It kills me to have to write this article. To be honest I wish I didn’t have to write it. Here at Extreme Health Radio we’re all about promoting the products we use or have used.
Recently I’ve been having some bouts of indigestion. I’d consume certain foods only to find I’d feel that really tight feeling in my stomach. I’m not sure if you’ve ever felt that.
Basically it feels like someone is using their index finger and pushing really hard right on your stomach which is almost in the center of your chest where your ribs meet. It’s quite painful.
If you take a moment and press really hard right there you’ll feel it might be hard to breath and the tight feeling is somewhat uncomfortable. With the particular bouts of indigestion I’ve been having lately, I’ve noticed that as the day continues on the tight feeling in my stomach becomes progressively more uncomfortable.
My best guess is that it’s probably because as the day moves on, your body produces less and less hydorchloric acid (HCL). I’m sure it’s God’s way of telling us we’re not supposed to eat heavy food close to bed time.
Be that as it may, I’ve really tried to figure out what the heck is causing this feeling of indigestion. It wasn’t heartburn because I didn’t feel any acid coming up my esophagus.
I kept asking myself, what could be causing this?
I’d take tons of supplements each day in order to help with digestion. If you’re interested in learning which supplements they are you can read more about that by clicking here.
I tried removing all kinds of food from my diet. I’d do this for a few days to see what was causing the bloating, gas, stomach pain and mostly the indigestion. Sometimes it would be so bad I coudln’t sleep at night.
After restricting my diet and trying all kinds of food combinations, I’ve finally figured it out. At least I think I have.
As you know health is a moving target and what’s true today might not be true tomorrow in terms of how our bodies react to foods and supplements.
I think I finally figured out it was the Sunwarrior Protein Powder I was putting into my green smoothies and my chocolate cacao smoothies. It’s too bad because I love this stuff so much! I love it so much that we even did an entire show with Nick Stern, the founder of Sunwarrior!
One morning I felt fine and then I had some Sunwarrior classic vanilla powder in water only and I immediately felt that tight indigestion feeling.
Now I realize that the problem isn’t the Sunwarrior. The problem is the health of my entire digestive system.
But because rice is a grain perhaps my body (right now) can’t deal with that too well, even though it’s bio-fermented.
As a culture if we sneeze when we’re around grass we run to the drug store and pick up some pharmaceutical medication in order to get rid of that symptom. When in actuality the allergy is a result of a damaged digestive system.
In the same way I realize the issue is not Sunwarrior protein powder. The issue is always us. This goes for anything in life. We need to take complete responsibility for our lives and realize that the problems we’re facing are in fact caused by us.
When I took the protein powder back to the health food store and told the clerk why I was returning it, he actually said that people have complained about the same thing and they’ve been getting some returns lately.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t try it out. I feel like I was able to build muscle on this protein powder but for now I’m going to exclusively focus on using One World Whey as my protein powder of choice. Usually I cycle on and off One World Whey so now I’ll stay with that one for longer and see how we go.
So as of now, I’m going to change all links on this site that point to our Sunwarrior affiliate link to go straight to their website so we don’t get commission for it.
Perhaps in the future we’ll turn that back on again if I heal up my gut and can tolerate it or if I find out that the Sunwarrior is not in fact the cause of my indigestion.
I just wanted to be upfront with you guys about what we promote here at Extreme Health Radio.
Have you had any digestive issues with Sunwarrior Protein Powder?
I’d love to know!
Please comment below!
Hello, I just stumbled upon this article/thread while researching the mystery behind static/magnetic reactions in protein powders. I bought Sunworrior blend from my local GNC a few weeks ago (both chocolate and vanilla) and they had this charged effect causing the powder to jump around all crazy-like. In my search, I found that this is most likely due to the trace “heavy metals” that have “mistakenly” been added in with the blend. These “heavy metals” included: lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc… which are known neurotoxins as well as carcinogenic. That would explain all the health effects. I through the batch out and will not buy from this distributor again. Just wanted to express my findings and concerns. Thank you. Hope you are all well.
Hi Douglas thanks for sharing your experience. Do we have studies showing heavy metals in this product? If it’s in there, it might explain a lot. I’d like to see any lab results!
I used it to day for the first time (Vanilla) and I am having lots of weird movements in my digestive area and I feel tired and sick. I wonder if it is not more to do with not having the digestibility for raw food: my nutritionist said this is a HUGE problem with people and smoothies (bloating and discomfort). At the Whole Foods where I purchased this, the staff member stated that some people have been known to have issues digesting pea protein…
I love the stuff and even how it tasted, but I had the same reactions you did so I had to sadly give it up. Their other products are amazing though. Now I take One World Whey (a raw grass fed organic protein powder from Amish farms) and it seems to agree with me just great.
Thank you very much for this post. To alleviate gas & bloating issues, over the years I’ve switched from the cheapest whey protein I could find, to a better quality whey protein concentrate, to a natural whey concentrate/isolate blend, to natural whey 100% isolate. Since I still had issues, I recently decided to give up whey protein powder entirely & switch to rice protein assuming that would make everything better. After doing some research I decided to purchase Sun Warrior Classic Protein vanilla. I feel bad saying this because the company seems really nice, but this product did not help my issues. At the risk of oversharing, not only does it give me gas, it is gas with a unique, intense, horrible odor. At first I assumed the problem had to be something else – after all, switching to rice protein was supposed to “fix” me. But eventually it became clear that the Sun Warrior rice protein was the issue. And, I’m kind of relieved to see that I’m not alone on this.
I know that everyone is different, but, out of curiosity, do you think the problem is specifically the Sun Warrior product, or rice protein in general?
Hi Eric. Well that’s a good question. All I can say is that it seems like for me, it’s the Sunwarrior blend in particular. I’ve recently tried Garden of Life and did great with that so who knows? It’s all a big science experiment isn’t it? Keep on your journey and if you find something that works let us all know!
Interesting…. So I came across this cause I think there’s a link for another similar protein powder by health force the natural warrior protein it’s so clean so I have been taking it and when I started taking a few years ago I started tog et a rash on my had very mild just one itchy bump blamed it on all kinds of things and really ignored it…. As time went on it got better and worse amd I started to see a connection to what I ate… But never thought the protein powder could be a problem because it’s SO CLEAN…. Then after not eating so great (but not bad either) my rash started to go away then it came back full force during some times I was using the protein powder and thinking I’m gonna eat cleaner… But I started noticing a link… So I stopped using it for awhile and it took a little while for the rash to go away cause it had gotten pretty bad this last time and finally it was completely gone then last night I was like I’m gonna have a clean protein drink cause of my long activities and early morning and woke up with the itchy rash again… So bummed cause I love the company but for whatever reason my stomach cannot tolerate it. And I thought I was crazy cause I don’t have an issue with brown rice or Hemp or Nopal cactus in full forms , but it must be the way it’s processed. :/
I’m right there with you. I LOVE all of their other products but their protein I just can’t handle! 🙁
I have been using Sun Warrior vanilla protein for several weeks now. I too am experiencing concerning digestive issues with this product. The stomach pain and bloating have been unbelievable. I feel as if I might explode!
Sadly, I think this is the last day I will be indulging in this product.
Hi Susan! Thanks for sharing your experience. From all the comments on here it seems like this is becoming more and more common!
I’ m relieved to see that I am not going crazy…I’ve been drinking whey protein powders to supplement my workouts for years, and aside from bloating , I’ve never experienced symptoms like I’ve had with the Sun Warrior Natural. The first time I drank it, I left for work to a meeting and within an hour, I was so lethargic, that I almost fell asleep! Then, I started feeling nauseated, headache, and my stomach hurt. TRIED IT AGAIN 2 WEEKS LATER…SAME REACTION!
AFTER RESEARCHING, FOUND ARTICLE THAT SAID THE HEMPSEEDS ARE SOMETIMES SOAKED IN RANCID OIL…COULD THIS BE THE CULPRIT.
?
Hi Susan. I’ve heard that as well about hemp seeds but I don’t think that’s the case (at least for me). I think my body just doesn’t do well with high amounts of rice protein. I like the One World Whey much better but it’s not vegan.
People, I’m right there with you. I was religiously taking a daily dose of a protein powder (it was Garden of Life), and blaming my terrible gas on everything else but the protein powder.
One month, I couldn’t afford to buy it, and low and behold, no gas or bloating! And here I was thinking I NEEDED to be eating this “super healthy” protein powder to ensure I got enough protein as a vegan. I thought I was being smart by making sure I had a “protein safety net” just in case my meals didn’t get me enough protein.
Anyway, glad that’s over.
I can relate to this.
what I want to know is how long it takes for symptoms to go away, can barely move.
Did you have tummy issues with the rice one or the warrior blend? It sure is hard to find a good protein powder. Garden of life has a newer one without grains that looks decent (but i wish they wouldn’t put in stevia… That always bothers me in some form or fashion).
Do you have any vegan protein powders you recommend?
Right now I’m doing One World Whey which isn’t vegan. I do however take the Garden Of Life product as well. I used to take the Raw Power Protein but it’s kind of expensive. My body seemed to like it. I hope that helps!
So glad I found this article and the reader’s comments. I just bought the Sun Warrior “Warrior Blend” vanilla plant based protein. I have mixed it with my morning egg white smoothies for the past two days and each day my digestion has definitely be out of the normal. I have never experienced anything like this. Immediately taking this half ass product back to Whole Foods. SW needs to take this product off the shelves given the majority of consumers are having digestion issues.
Could it have been the egg whites also? Personally both those ingredients would double me over!
Hi, I too had a bad experience with Sun Warrior protein. I added it to a banana & strawberry and had the worst stomach pain when I started to drink it. I made the same drink without the protein and did not have a problem, so I’m thinking it’s the powder.
I was told that Whey protein is GMO that is why I went for the Raw protein, can you comment on this
Jen
Hi Jen! Wow it seems like most of the people here are saying the same thing. You might want to try One World Whey. It’s organic, raw, unpasteurized from grass fed cows. My body seems to like it. The good thing is that there are many options! 🙂
Thank you for posting this. I switched from Growing Naturals (which is organic) to Sunwarrior and have started experiencing these symptoms, most of which are listed above. I get mostly cramps and lethargy, like I want to put the fire out with something else but end up not being able to consume anything else on top of it. I tipped my smoothie down the toilet today, it made me gag. Expensive lesson but I wanted an alternative to meat protein and I did see results in my body. Meh. 🙁 You can read here, they wrote about arsenic etc, and the comments below – I also agree with you Brian Gardner. For sure. http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/arsenic-and-rice-dont-panic/
Hey Louise. Thanks for writing in. I loved the taste, flavor and consistency of Sun Warrior (they have other great products too like Liquid Light and a green ormus powder) but the protein not so much. I switch up my protein powders. I do a raw, organic, grass fed whey protein now called One World Whey and have been enjoying that. I guess just see what works for you! Thanks for sharing your experiences! Seems like a lot of people have the same reactions!
I’m the same!
I had terrible gut problems for years and healed if a year ago doing a full gut protocol, I did a food sensitivity blood test, removed those foods I was sensitive to, took a range of supplements to heal my tummy and I have been great ever since. I decided to start using Sun Warrior in my smoothies and my tummy is the worst it’s ever been! Extreme bloating (like I’m 7 months pregnant), paint, tightness, horrible gas, constipation & diarrhea. The only thing I have changed in my diet is the sun warrior protein so I know it’s the culprit! I’m very disappointed after buying 2 big bags of it and I was really enjoying it.
I’m going to try Ezy Protein again as I used that for a few months earlier this year and I was fine.
Thanks for writing this, now I know I’m not the not one experiences these issues.
Emily.
Thanks Emily I appreciate that you shared your experience. I’m right there with you!
I was googling about this protein powder and just found this article.. Finding it causes me serious heart palpitations, stomach discomfort and nausea.. What the hell is in that stuff that is causing such weird reactions!! Took me a while to pinpoint it to this but its pretty clear to me today this is the culprit! That’s definitely not coming out of my cupboard again.. Boooo!!!
I agree Fran! Weird right? I feel better being off of it.
Last year I did a 21 day vegan detox. After the detox I continued the program but switched to Sun warrior vegan vanilla. For breakfast, I drank green smoothies with this protein everyday for one year.
A few months ago my ankles, feet, knees, wrists and hands started to swell after I would drink this protein. My doctor ran tests but did not find anything wrong. Eventually I was hospitalized in the ER and these tests also found nothing wrong. Since I couldn’t identify the problem and my body became very stiff and tense I saw a chiropractor, acupuncturist and a yoga therapist.
As I started to recover, I fell off my vegan diet and stopped using the protein. I was also too sore to work out or ride my mountain bike so I became the laziest I have every been in my life; however, I started to feel better.
Yesterday, I felt good enough to resume my sun warrior diet and had a scoop for breakfast and after dinner. This morning I woke up with swelling, stiffness, pain in the joints of my feet, knees, back, neck, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers and shoulders.
This is the third time I’ve suspected or decided that this vegan protein is causing these issues. There is no way to know for certain what is the root cause but this time I’m pretty sure it is the Sunwarrior Vegan protein.
I’m happy to feel that I may eventually recover but also sad to not understand how something that is good for me can cause this type of reaction. I have 3 canisters of the protein at home, the car and the office but I think they are going in the trash.
I’m going to bring one of them to my chiropractor and see if she can recommend for me a different protein because she is the one who got me on the 21 day vegan detox.
Thank goodness someone has said this! This powder was my lifesaver but I realise after all my hard work trying to eat well and keep my reflux down, this has been the culprit.
Such a shame cause I had so much faith in it.
Hey Mariah! I know it’s a shame isn’t it? I haven’t gone back to it since and don’t think my body could take it. I loved it so much while I was on it but it took me a long time to figure out this was my issue! 🙁
*coincidence not confidence – iPhone decided to change that …
I have the sun warrior chocolate protein. I liked it at first but I’m finding it harder to get it down. Especially when it thickens up. It could be a coincidence but after I have it. I start to get a weird tightness across my forehead and temples and feel a weird dizziness and heart palpitations. It’s pretty strange. I oscillate between sun warrior and another protein called Silk Ezyprotein wild berry. That’s really nice and doesn’t cause that problem. I just bought a massive tub of SW so I’ll finish it, I really can’t work out what could be in it to cause that reaction though. Like I said, it very well could be confidence, but it seems to correlate.
I was using Sunwarrior vanilla and chocolate protein powders for a few months, did fine and lost weight. All of a sudden I started getting terrible pain in the front of my stomach, among with severe nausea that would last for hours. I stopped using it, and it went away. Tried it again, and 3 days later, the same reaction. I’m very disappointed and curious why this is happening. I love detoxing with this and it’s so convenient for breakfast going to work. Ugh!
Hi Rhae! I totally agree with you. I was the same way. I loved their product until I couldn’t tolerate it any more. They have some other amazing things on their site that I use from time to time which give me zero problems!
I’ve been using sunwarrior plant based vanilla protein for a while now in my shakes (the one without rice) and I get bad gas… I wasn’t sure what was causing the gas but I didn’t want to give up such a tasty healthy protein. Now that I am taking a closer look at this issue I happened to find this article. I am suspecting it may actually be the stevia in the protein! I’m going to buy the natural flavor again (without stevia) even though it doesn’t taste as good to me (not as sweet) and see if I have the same gas issue. I don’t think it’s the rice…although rice these days has a high level of arsenic and heavy metals in them anyway so I stay away from rice products. Check out this thread I just found about stevia causing digestive issues: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread23137.html
Thanks Jennie I appreciate that link. Keep us updated will you? If it turns out to be the stevia I’d love to go back and try the Sun Warrior again!
hi, Brian Gardner here from facebook, I share a great deal of awesome interviews you folks make ;-), I wanted to add that it’s great that you are keeping food & natural supplements dynamic, it’s important to move on to other things once in a while, always consuming things from a single source/manufacturer can bring issues even if the product is of the highest caliber due to small toxicities that may be micro present in the food sources & manufacturing process, creating a bit of nomadic style changes in food/herb/etc selection helps to create a dynamic nature in our bodies & hearts; could be the phytates &/or many other factors, could be that there’s a better energy ingredient for your constitution somewhere else & you’ve gotten what you need from this particular form, best wishes & radiant health, friendships, love, prosperity, & heart’s expression always
Hi Brian! I completely agree. It’s always good to switch things up and not do the same thing every day for the rest of our lives. 🙂
Has anybody tried or heard of someone mixing and leaving it to soak overnight? might make it easier on the gut
Hey Travis. Do you mean leaving it soak like with nuts to get rid of the phytic acid? That might be something to consider! Have you tried it?
Steve I know right? One World Whey is my personal new favorite. Glad you don’t have a reaction to Sun Warrior though!
Totally comes up on me! I tried to like the stuff, but honestly I cant! It really doesnt work well with me!
I’m completely with you. I really really wanted to like it but it just didn’t work with my belly! Glad to know that I’m not the only one!
I’ve recently noticed that I’ve been getting stomach pains after eating/drinking anything with sunwarrior added too.. I’ve been hoping that it wasn’t because I bought both the natural original and the vanilla mct powders. But after paying more attention to how my stomach acts after eating/drinking foods with and then without the powder I’m positive it’s the sunwarrior powder. Makes me sad to have to throw away both bags.. but the pain and even gas after isn’t worth it. 🙁
Thank you for this article though. I was beginning to think that I was the only one with this issue.
Hi Rachel! I know exactly what you mean. I love what they’re doing and even interviewed Nick somewhere around episode 70 or so. I just wish my stomach could handle it. I’m a bit leery of trying it again. Although I would love to try their Ormus Greens product. Have you tried that?