AIP Protein Powder • AIP Recipe Collection

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What Protein Powder Does Everyone Recommend?

I have a theory about why this question comes up ALL THE TIME … Since so many people struggle to wrap their heads around breakfast on the AIP, they tend to think of smoothies as an easy AIP fallback and then they delve desperately into trying to find a compliant protein powder so they feel full longer or because it’s easier … sound familiar?

I’ll make two points on this:

#1 – AIP breakfasts really need to be more nutrient dense, and most smoothies folks make are heavy on fruit, low on fiber and not nearly as nutrient-dense as they need to be – so we need to start thinking outside the traditional breakfast box. Now, I’m not saying you can’t enjoy smoothies … you just need to be smoothie savvy! There are lots of ways to make them nutrient-dense, so be sure to try searching my Facebook Group for smoothie and breakfast recipes – there are so many super simple options! Check out my veggie-dense smoothie recipes: Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie / Matcha Veggie Energy Smoothie

#2 – It’s VERY difficult if not impossible to find a good, AIP elimination stage compliant protein powder in regular stores, and it’s hard to know which online options are the real deal! Sadly, the ones that do pop up from time to time typically get bad reviews and disappear quickly from the market. Thankfully there’s finally an amazing option!

AIP Protein Powder!

I’m thrilled to announce that as of July 2022 Autoimmune Health & Nutrition has 5 AIP Compliant Protein Powders that actually taste great – you can find them in my AIP Storefronts on Amazon – click here to shop.

What Collagen Brand Do You Recommend?

There are several great brands that I’ve personally tried and would recommend. Autoimmune Health & Nutrition carries plain grass-fed collagen and plain protein powder with added veg – not just fun flavors).

If you can’t find any of my recommendations near you, what you want to look for is a quality product that indicates it comes from grass-fed, pasture raised cows or pigs (if we were talking about gelatin, that would rule out Knox – just FYI, it doesn’t make the cut). For those who can’t tolerate beef or pork you might want t consider a quality marine collagen that’s wild-caught and non-GMO – this is actually a great option for everyone – it’s very nutrient dense.

Perfect Supplements carries a fantastic line up of products, including Grass-Fed and Pasture Raised Bovine Collagen and Gelatin, powdered bone broth (LOVE IT!), liver powder and capsules (these helped me through my worst nutritional crisis), coconut oil and so much more. They also carry a lot of quality supplement brands I personally trust.

Where to buy: You can shop direct here at Perfect Supplements (Save 10% with code “AIP10”)
Shopping Tip: You will save 20% when you purchase 3 or more Perfect Brand products and 25% when you purchase 6 or more Perfect Brand products – PLUS you can double dip and get an additional 10% off with my code above!

Vital Proteins is a brand recommended by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne – so much so that she even partnered with them to come up with a Collagen Veggie Blend. Unfortunately as of August 2020 this product appears to have been discontinued and Dr. Ballantyne is not longer partnering with them. Vital Proteins has a HUGE line up of products – not all are AIP compliant, but it’s a brand you can trust – just watch the labels and stick to basic products (unfortunately, even the larger canister of beef collagen now has additives that we need to avoid on the AIP – but the smaller canister at present is still clean). Their compliant offerings include Dr. Ballantyne’s Collagen Veggie Blend (if you can find it somewhere), Beef Collagen, Marine Collagen, Beef Gelatin, Liver Capsules and Bone Broth Powder which is very convenient and so delicious!

Where to buy: You can find many of their products on Amazon (be mindful that not all of their products are AIP compliant).

Great Lakes Gelatin Co. offers a simple line of quality products – Grass-Fed and Pasture Raised Collagen and Gelatin. They used to offer Porcine (pork) Collagen as well but that seems to have disappeared recently. A WARNING about shopping this brand – the name of the company has the word “gelatin” in it, so you’ll need to watch you choose the right product – the green package is collagen and the orange package is gelatin.
Where to buy: This brand is pretty readily available in health food stores, quality grocers, in my Amazon storefronts (USA, Canada & UK).

Bare Bones is another highly recommended brand in the AIP community. Initially their offerings only included shelf-stable bone broth, but they’ve expanded and added grass-feed beef collagen to their line up. Unfortunately, the company has changed many of their broth recipes to include ingredients that are not AIP elimination stage compliant, so you’ll need to wait for some reintroductions before you try most of those – but they are delicious and so handy!

Where to buy: You can shop direct here at BareBones.com (Be sure to grab a coupon code from our coupons page.)

Be sure to check out my AIP Amazon Storefronts for more brands … occasionally I am adding more options that may be more economical

What About Plant Based Protein Powder?

This is another big question that I get all the time. Unfortunately, for the most part the plant based powders are not elimination stage compliant – they typically contain soy or pea protein. If you’ve moved on to reintroductions, there are some good clean options out there. Watch the labels carefully and you may find some that are quite good. I’ve added a few to the reintroductions/paleo section of my Amazon storefronts – you can find those by clicking here.

What’s The Difference Between Collagen & Gelatin?

The major difference is how you consume them. In a nutshell, gelatin gels – collagen does not – so you choose your product based on how you’re trying to use it.

Check out my full post on Gelatin vs. Collagen – click here.

Take Me To The Recipes!

Looking for ways to incorporate collagen and gelatin into your daily AIP healing journey? Use the search feature in my Facebook Group for recipes like: smoothies, gummies, jello, marshmallows and more. Simply try searching the group for collagen or gelatin – you’ll be surprised what comes up!