier couldn't be found. But they didn't, and they chose to make and sell a product with unacceptable levels of heavy metals. Now I feel like my trust has been betrayed and I'm seriously questioning the integrity and purity of the other HealthForce products that I've used for years.<br /><br />More info on all this....<br /><br />1) Google "natural news labs healthforce protein" for the rice protein lab test results.<br /><br />2) Google "healthforce mike adams response" for HealthForce's response to the Natural News lab tests.<br /><br />3) Google "can you trust warrior food from healthforce" for Natural News Labs rebuttal of HealthForce's response to their lab tests.

I have been buying this protein for some time and am very upset to find this "Truganic" Protein tested at over .3 ppm lead and nearly 1.8 ppm cadmium.<br /><br />Mike Adams from Natural News quote:<br /><br />"Their current label on their current product is simply misleading, claiming the product is "NON-TOXIC" and "100% TruGanic" with the claim that it is "a purist, hard-core, quality standard significantly beyond Organic standards, with much more stringent criteria and actual verification via testing that Organic does not have."<br /><br />"Yet when I tested Warrior Food Lot #31105010, purchased from Whole Foods on 4/28/2014, I found this product to contain":<br /><br />* .3 ppm lead<br />* 1.791 ppm cadmium<br />* Substantial levels of tungsten

I am a healthcoach at Nutrihabit and typically tell people to stay away from protein powders as most of them have whey or sweetening ingredients that drive cravings. We recommend hemp seeds as an addition to shakes if clients feel they need that extra boost...that being said, this ingredient list has nothing in it that will engage your appetite to eat more....it is purely emotional for the taste of it....we pair it with coconut milk, cinnamon and nutmeg and water and one banana for an easy wonderful treat for the body without guilt....<br /><br />Healthforce is an incredibly conscientious company and knows their stuff....while I still check the ingredients on every product prior to purchase, I have always found Healthforce on top of the game of keeping and getting people their healthiest through top notch products. I have never found a compromise in ethics or ingredients. I hope they continue for years to earn my trust as I have not found any other company like them.....<br /><br />Highly recommended!

Intelligent people care about what goes into their bodies. They don't want to trade living longer and healthier for muscle growth. They research products before they buy. They avoid inferior products that contain high levels of arsenic (EAS) Lead (muscle milk) and other various nastiness. They realize that soy and whey are inferior proteins (some studies are suggesting genistein, a soy isoflavone may be carcinogenic).<br /><br />This product is one of two I've found on Amazon that is extremely healthy, high quality, organic, and works well. It dissolves easily in water and has a pretty good flavor (note it's not full of sugars so it's not going to taste like a "vanilla milkshake"). Take advantage of the hours of research I did before selecting this product and give this one a try.

I've used other products by this company because I think they are of very high quality, and this protein powder is of excellent quality, also. Yes, it's gritty, compared to the whey powders I used to use, but I don't find it off-putting. I'm eating mostly plant-based now, and wanted to find a plant-based protein supplement. I have felt better (stronger, with more stamina) since upping my protein intake to 50 grams a day, and having 25 grams of this powder in a smoothie every morning is an easy, tasty way to ensure this. Plus, as in Vanilla Plus, there's all the extras added, like herbs and such, that make this powder pack such a nutritional punch. My smoothie usually consists of 2 T. raw chocolate powder (for antioxidants and to lower my blood pressure, and, of course, for delicious taste), 3 T. of Warrior Food Extreme Vanilla Plus, half a cup of berries, 2 T. chia, a small handful of almonds, some water, and stevia for sweetening. Blend it all up in my vitamix and I'm fully nourished for the next 4 to 6 hours. Recommended product.

I have researched this a lot and it is a great alternative for soy or whey based products only. Its quality is superb. My stomach doesn't react to it as much as other products and it is much gentler on my digestion. It may not taste like a vanilla milkshake, but add frozen fruit like a banana and it's fine. It's my first choice.